I, Amber Brown

By Paula Danziger and Donald E. Stanford

Even when her parents are simply exasperating, Amber Brown is always bold, bright, and colorful. #Amber Brown is out now on Apple TV+

Amber Brown loves the holidays. The shopping, the wrapping, the unwrapping. She isn't having any troubles with gifts, but life is another story. She's so happy that her dad has moved back to New Jersey, but her mom isn't. It means the beginning of shared custody, and that means more fighting.

Amber feels as if half of her belongs to her mom and half belongs to her dad, and that doesn't feel good at all.Then her mom says she can't get her ears pierced, but her dad doesn't know that.

Amber makes a decision. Something has to belong to her, so why shouldn't it be her ears?

Full of the fun, humor, and punny dialogue Paul Danziger's famous for, this is a winning entry in the ever popular series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
• Release date: Oct 25, 1999
• ISBN: 9781101657331

Paula Danziger

Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in New York, Paula Danziger knew since second grade that she wanted to be a writer. Beginning her career as a teacher, Danziger taught at the junior high, high school, college levels. She received her Masters Degree in reading and during that time she wrote her first bestselling novel, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit. She returned to teaching, but the success of her book encouraged her to become a full-time writer. It was non-stop for Danziger since then. Among her titles are: the enormously popular Amber Brown books as well as Remember Me To Harold Square, The Divorce Express, and Can You Sue Your Parents For Malpractice? Danziger received numerous honors, including: Parent's Choice Awards, International Reading Association - Children's Book Council Awards, a IRA-CBC Children's Choice Award and many nominations for state reading and library association awards. Known as a flamboyantly funny and deeply honest writer and speaker, Paula Danziger knew how to relate to young readers at their level. She was vital, funny, and compassionate. She knew how kids felt, what made them laugh, what they wore, collected, read, and played with. From collecting novelty toys that would make any teacher cringe, to wearing jangly earrings, funky glasses and shoes covered with beads and sequins, Paula Danziger had a direct line into kids' hearts and funnybones. She will be missed always. In Paula's memory, The Amber Brown Fund has been established to bring authors and illustrators to schools and libraries which otherwise could not afford them. Donations may be sent to The Amber Brown Fund/ SCBWI Museum of Children’s Books, 8271 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048.

Book preview

Chapter One

…Only fourteen more days until Christmas.

…Only twelve more days until Christmas vacation.

…Only a few more minutes before I, Amber Brown, collapse from shopping exhaustion.

I, Amber Brown, am too pooped to pop.

Too pooped to pop is what I, Amber Brown, say when I am absolutely exhausted.

And I am totally exhausted…. but not quite ready to quit because I have to find a few more presents.

I, Amber Brown, am not only running out of energy….. I am running out of money.

It’s a good thing that I will be making some of my presents, but there is still one more that I need to find and buy.

Amber, this bookstore, as much as I love bookstores, has got to be the last place we go today. I am shopped out. I am wiped out. I am just not used to this, Max, my mom’s fiancé and my future stepdad, says.

I can tell that he is also too pooped to pop.

I smile at him. "Christmas shopping is almost done."

….. And your Hanukkah shopping too. Max grins back.

I, Amber Brown, am used to Christmas shopping…now with Max in our lives, I’m going to be getting used to Hanukkah shopping too.

Hanukkah…that really added to my list…eight days of giving presents to Max…. and he’s going to give me eight days of presents too.

I, Amber Brown, could get used to this…. will get used to this because Max and Mom have decided that we will celebrate all of our holidays…. actually, I say celebrate…they say honor…. either way it’s a good deal, the way I see it.

Max’s presents are already hidden in my closet. I got those when I went out shopping with Mom the other day.

Now I’ve been getting presents for my mom and for some other people.

I got Christmas presents for my mom…and some Hanukkah ones too.

Max is going to bring a menorah over to our house…and every night that he’s visiting and it’s Hanukkah, we’re going to light the candles.

Ouch, Max says, as he drops a package on his foot. Now my feet are really aching.

You only dropped it on one foot so stop complaining, I tease him. Anyway, it’s not like it’s bowling balls. It’s the soccer ball for Justin and the basketball for his little brother, Danny.

