Sam Andrews is the new kid in town. He has moved from Arizona to Utah and has never seen snow (except in pictures). Sam is trying to fit in with the neighborhood boys, but feels at a disadvantage.

"They had all lived in the same neighborhood all their lives and they had known each other ... well ... forever. (Jimmy and Johnny had known each other longer than forever, but that didn't really count because they were twins). So as winter approached, I was still feeling like an outsider -- a tall, overweight, semi-clumsy outsider."

When the topic of "Mill Street" is mentioned, Sam has no clue what the boys are talking about. They explain that all of them have tried to ride their sleds all the way down Mill Street to Orchard Drive.



Each of the boys has his own theory on how to make it all the way down. Sam is lost in all the talk of wax, weight, speed and starts. When he asks what they mean about riding sleds on wax and not on snow, the boys laugh -- and Sam feels even more like an outsider.

In a desperate bid to gain respect and a place on the inside, Sam tells them that he can do it ... sled to the bottom of Mill Street. But then Sam is forced to admit that he does not have a sled and has never even been on one. The boys sagely advise Sam to wait until he has a sled to practice on.

Time passes and Sam experiences not only his first snowfall but his first view of Mill Street, which just happens to be in the dark and on Halloween. When Sam tries to ride his bike up Mill Street, he has his first stirrings of doubt and finds himself thinking, "Maybe it wouldn't snow. That was my only hope; if it never snowed in Utah again. I wondered if it was wrong to pray for drought."

This book was an instant favorite with my kids, who identified with Sam and his struggles to fit in with the established group of boys.

Mill Street and its potential risks and thrills fascinated my children and had them wondering if it was a real place. As a mother, I really hope that it's not and that my children never find such a place. But each child will find his or her own "Mill Street" to win their place in "the group."

This is a wonderful story about the journey of acceptance that each new kid faces and conquers.