Amber is nervous about starting 4th grade and now that her best friend has moved away, she is more frightened. She is anxious about meeting her new teacher and troubled by her mother's relationship with a man she dislikes. But Amber begins to demonstrate that she is growing up!
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.
One of the girls I was babysitting last night brought this, and I read it after she went to bed. A quick, fun read, great for older elementary-age kids. Danziger did a great job of succinctly addressing the feelings of a fourth-grader without talking down to her audience. The first-person voice was vivid and vivacious. I enjoyed it! And I'll check out the rest of the Amber Brown books.
I love Amber Brown. A lot of the life tips I remembered as a kid came from her, like how potato chip crumbs fell down to her knees while Tiffani's stayed on her shirt, or how Picadilly Circus isn't an actual circus but a roundabout. And what to do if your best friend moves away. She isn't afraid to be her and I found that brilliant.
Still do, actually. And I appreciate her fashion sense more now. (Rhinestone sneakers, anyone? YES PLEASE.)
The book “Amber Brown Goes. Fourth” by Paula Danziger is an awesome book. I like this book because I can relate because it’s about this girl having a tough time in fourth grade. This author does a great job on explaining how miserable her fourth grade is. I can relate because when I moved to Downey I had no friends and she moved to a new school and was scared to even go to school because she thought everyone would hate her. I recommend this book to kids who go to school and can relate to her situation but mainly recommend it to fourth graders.
She's so me. De pequeño leí el primer libro y al enterarme de que esté existía me entró la nostalgia. Te entiendo Amber, también extraño a mi mejor amigo.
A cute and humorous story about a girl entering fourth grade who is dealing with her parents divorce (her Dad is now in France), her mother dating a new guy, and her best friend since pre-school having moved away. Amber's personal narrative, as well as the antics and interpersonal interactions between her classmates are very funny and the dialog is well written. The story's big picture is about the process of becoming less egocentric while growing up and realizing that other people are lonely or unhappy too.
I think this is a great book for a 3rd or 4th grader. It's linear, easy to follow, humorous and told from one point of view. Amber Brown is dealing with entering 4th grade, her mom dating (although this book isn't where her parents divorce it is an ongoing theme and conflict in Amber's life) and making new friends. These are topics many elementary kids deal with and it is a good book to read with your kids, students or to suggest as an independent read. It's a great elementary school series.
Whenever I say that a kid's book is an easy 30 minute read, I don't mean that in a negative way. If you can sit down, read a whole book in 30 minutes, get all the themes, characters and story information from it without putting it down to do something else--that's an effectively written book. I didn't fidget or stare off into space while I was reading this.
Anyway, Amber Brown Goes Fourth is the third book in a series. I haven't read the other books, but this was on the reading list for one of my classes, so I had to dive in, regardless. It still is sufficiently entertaining and complete-feeling. Plenty of themes; friendship, impermanence, divorce and so on. It's kind of a stream-of-consciousness sort of book, straight out of Amber's head, which varies between being believable and contrived.
The illustrations reminded me of Quentin Blake.
Not incredibly thought-provoking, but it doesn't do a bad job. I doubt the boys in my class will have much fun reading this, but I know the girls will have plenty to say. I'll find out in a couple of days.
Este es el tercer libro en la saga de Ámbar Brown, en donde la autora nos lleva de la mano de una niña que está aprendiendo de la vida, esta vez debe enfrentarse al primer día en su cuarto año en el colegio, sin embargo todo es diferente su mejor amigo se ha mudado de ciudad y sus padres se están en proceso de divorcio, todo estos cambios la ponen nerviosa y no sabe qué hacer. Debo mencionar y aplaudir que la autora a través de estos libros resalta valores como la amistad, el amor, y el desarrollo personal en los niños, su propia independencia.
El lenguaje del libro es adecuado para niños de 8 años en adelante, donde la autora toca temas reales sin poner matices poco reales o de color de rosa, por el contrario la autora los toca con toda normalidad y en un lenguaje que los niños pueden entender.