It’s going to be fun to wrap those presents. Max laughs.

Garbage bags, I say. Medium-sized green garbage bags tied with red ribbon and giant red bows…that’s how I’m going to do it. They’re boys…and boys don’t care about how a present is wrapped. I could wrap it in toilet paper, and they wouldn’t care.

Max makes a face. Well, that’s a generalization if I ever heard one. If I said something like that about girls…. you and your mom would nail me.

I bite my lip. Ooops, sorry, Max….. I guess I better ask you something. Does this mean that you care about how your presents are wrapped…. because if you do, this means I’m going to have to take the toilet paper off them and wrap them up again.

There’s a funny look on his face like he’s not sure what to say.

I decide to take him out of his misery and tell him the truth.

After all, I’ve almost shopped him to death, he’s got a damaged foot, and he’s not used to holiday shopping with a fourth-grade girl.

So I say, It’s a joke, Max…. I wrapped your presents normally.

Max smiles. Amber, I would love the presents wrapped any way because they came from you.

I was just joking though. I’m just a jokester sometimes, I say, and then look over at a special table that says GIFTS FOR YOUR TEACHER.

Max pretends to frown about my being a jokester.

Over the loud speaker is the sound of Christmas music.

It’s Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.

I start to sing….. You better watch out…. You better not pout….. Santa Claus is coming to town.

Max joins in and sings along with me.

He actually sings in tune.

Some people are looking at us and smiling.

Some are laughing.

Some join in.

After the song is finished, Max grins at me. You know, Amber…I think that this is going to be the best holiday of my life…. spending time with you and Sarah.

I grin back. Now that I’m getting used to the fact that Mom and Max are going to get married, and that my Mom and Dad aren’t going to get back together again, I grin at Max a lot.

It’s like he’s been a part of my life for a long time, not just since I got back from visiting England last summer with my Aunt Pam…the trip when I didn’t get to go to Paris to see my dad because I got the chicken pox.

Then I think about my dad. I remember Christmases from when he and my mom were still married. Some of them were happy.

I’m glad that this is going to be the best Christmas of Max’s life…. for me, it’s going to be a little weird. With Dad just back from living in Paris, I’m worried that there are going to be some problems for me, just like there were at Thanksgiving. I know the deal is that I spend Christmas with my mom, but I also know that I’m going to

Reviews for I, Amber Brown

[atreic · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Amber's Dad has moved back to town, and she has complicated feelings about this. It's a cute slice of life, some sad feelings, some happy feelings, some bad behaviour, mostly muddling through.

[sjgirl-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After enjoying the brief television series, I wanted to give these books a try, especially this one since it’s set at Christmas/Hanukkah. I haven’t read the other books that come before this one in the series, but this read just fine as a standalone.

As far as the holiday content, there’s a little crafting, a little shopping, some gift exchanges, etc., those were fun bits and I know this is a super short book to suit its intended audience and the story rightfully had more important things to deal with in few pages to do so, still I would have loved a smidge more of that festive feeling squeezed in throughout.

This excelled when it came to the emotional side of things, it genuinely captured how it feels to be a kid, whether it’s the pressure to keep up with her friends getting their ears pierced, the guilt plaguing Amber when she breaks the rules, or most poignant of all navigating the tricky feelings of divorce, a mom who doesn’t seem to even like her dad anymore, a dad moving into a new place, and a soon to be stepdad she loves even though she’d rather her parents were still together, all of that is really well conveyed here.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not exactly the heir to Ramona Quimby, sometimes Amber has real dark feelings inside, and sometimes she shares them. I don't clearly remember every story so I'm copying this review to each book.

[marycha-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story is about Amber Brown, whose parents were getting divorce and she was sad and angry and lost. She wants to get her parents back together There was a bit issue with her when she wanted to get her ears pierced. This is a great book for children who are going through the same thing. It gives them another look at someone else life and shows that life will be OK.

[sarahbatte · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoy this author and the realness she displays in her books, I would have never thought that such a young book could have such real issues such as divorce and parental issues.

[jmorrison_948517 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a story about a pretty girl who is very creative shes pretty sweet to!!!