The Legend of Sam Miracle

January 25, 2016
An orphan with all-consuming daydreams and non-functioning arms discovers his true destiny in this odd time-travel adventure, which sees 12-year-old Sam Miracle transported into the past to battle the malevolent thief known as the Vulture. It turns out that Sam has lived numerous times before, and every time he is struck down in battle or killed, an enigmatic priest, Father Tiempo, saves him to try again; this, however, is Sam’s last chance to prevent the Vulture from achieving his terrible goals. Sam is joined by a courageous girl named Glory, who proves to be a valuable ally, and his arms are magically bonded with a pair of snakes, giving him inhuman speed and skill with guns. Wilson (Boys of Blur) delivers a twisty, swashbuckling tale, but some of the cross-temporal mechanics come off as awkward, either ill-explained or underutilized (such as Father Tiempo’s habit of communicating between his older and younger selves). But readers who embrace the novel’s off-kilter perspective should find it an entertaining romp, one that lays groundwork for future installments in the Outlaws of Time series. Ages 8–12. Agent: Aaron Rench, Leaptide Literary Group.

May 1, 2016

Gr 5-8-Sam Miracle has always been different. An orphan who lives in a group home, he often blanks out and finds himself in vivid dreams that seem almost real. Sam is also disabled; his arms were shattered in an accident he cannot remember, and though they are healed, they are immobile and painful at times. He soon discovers he is part of a small group of people who can walk through time and that he has lived the same life over and over-dashing around time trying to live long enough to stop an evil outlaw who wants to end the world. Now the time of the final conflict approaches, and with the help of another foster kid, a girl named Glory, and his companion through time, Father Tiempo, Sam sets out to meet his destiny. There's tons of action and adventure in this book, most of which is set in the old West, but though Wilson tries, he does not successfully manage all the time threads. Younger readers will most likely be confused by the constant, intricate time line shifting as well as the small details of Sam's past adventures, which are revealed too slowly. Other major hindrances are the problematic elements of stereotypical wise Native American elders and Sam's disabled arms being cured through magic. VERDICT Though some action scenes are satisfying, overall this time-twisting tale takes too long to sort itself out. Recommended only in libraries where the author's previous works are very popular.-Angie Manfredi, Los Alamos County Library System, NM

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2016
Starting with a ragtag bunch of boys, sweltering desert, and tall-tale sensibility reminiscent of Louis Sachar's Holes (1998), this fantasy quickly becomes a time-hopping shoot-'em-up. Sam Miracle, a 12-year-old blond white boy with arms that have been shattered and fused so tightly they don't bend at the elbows, lives at a ranch for destitute youth. He frequently slips into trances in which he and his sister, Millie, also blonde, face death. The visions are memory fragments: Sam's been killed repeatedly, as has Millie. A villain named El Buitre (the Vulture) is destroying life for "centuries in both directions," and to that end he must kill Sam--permanently. The plot's all action--Wild West, train wrecks, bridge crashes, gunfights--and the characters all recognizable types: a boy destined for greatness, an endangered sister, a girl sidekick, and three magical Navajos speaking a "mysterious liquid language" who orbit--and sacrifice themselves for--the white hero. One's an appallingly stereotypical medicine man, communicating with animals and performing medical wonders; his brother is Father Tiempo, sort of a corporeal spirit guide who propels Sam through years and centuries but sacrifices himself to death repeatedly. Gunshots abound, and sometimes, because of Sam's narrative viewpoint, they blast right at readers. Unforgettably, the medicine man fuses snakes with Sam's arms, making the boy a crack shot and a legend. Catchy tall tale, violent Western, and time travel, wrapped around inexcusable indigenous tropes. (Western fantasy. 9-12)

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March 15, 2016
Grades 3-7 Sam Miracle is an orphan and a daydreamerand those daydreams often feel eerily real. His actual life at the Desert Destitute Youth Ranch is disappointing. Not only is Sam in foster care, he is burdened with a disability: his arms barely work. When he and his new friend Glory meet the mysterious Father Tiempo, they are both thrust into a new reality filled with stories, daydreams, and, most important, time travel. Sam discovers his dreams are illusions, and that there are peoplegood and evilwho can magically bend time. This adventure means leaving behind everything Sam knows, but he is sure he wants to be a time walker and discover the truth about his past, even as danger presses in. Wilson's novels are always a treat, and this first in a series is no exception, as it introduces a wide world of incredible magic. Buy for any collection and recommend it to middle-grade fantasy fanatics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)