by Paula Danziger ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 12, 1995
Now that her best friend has moved away, Amber (Amber Brown Is not a Crayon, 1994, etc.) is facing fourth grade and the difficulty of finding a new best friend in a class where everyone has already paired off. Meanwhile Amber's mom, recently divorced, is finding her own new best friend, Max, and Amber doesn't like it one bit. At once lighthearted and poignant, this is a clever continuation of Amber's funny first-person narration of the everyday ups and downs of her life. Everything in the story is slightly idealized: Her teachers are gifted, her mom is kind, Max is understanding, and Amber is witty beyond her years. Seasoned with puns and repartee, and leavened with a bit of insight, this easy chapter book is a thoroughly enjoyable read. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 12, 1995
ISBN: 0-399-22849-7
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1995
Share your opinion of this book
More by Paula Danziger
BOOK REVIEW
by Paula Danziger ; Bruce Coville ; Elizabeth Levy ; illustrated by Anthony Lewis
BOOK REVIEW
by Paula Danziger & illustrated by G. Brian Karas
BOOK REVIEW
by Paula Danziger & illustrated by Tony Ross
by Renée Watson ; illustrated by Niña Mata ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 27, 2021
The second installment in this spirited series is a hit.
A new baby coming means Ryan has lots of opportunities to grow love.
Ryan has so much to look forward to this summer—she is going to be a big sister, and she finally gets to go to church camp! But new adventures bring challenges, too. Ryan feels like the baby is taking forever to arrive, and with Mom on bed rest, she isn’t able to participate in the family’s typical summer activities. Ryan’s Dad is still working the late shift, which means he gets home and goes to bed when she and her older brother, Ray, are waking up, so their quality daddy-daughter time is limited to one day a week. When the time for camp finally arrives, Ryan is so worried about bugs, ghosts, and sharing a cabin that she wonders if she should go at all. Watson’s heroine is smart and courageous, bringing her optimistic attitude to any challenge she faces. Hard topics like family finances and complex relationships with friends are discussed in an age-appropriate way. Watson continues to excel at crafting a sense of place; she transports readers to Portland, Oregon, with an attention to detail that can only come from someone who has loved that city. Ryan, her family, and friends are Black, and occasional illustrations by Mata spotlight their joy and make this book shine.
The second installment in this spirited series is a hit. (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: April 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0058-8
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Renée Watson ; illustrated by Andrew Grey
by Renée Watson ; illustrated by Niña Mata
More by Renée Watson
BOOK REVIEW
by Renée Watson ; illustrated by Ekua Holmes
BOOK REVIEW
by Renée Watson ; illustrated by Andrew Grey
BOOK REVIEW
by Renée Watson ; illustrated by Bryan Collier
by Jacqueline Davies ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2011
Readers will enjoy this sequel from a plot perspective and will learn how to play-act a trial, though they may not engage...
This sequel to The Lemonade War (2007), picking up just a few days later, focuses on how the fourth graders take justice into their own hands after learning that the main suspect in the case of the missing lemonade-stand money now owns the latest in game-box technology.
Siblings Evan and Jessie (who skipped third grade because of her precocity) are sure Scott Spencer stole the $208 from Evan’s shorts and want revenge, especially as Scott’s new toy makes him the most popular kid in class, despite his personal shortcomings. Jessie’s solution is to orchestrate a full-blown trial by jury after school, while Evan prefers to challenge Scott in basketball. Neither channel proves satisfactory for the two protagonists (whose rational and emotional reactions are followed throughout the third-person narrative), though, ultimately, the matter is resolved. Set during the week of Yom Kippur, the story raises beginning questions of fairness, integrity, sin and atonement. Like John Grisham's Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer (2010), much of the book is taken up with introducing courtroom proceedings for a fourth-grade level of understanding. Chapter headings provide definitions (“due diligence,” “circumstantial evidence,” etc.) and explanation cards/documents drawn by Jessie are interspersed.
Readers will enjoy this sequel from a plot perspective and will learn how to play-act a trial, though they may not engage with the characters enough to care about how the justice actually pans out. (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: May 2, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-27967-1
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Jacqueline Davies ; illustrated by Cara Llewellyn
More by Jacqueline Davies
BOOK REVIEW
by Jacqueline Davies ; illustrated by Julia Castaño
BOOK REVIEW
by Jacqueline Davies ; illustrated by Cara Llewellyn
BOOK REVIEW
by Jacqueline Davies ; illustrated by Deborah Hocking
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.