Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon

April 15, 1994
Gr. 2-4. Amber Brown has been best friends with Justin Daniels since preschool. They have private games and jokes; they look out for each other. Then Justin's dad gets a job in Alabama, and the family has to move away. As the house is sold and things are packed up, Justin tries to act as if nothing is happening; Amber picks a fight; the friends aren't speaking. Without a trace of condescension, Danziger gets the child's funny and vulnerable voice. The third-graders' friendship is beautifully drawn, especially the rituals about food (Amber always eats the cream filling of the Oreos and hands Justin the cookies), their shared enjoyment of the messy and the gross. Ross' cartoon-style illustrations capture Amber's vital classroom--the fun and the fights, as well as the empty place when a friend moves away. ((Reviewed Apr. 15, 1994))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1994, American Library Association.)

Starred review from May 1, 1994
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

July 3, 1995
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.