'Tis a Gift

~ Ten-year-old Tad Johnson is a shy, sensitive boy who just doesn't fit into Shaker Village. He's lived here for two years but hasn't managed to master the chores of planting and harvesting the crops or taking care of the livestock. Tad gets too distracted by the music of the wind blowing through the grasses. He dreams up dances from watching a bumblebee communicate with its hive, capturing these feelings and images in a journal that he takes everywhere with him. No one, not even his big sister, Betsy, is allowed to read it. It's for his eyes only. It seems to Tad that everyone has a gift to contribute to village life, everyone but him. The other boys tease him unmercifully-especially the biggest bully, Fred. Their pranks turn dangerous when a raging bull charges into the pasture where Tad is daydreaming. He escapes with minor injuries, but the mystery remains as to who set the bull loose on Tad. Tad's best times are when he's woodworking with Michael, his music-minded uncle. Michael encourages Tad to compose his own tunes and tries to convince Tad that a community needs all kinds of gifts-physical and artistic-to grow. The lesson is quickly dashed when Fred snatches and ruins Tad's treasured journal. Feeling helpless and defeated, Tad runs away into a threatening thunderstorm. When Betsy tracks Tad into the storm, she becomes trapped under a falling tree. Tad must find a way to save his sister. He succeeds by using his artistic gifts, but later learns that it will take courage of another sort altogether to face the physical limitations caused by injuries to his legs as a result of the storm. His new challenge is to find the place just right for him in his Shaker community. (www.MotesBooks.com) ~