Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon by Paula Danziger, Tony Ross (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Amber Brown and Justin Daniels are best friends. They've known each other for practically forever, sit next to each other in class, help each other with homework, and always stick up for each other. Justin never says things like, "Amber Brown is not a crayon." Amber never says, "Justin Time." They're a great team--until disaster strikes. Justin has to move away, and now the best friends are fighting. Will they be able to work it out before it's too late?

About the Author: Paula Danziger wrote more than thirty books for children, all of which are still in print. She passed away in July 2004. Tony Ross has illustrated many picture books, as well as young chapter books. He lives in Cheshire, England.

Publishers Weekly

Third-grade Amber confronts difficult emotions when her best friend moves away; in a starred review, PW said, ``Once again, Danziger demonstrates her ability to connect with her audience.'' Ages 7-10. (July)

Children's Literature

Amber and Justin are best friends until Justin has to move to a distant state. Typical third grade problems are discussed in an easy to read format. This is a chapter book with lots of conversation. Normal feelings and problems are discussed and solved in realistic ways. The black and white cartoon-like illustrations, while few in number, help to illustrate key situations. 1995 (orig.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-She may not be a crayon, but Amber Brown is certainly blue over the fact that her best friend, Justin Daniels, is moving away. What's making it even harder is that he won't talk to her about how he feels and she can only assume he's not as broken up about it as she is. Then, while cleaning his room for the move, Justin throws away the chewing-gum ball they've been building for a year and a half. It's the last straw and the pair are no longer speaking at all. Finally, Amber's mother helps her understand that Justin's reticence is his way of protecting himself against his sadness and anxiety over leaving, and Amber makes the move that reconciles the two pals. There's lots of fun along with the pathos here; third graders, true to form, call each other outrageous names and gross each other out good-naturedly, and their teacher, Mr. Cohen, is a paragon of creativity and understanding. Ross's black-and-white sketches throughout add humor and keep the pages turning swiftly. Danzinger reaches out to a younger audience in this funny, touching slice of third-grade life, told in the voice of a feisty, lovable heroine.-Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

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