Amber Brown Is Feeling Blue

Amber Brown #7

by Paula Danziger, Tony Ross (Illustrator)

Finally, everything is beginning to work out for Amber Brown. Her mom's boyfriend, Max, has invited Amber and her mom to Walla Walla, Washington, for Thanksgiving, and Amber's dad is coming home from Paris to live nearby. Amber finally feels like she has all of her family around her. Life couldn't be better - until, that is, everything gets turned upside down again.
As usual, author Paula Danziger covers adolescent decisions and worries with finesse and understanding. Feisty Amber Brown will leave everyone cheering, even though she's no longer the only girl in class with a two-color name.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Juvenile, Contemporary, Family

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 1998

About the author

Paula Danziger was an American children's author. She wrote more than 30 books, including her 1974 debut The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, for children's and young adult audiences. At the time of her death, all her books were still in print; they had been published in 53 countries and translated into 14 languages.

Reviews

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this is the last of the Amber Brown books that I remember reading from my childhood, and rereading it as an adult (and one who also came from a family with divorced parents) I'm really struck by the maturity of it. And what I'm able to see regarding the parents that went over my head as a child. The writing is almost deceptively simple, because it's written for children, but there's so much depth here in relation to how Amber is processing things, and how her feelings are manifesting. I really cannot wait to see where her story goes in the remaining books.

And of course, as is my way, I did my best to arrange my takeaway thoughts into a haiku:

"Envy’s like a weed
We have to prune when life makes us
Think too old, too soon."

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amber Brown is Feeling Blue, written by Paula Danziger is about a girl named Amber who has to make a very important decision. She must decide if she is spending Thanksgiving with her mom in Walla Walla, Washington or with her dad in New York City. Amber feels bad deciding if she should spend the holiday with her mom or her dad. She doesn’t really have an option since her parents are separated. Paula Danziger does an excellent job in writing this book. Paula makes this book easy to read for children six to eight years of age. The vocabulary in this book is not difficult. You may run across a couple words which are immediately explained. This book helps children whose parents are separated understand that you can’t always make decisions on your own. It also helps children understand that no matter what your parents still love you. The author does an excellent job in helping the readers relate to this story. This is definitely a perfect book for children whose parents are going through a separation. They will love Amber Brown’s character and will find it easy to relate to her. This book is will keep children wanting more.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when things seem to be running smoothly, Amber Brown once again encounters problems—not only in her home life, but also at school. As a child of divorce, I appreciate the way this series and this book handles that subject. The feelings that Amber and her parents are feeling and expressing feel real, raw, and valid.

The school situation felt a little more unrealistic (Kelly GREEN?), but the sibling jokes Amber made were funny and it was an interesting way to show how Amber had come to embrace her name (not only in her pride for being unique but also in her Halloween costume). Also, the moment between Max and Amber with her costume on Halloween was super endearing to me.

3.5 stars!


Favorite Quotes:

She’s got two parents who are still together, a sheepish dog….a fluffy cat…probably her brother and sister are fluffy, too.


I’m glad that they didn’t name her sister Lime …. Lime Green.
“And,” she continues, “we have a new baby brother. He’s so cute and I help take care of him.”
I ask her if his name is Oliver, Olive Green, for short.

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Amber Brown is Feeling Blue" is an awesome book about a girl named Amber Brown. She's super happy because her mom's boyfriend Max invited them to Walla Walla, Washington, for Thanksgiving! Plus, her dad is coming back from Paris to live nearby. Amber feels like she has her whole family together, which is the best feeling ever!

But uh-oh, things get crazy! Just when everything seems perfect, stuff starts going wrong again. But don't worry, Amber's got this!

Paula Danziger, the author, totally gets what it's like to be a kid. She talks about all the things Amber's going through in a really cool way. Even though Amber's not the only girl in class with a two-color name anymore, she's still awesome and makes you want to cheer for her! So if you like stories about families and friendships, you'll love this book!

