What do You think about Amber Brown Sees Red (1998)?
This was my first foray into Amber Brown and I'm not quite sure what I think of her yet. She's a bit snotty, for one thing. To be fair, she does have a rough time in this book--her mom is getting remarried, and although she likes her stepfather-to-be Max, she's still anxious about how her life will change. Then her father calls to tell her that he's moving back to America and wants partial custody of her. That's a lot for a nine-year-old to handle.The thing that irked me the most was that Amber is a fourth-grader, yet this book is written at a very low level. Not that all books about fourth-graders have to be written for fourth-graders, but there seemed to be a disconnect here. As I work my way through Holly's bookshelves this year, I'm sure I'll run into Amber Brown again. Maybe I'll like her better next time.
—Kim
We've really enjoyed the books in this series, although unfortunately we have not read them in order. So we are doing a bit of catch up, I suppose. It kind of detracts from the story, since the plot of one book is just a continuation of the previous one, but we still liked this one and plan to read the rest. The plot line about the parent's divorce is wearing a bit thin - our girls are constantly saying, "Gee, I hope you and Daddy don't get divorced!" when we read this story. I suppose it's something that all children worry about - I know I did. And it is an important topic and I hope that it helps them understand how their friends and cousins feel, going through it themselves. In any case, our girls enjoy the Amber Brown books a lot and we will press on...
—Dolly
A must read series for any child dealing with divorced or separated parents. Amber Brown is going through a whirl wind of emotions with all the changes going on in her life. She likes her moms new fiance Max but hates that his presence in their life means that her parents have no chance of reconciliation. Also hearing the occasional comment from her parents about HIM or HER in that annoyed tone is upsetting. Amber Brown shows a great example to kids about how to approach talking to parents and reminding them they are the grownups and should act like it.
—Shelli
