Sammie & Budgie

Scott Semegran

Oct 2017 · Simon Adventures Book 3 · Mutt Press

4.5

6 reviews

Ebook

289

Pages

Eligible

About this ebook

AN AWARD-WINNING NOVEL

"Illustrated throughout by Semegran, this book is the author's best... An unconventional, beguiling, and endearing family tale." — Kirkus Reviews

From award-winning writer Scott Semegran, Sammie & Budgie is a quirky, mystical tale of a self-doubting IT nerd and his young son, who possesses the gift of foresight. The boy's special ability propels his family on a road trip to visit his ailing grandfather, a prickly man who left an indelible stamp on the father and son. The three are connected through more than genetics, their lives intertwined through dreams, imagination, and longing.

Simon works as a network administrator for a state government agency, a consolation after a promising career as a novelist flounders. He finds himself a single parent of two small children following the mysterious death of his adulterous wife. From the ashes of his failed marriage emerges a tight-knit family of three: a creative, special needs son, a hyperactive, butt-kicking daughter, and the caring, sensitive father. But when his son's special ability reveals itself, Simon struggles to keep his little family together in the face of adversity and uncertainty.

Sammie is a creative third-grader that draws adventures in his sketchbook with his imaginary friend, Budgie, a parakeet that protects him from the monsters inhabiting his dreams. Sammie is also a special needs child but is special in more ways than one. He can see the future. Sammie seemingly can predict events both mundane and catastrophic in equal measure. But when he envisions the suffering of his grandfather, the family embarks on a road trip to San Antonio with the nanny to visit the ailing patriarch.

Sammie & Budgie is an illustrated novel brought to you from the quirky mind of writer and cartoonist Scott Semegran. The novel explores the bond between a caring father and his children, one affected by his own thorny relationship with his surly father, and the connection he has with his sweet son is thicker than blood, going to the place where dreams are conceived and realized.

This is the third book in the Simon Adventures Series which includes The Meteoric Rise of Simon Burchwood, The Spectacular Simon Burchwood, and Sammie & Budgie.

"The novel's delights abound... Semegran is a gifted writer, with a wry sense of humor." — BlueInk Review (Starred Review)

"The writing quality is excellent and the dialogue between Simon and Sammie is immersive." — Foreword Clarion Reviews. Clarion Rating: 4 out of 5.

First Place Winner for General Fiction: Sammie & Budgie - 2018 Texas Authors Book Awards

First Place Winner for Fiction: Sammie & Budgie - 2018 Texas Authors Book Cover Awards

Ratings and reviews

4.5

6 reviews

A M

October 1, 2017

One of the most admiring qualities of the book and its series is the way Simon observes and describes people through a sometimes cracked, sometimes warped and sometimes rose-colored lens. In this story, Simon gets a chance to view his life in the latter. This is a bit more than usual due to his children. On first blush, this may appear to be one of those slice of life books that explore the relationship between Simon and his children, but this is much deeper and richer than that. As I learned from the first two books in the series, you can never fully rely on Simon's interpretation of events or people since he can switch the color of his lens very quickly depending on the location, relationship with the other person or his mood. Because of this, the book hooks you because you are taken on an unexpected magical (even spiritual) journey with Simon. Throughout the novel, I was constantly eager to find out if Sammie is actually psychic or if Simon was just trying to place a tag to an innate ability of his child or if Simon was just carving out a fantasy in his mind that mimics the life of the comic books he read as a child. If you are a huge fan of character-driven books, I have found it was best to read this series 3 to 4 chapters at a time. Pretty much like you would consume an episodic television show as there is a lot to ruminate about well after your close the book for that day. I highly recommend this book! ARC provided by author and publisher for review.

1 person found this review helpful

E.B. Gilligan

December 2, 2017

Whatever you do, don't read this book expecting something interesting and positive about budgies, the popular parrot. When Semegran finally gets us around to the actual bird, as opposed to the child Sammie's fantasy about a budgie named Budgie, there's nothing but negative stereotypes about birds and budgerigars...dirty, smelly, uninteresting. I persisted in reading this book despite being driven nearly mad by the narrator, Simon Burchwood, CONSTANTLY referring to his son as "Good ol' Sammie" never just as "Sammie." On the ten thousandth repetition, this gets a little old (or 'ol?) It was also touch and go if I would torch this title for its repetition of "cute" in Simon's description of his children. These annoying verbal tics serve to make us question whether Simon is a fool or a simpleton, and I don't think that was the intention, although the character is also given the characteristic of never using a few words when he can cram in a lot of them, especially repetitive ones. If it wasn't for some unpredictability in the story line, some interesting and quirky situations and characters showing up here and there, plus the suggestion of some truly "special" abilities in the boy Sammie (which are never fully explored) I definitely wouldn't have finished this book.

Nicole de la Luz

August 29, 2017

The author immediately connected with me, pulled me into his narrative like he was a familiar old friend. The book quickly introduced an exciting storyline that kept me engaged and reading at a fast pace. The book is cleverly written, and humorous in the face of life's tragedies. The author also takes you on a journey into unknown territory and uses a clear and colorful descriptive style along the ride, bringing you right into the story alongside him. As an example of my taste, I enjoy books by: Carl Hiaasen, Dave Barry, John Grisham (Skipping Christmas & Sycamore Row), Jeannette Walls (The Glass Castle), and Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time). ARC provided by author and publisher for review. But anyway, get this book, you'll enjoy it.

1 person found this review helpful

About the author

Scott Semegran is an award-winning writer of nine books. BlueInk Review described him best as “a gifted writer, with a wry sense of humor.” His latest novel, The Codger and the Sparrow (TCU Press), is a comical yet moving story about a 65-year old widower’s unlikely friendship with a 16-year old troublemaker. His previous novel, The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island, is about four middle school friends who sneak away to an abandoned lake house to evade the wrath of high school bullies, only to become stranded on the lake’s desolate island. It was the First Place Winner for Middle-Grade/Young Adult fiction in the 2021 Writer’s Digest Book Awards. His novel, To Squeeze a Prairie Dog, was the winner of three book awards including the 2020 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award Gold Medal for Humor. Other books by Scott Semegran include Sammie & Budgie, BOYS, The Spectacular Simon Burchwood, The Meteoric Rise of Simon Burchwood, Modicum, and Mr. Grieves. He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, four kids, two cats, and a dog. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English.

Scott Semegran is co-host of the web series Austin Liti Limits along with fellow award-winning writer Larry Brill.

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