[Natalie Haddad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is superb. It has many emotions at once. It is about Amber Brown, her parent have made it her choice to choose who she is going to spend thanksgiving with. Her options are
1. Spend her thanksgiving with mom and max (her boyfriend) in Walla Walla, Washington.
2. Spend her thanksgiving with dad in New York.
This is such a hard choice for Amber. Whichever parent she chooses will make the other sad. In the end she chooses dad, as she says “It’s not that I love one of you more than the other . . . but, Mom, you and Max have each other. Dad has no one. He’s just moved back.”

[Melissa Namba · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really do love how divorce is handled in this series. amber can be childish and petty, but she also lets kids know that their frustrations are normal and valid. i like that she is jealous when Kelly gets in on her schtick. i feel for get when she feels like she has to pick between her parents. i love that even when she makes her decision that she understands that it isn't fair to put that pressure on a kid.

[Anna Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tried for SAYL reading for 2025

Amber Brown's father moved to France and moving back to be near Amber. But her mother has a serious boyfriend and wants them to meet his family over Thanksgiving. That when her father is getting back. So now she has a decision to make that will hurt one her parents. How will she decide? Who will she spend the holiday with? Another story about kids having to deal with real life issues.

[DMC · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure I like amber Brown, but my daughter did. Was the first one we heard in the series. Amber seemed to track/ worry about too much popular 4th grade girl stuff. I don’t know. I guess that was ok, but not interesting. The parents in the book had a few blunders so that can make you feel good with your parenting skills. 🤪

[Candy Shepard · Rating 4 out of 5]

My class read this in guided reading groups, and they loved it. It was about a realistic girl with realistic, every day problems, and they could relate. They enjoyed this book and have started reading other Amber Brown books independently.

[Amanda LePage Holtgrewe · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids and I love the Junie B. Jones series and was thinking this would be similar. It contains more serious content, though still has funny parts. It puts into perspective how kids are thrown into the unfairness of divorce on kids and gives the kids a voice.

[Reagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t really like the book because the book was just about a girl who like in a Halloween costume and that she was hoping that her father would come back home from pairs/her father went on a business trip.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 8-year-old daughter and I both enjoyed reading this book together. The main topic of this book is divorce. Amber Brown is Feeling Blue lead to some great discussions on how some kids of divorced parents may feel they have to choose between their parents and how hard this can be.

[Maureen Cavanaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amber, Max, Mom, and Dad went to Walla Walla, Washington for Thanksgiving. Kelly Green has Barbie and Ken dolls. Amber and Brandi pretended to drink the nail polish, pretended to choke, and fell down.

[Ninoska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it with my fourth grader. Fun and funny. And does a wonderful job of capturing all the emotions I imagine a child this age would feel being faced with the decision of having to choose which parent to spend a major holiday with.

[Tabitha Maricle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a super cute book about learning to love yourself and your family (no matter how weird everything may be) and is perfect for a young audience! My only complaint about this book is that it feels very rushed towards the end. There is this big buildup to practically nothing.

[Foye · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

[Monica Hocking · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very choppy, hard to follow along. No keeped me interested at all. It was challenging just to finish this book.

[Stephanie Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute series. Ideal for kids of divorced parents.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hopeful confusion for young ladies 44years old or other. Terrific.

[Nancy Zigler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Amber Brown, but happy to see the narrator continuing her journey!

[Alyssa Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this as a kid. Helped me a lot after my dad left.

[Ashley Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was too mature for my 6 YO, which is fair bc it’s about a 4th grader. The main focus of this book is her parents’ divorce.

[Wintermote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heavily dealing with a girls experience of divorced parents, and having to choose between them. Also Halloween and relationships with friends/classmates. Realistic

[Cheryl Willams · Rating 5 out of 5]

the Book is a Cute friendship story
liked it a lot.

[Nichole Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Realistic Fiction. For grades 2nd- 5th
Chapter
"Amber Brown" is a relatable story about family, divorce change, and resilience. My readers connected with the character of Amber Brown as she navigated life's ups and downs.
I read this book with my Second Graders, and they thought amber was engaging, hilarious, and relatable. They thought her unique quirks made my girl reading group bond and created memories they will remember moving forever. The characters in the story are endearing and memorable.

