The Gift of Sarah Barker, stepping away from the fantasy tales for which Yolen is celebrated, unfolds as a compelling historical novel. It delves candidly into the complexities of coming of age. The narrative captivates as it explores adolescence amidst a backdrop of self-restraint and austere celibacy. Sarah Barker and Abel Church, two teenagers, find themselves magnetically drawn to one another despite living in a religious enclave where matrimony is condemned as the gravest carnal sin. This community enforces rules that segregate males and females, indoctrinating its members to view and address one another strictly as siblings.

This fictional enclave, while imaginative, is rooted in factual history. Yolen navigates her themes through the lens of the United Society of Believers in the First and Second Appearing of Christ, famously known as the Shakers. Thriving from America's Revolutionary era until the 1860s, the Shakers gradually faded due to their rejection of marriage and procreation. The novel's timeline spans a mere fortnight in 1854, during which Sarah and Abel clandestinely meet, grappling with their inner conflicts, desires, and inquiries about the outside "World."

Readers may particularly find themselves ensnared by the mounting tensions testing Sarah and Abel, as well as their fraught interactions with the adults surrounding them. Their tale resonates with universal themes. Through Sarah's journey, Yolen tackles the harrowing issue of parental child abuse, a scourge present in every society. Moreover, the Shaker community's existence hinges on stringent observances and unwavering oversight by a figure addressed as Father and another as Mother. Yolen paints a vivid picture of this rigorously regimented society, conjuring images of contemporary cults and authoritarian practices persisting across various regions. Sarah and Abel's story delves into significant topics like thought control, the breach of privacy, child development, community accountability, and the dynamics of gender roles.