Sammie & Budgie

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