I, Amber Brown

November 1, 1999
Gr 2-4-That feisty, observant child is back. She now refers to herself as "I, Amber Brown" because she feels as though she's losing her identity because of all the recent changes in her life. Her mother and soon-to-be-stepfather, Max, are celebrating Hanukkah along with Christmas this year and anticipating their new life together. Her father has moved back to town from Paris and is getting an apartment nearby with a room for Amber. Seeking control over her life and her body, she tricks him into taking her to get her ears pierced. After the deed is done (Dad didn't know that Mom had forbidden it), her parents must work out a plan for dealing with other everyday issues that are bound to come up with joint custody. In the end, they are able to let Amber know that she is her own person, and that they both love her and are willing to try to do a better job together. The enormously popular heroine once again brings insightful verbalization to what life is like for kids today. Ross's black-and-white drawings are scattered throughout the short chapters. Readers who haven't read the earlier stories will enjoy this one, and then look for Amber's other escapades.-Sharon R. Pearce, Geronimo Public School, OK

Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 1999
Gr. 3^-6. More than anything, nine-year-old Amber wants to have her ears pierced, but her mother is adamantly against it. Unfortunately, her father doesn't know this when he takes her to the mall, and her parents' new joint-custody arrangement suffers a major conflict. In addition to adjusting to a new living situation, Amber's friend Justin has moved away, and her mother is planning to remarry. Up to her usual tricks and more, Amber puzzles over the difficulties of loving two adults who no longer love each other: "There should be a rulebook for kids of divorced parents with every little thing listed that we have to remember." Full of Amber's puns and laugh-out-loud situational humor, this is also a deft handling of a very difficult yet common childhood dilemma. Amber's fans will laugh, squirm, and sympathize with Amber, and they'll be anxiously awaiting the next installment. ((Reviewed October 15, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)