Overall, "Amber Brown" seems to be uplifting because the complexities of family life and the strength of Amber Brown and how she faces these head on. I would recommend this book to others.

[Luisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand this is a pre-teen read but I believe all books should hold a standard in which they hit points like: focus/ direction of the plot, climax, no loose ending or cliffhangers. Those are only 3 components that a book should have no matter the genre! My personal opinion on this book was that it was dry, it jumped to small stories that had nothing to do with the plot of the story. First off the title misleads you to believe that Amber is ill or sick when all she is; is sad that she has to choose between parents! Or portions of the book that were senseless like when the book report or when Amber Brown is talking about Pilgrims. It felt forced like as if the author didn't know what else to write about so she winged certain parts. Also, (I, Amber Brown) she isn't only talking in 1st person but directly after goes into 3rd person literacy. I was disappointed that she did this from beginning to the end of the book.
I personally agreed with Amber's choice to spend Thanksgiving with her father it makes the most sense. He moved to be closer to her & she hadn't lived with him for quite some time so it makes sense that she spend the first holiday with her father. I also didn't like how the mother was portrayed she seemed ignorant at times & rude. & finally I didn't like that this book makes a child like Amber feel guilty for HAVING to chose between parents. I believe that the parents should have been ADULT enough to discuss the situation between them first & then with some kind of plan address the child to see how they feel & if they agree with what was already discussed. Instead of putting that amount of pressure & worry on a child!!! I think the author got this one all wrong. I'll read other books of hers just to see if she betters her writing!
I give Amber Brown is feeling blue 2 STARS ⭐️⭐️

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've enjoyed the Amber Brown series very much, but either we are tired of her drama or this story just got too repetitive about the whole issue of Thanksgiving and deciding which parent to be with. I think these books are important and help children explore some of the issues regarding divorce. Divorce is difficult and I think that even if a child's parents are still together, these books can be helpful to explain what is going on with other children's parents, especially family members or friends. We enjoyed reading about Amber's flourishing new friendships and the introduction of the new character, Kelly Green. We did not read these books in order, unfortunately, so the plot was a bit jumbled for us. But we are all caught up now and are looking forward to reading the last book in the series: Amber Brown Is Green With Envy.

[Diana Judd]

Amber Brown's parents have gotten divorced and her dad is now moving back, leaving Amber with a big decision to make. Will she go to Washington with her mom and her boyfriend, or will she go to New York with her dad. For a nine year old who loves her parents and doesn't want to hurt her feelings, this is a pretty stressful and important decision, but Amber doesn't back down, and instead makes the tough decisions. This book deals with some pretty heavy topics like divorce, friendships, jealousy, loss and recovery. It does it in a totally age appropriate way and I would definitely suggest this book for any kid, between seven and eleven,that's having a hard time with a divorce or family troubles. It presents these things in a very real and relatable way. There are a few jokes in the book that kids won't understand, but I enjoyed. For instance, at one point it makes a reference to Macbeth, which for me is really enjoyable. It's something that parents might enjoy reading with their kids and discussing the material. Overall, this book was worth reading.

[Sonya Huser · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was trying to find a chapter book series with a book about Thanksgiving for a book talk.

Amber Brown is feeling blue because she must choose between her parents for Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, there's a new girl in school that also has an interesting color name, Kelly Green. Having an interesting color thing was kind of Amber's thing.

Another one of Amber's things is narrating in the first person. Not only calling herself "I" but also "Amber." "I, Amber Brown, am not happy. I, Amber Brown, am kind of spoiled." etc.

I was kind of disappointed in her decision at the end. I think she chose the wrong parent! It might be a good opportunity to use in school, though. Kids could write letters from Amber to an 'advice column' and students could write back. Where do they think she should spend her holiday? And why?

[Victoria Mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a touching book for young readers of many levels. With the vision of traditional families slowly changing, this book offers comfort to young readers who are a part of or who are becoming a part of a divided home. Amber Brown must pick which side of the family she wishes to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with. Either her mother and her new boyfriend or her father who she has not seen since the divorce and his move to Paris. Readers will enjoy reading about how Amber makes her decision and perhaps find some advice within!