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When Sadie Carter wakes up on a cold Thanksgiving morning in 1880, she’s now an orphan. Her brother will go with Uncle Lambert because Frank can earn his keep, and her prettier sister will be taken by a woman in town. But no one seems to want Sadie. When Mary Mohler invites her home, Sadie is grateful to have somewhere to go. The Mohlers are nice, but she hopes Uncle Lambert will keep his half-promise that he might come back to get her. In the meantime, she has to adjust to a strange family and their different ways of dressing and doing things. But as the months go by, she’s torn between longing for the family she’s lost and the one she’s beginning to love. The Thanksgiving Child is a story that can be enjoyed by both adults and children. It’s inspired and partially derived from the life of the real Sadie Carter who was born in 1872. Sadie was close in age to Laura Ingalls Wilder, who wrote the Little House books based on her childhood. Laura’s life was shaped by a restless movement westward while Sadie lived until adulthood in Missouri. The Civil War appears to have had little impact upon Laura’s story and the opposite is true of Sadie. As the daughter of a Union soldier, she lived in Missouri, where supporters of both sides kept mixed feelings. Attitudes were also mixed toward the Dunkards, a group that included the Mohlers. They were similar to the Amish with plain clothes and strict ways. While this novel is written as fiction, it includes the facts and stories from Sadie Carter’s life.

My Review:

Life is hard for many people and the main character in this story lived a hard life that became a good life. Things were tough in the 1880s and post civil war pitted neighbor against neighbor due to the side one’s family fought for. Sadie is representative of many children during that time, of the ones who had their mother pass away and their dad sick with tuberculosis. A hateful stepmother didn’t help. Yet Sadie thrived, for real, as evidenced by the fact she grew in size for shoes and clothing. Living in one extreme of very little to eat to being in another where food was plentiful, especially when raised by a family who worked hard to preserve foods grown for the coming winter. Sadie realizes that being with a family unlike any she’d known, was the best thing for her.

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From Amazon:

In an idyllic suburb in Northern California, tragedy strikes the Sheppard family when Abby, the mother of three daughters and wife to Dalton, is killed in a car accident. Charlotte, the middle daughter, is in the car with her mother and survives without physical injury but remains deeply scarred on the inside.

Dalton tells Lily, his eldest daughter, that she must sacrifice long-awaited college plans and put her life on hold to take care of her sisters. Lily is torn between her devotion to family and an increasing need to find her place in the world — but how can she leave, knowing her family may crumble? Will her presence eventually cause more problems than it resolves?

The Sum of our Sorrows reveals how the aftermath of a family tragedy can precipitate sorrows never imagined. It is a tale of grief, hope, healing, coming-of-age, friendship, and survival. It is also a love story of two broken souls living through pain in search of better days and the renewal of one’s spirit.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I write characters as I hear them speak to me. Some of these stories contain non-gratuitous expletives and sexual references. This book also contains some situations that may be triggering to some readers. If this is not to your liking, please don’t read this book. Thank you.

My Review:

Mary Schmidt

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sum of All Sorrows

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2025

Verified Purchase

This book is profound, and the writing is superlative. We start with love and loss and how it affects loved ones still living. Let me say right now, everyone has their own vision of Loss and how they coped, healthy or not. The one constant in this story is family and family isn’t always blood. Family includes those you want in your life. The book is epic in length, but still an easy read. I do love how hope and love of family brings everyone together in a full circle. Alcohol is not the answer to huge loss, and making your daughter into a surrogate mother isn’t real. I have one trigger warning for those who could be affected and that is one scene of attempted rape, and one of rape. The monster who did this, the rape itself, are not a full read into the scene, but the character who was raped was verbal at the time, and in severe nightmares. The actual act is not in this book. So you may not be triggered. Overall, the psychology of each character is amazing to think about. I do love a good love story and this novel has several to say the least.

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Hi Mary,

Great news!
We are pleased to advise that your book, Shadow, is a winner!
Book Award Winner – Congratulations!

https://beyondboundariesreads.wordpress.com/2025/03/20/shadow-by-mary-michaelschmidt/

Review:

Grief is a curious thing. It sneaks up in the form of a missing paw print, an empty corner where a bed used to be, or the silence where a bark once echoed. Shadow by Mary and Michael Schmidt is not just a children’s book—it is a gentle, necessary guide through the uncharted territory of loss.

Children often experience death for the first time through the loss of a beloved pet. But how do they process it? What words can comfort them when their furry companion is no longer there? Schmidt’s book does something many avoid: it acknowledges grief, normalizes it, and offers a way forward.

The First Goodbye

History shows us that humans have mourned pets for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians mummified their cats; Romans etched epitaphs for their dogs. The pain of losing a pet is not new, yet we often struggle to help children navigate it. Shadow provides a roadmap, teaching kids that grief is real, valid, and—most importantly—manageable.

Take six-year-old Emily, for instance. She loses her golden retriever, Max, and doesn’t understand why he isn’t coming back. Her parents fumble for words. “He’s in a better place” feels hollow. But then they read Shadow together. They draw pictures of Max, plant a tree in his memory, and talk about their favorite moments. Grief doesn’t vanish, but it transforms into something gentler.

A Story That Heals

The book’s approach is both practical and profound. It suggests creative ways to process loss—drawing, storytelling, and planting flowers—while offering much-needed validation: “It’s okay to feel sad. It’s okay to cry.” Unlike many children’s books that gloss over hard topics, Shadow embraces them.

This is no accident. Studies show that children who learn about grief early are better equipped to handle future losses. A 2018 study by the Journal of Child Psychology found that children who openly discuss emotions form stronger coping mechanisms later in life. This book doesn’t just tell a story; it builds resilience.

Why Every Family Needs Shadow

Renowned psychologist Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross once wrote, “The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss… You will learn to live with it.” Shadow distills this truth in a way that young minds can grasp.

More than just a book, Shadow is an emotional toolkit. It reassures children that they are not alone. It reminds parents that silence isn’t always golden. And it teaches us all that love never really leaves—it just changes form.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every child had a guide like this for life’s first heartbreak?

Beyond Boundaries Reads Book Award

This book is a winner of the Beyond Boundaries Reads Book Award. The award honors exceptional works of literature that transcend borders—geographical, cultural, and imaginative. This award celebrates stories that connect us, foster empathy, and highlight universal themes while amplifying diverse voices from around the world. Spanning fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and youth literature, it recognizes books that inspire, challenge, and deepen our understanding of the global human experience. To nominate a book or for more details, visit our Beyond Boundaries Reads Book Award page.