A través de la serie los padres pueden ir creciendo con sus hijos y abordando temas que en muchos casos no se sabe cómo abordar y que la autora junto a la protagonista dan las pautas para una bonita reflexión y un momento de dialogo entre padres e hijo.
This is the third book in the Amber Brown series. Until 2004 the books were written by Paula Danziger, but after she passed in 2004 the series was continued several years later by Bruce Coville and Elizabeth Levy. This particular book was written by Paula Danziger and published in 1995.
I felt an incredible sadness when I was reading it. Amber Brown is a young girl whose parents have recently divorced. Her father moves far away - to France - to live. Her mother has a new boyfriend - Max. Her best friend Justin has also moved away. She is starting the fourth grade with a new teacher - Mrs. Holt. She no longer has a best friend. Her safe secure world has come crashing down and she feels lost and alone.
Blessedly Life starts to improve for Amber. By the end of the book - there is hope that she will make it through the end of the school year more positively than when she started.
"What if my brain is so filled with everything from nursery school, kindergarten, first, second, and third grade that I don't have room in it to put any new facts? What if I get a desk that wobbles? Or a desk that some dumb kid sat in last year and there's still some dumb kidness on the desk that's going to rub off on me?" (Pg. 9)
While not quite Tales of a Fourth Grade nothing, a must-read, this is a cute read that really captures the reality of new for many kids. Amber isn't only afraid of being a 4th grader, but she is dealing with divorce and the loss of her best friend. Danziger did a good job capturing the difficulty and heartache of a new normal. The confusion of the unknown. I think this book is a relatable read for many elementary kids.
I read the Amber Brown books obsessively when I was younger. I found this one lurking on my bookshelf and thought I'd re-visit it.
There isn't much to say about this one besides the fact that I can see why I loved this. Amber Brown is a hilarious little girl. Paula Danziger really nails the mentality of a fourth-grade-girl.
I also enjoyed how real issues were discussed without being too heavy and without being too preachy. Because, let's face it, that stuff goes right over the heads of younger kids. In that sense, Paula Danziger gets her message across to her target audience in the appropriate manner.
Overall, an enjoyable book for younger audiences. I loved it then, and I still love it now.
I mostly listened to this one via audiobook. In this addition, Amber Brown returns to school as a fourth grader. As she navigates finding a best friend, she also has to deal with her mother's new love life while still hoping for her parents to get back together. This had some cute moments (especially between Amber and her mother) but I didn't like it as much as the other two. Also, Hannah is a nightmare.
Favorite Quotes:
"I know he drives you nuts . . . but think what you would be like if you had to be with children and their feet all day." "It would be a real feat." I giggle. "You would have to put your heart into it, body and soles."
Amber Brown is definitely a strong character, sort of a more mature Junie B. Jones. As she enters the fourth grade, she does so without her father (who is living in France), and without her best friend (who has moved away). She has to learn how to make new friends, navigate 4th grade, and still deal with school.
I'm not sure Amber grows too, too much throughout the course of the book, but she is a fun character in an entertaining story.
Me encanta que se toquen temas como el divorcio de los papás, la nueva pareja de la mamá, y hacer amigos nuevos en el colegio. La autora trata, además, a la protagonista como una más de su curso, no siguiendo el estereotipo de la niña rosada y bien portada, sino con personalidad y pertenencia al grupo. No por participar en un concurso de eructos va a ser menos querible. Mantiene la agilidad y buen humor lector del primer libro de la historia. ¡Es tan fácil empatizar con esta niña!
Que historia tan tierna! Que bello saber que pasa con Ambar tras su separación con Justo! Me encantan los libros infantiles y Ambar Dorado tiene un lugar en mi corazón. Una trama sencilla pero con valores y lecciones importantes para adultos y niños. La importancia de la amistad, los cambios de la vida, la sensación de soledad, son temas tratados de una manera dulce en poco más de cien páginas. Un libro breve que llega al corazón.
Es un buen libro y deja una enseñanza, pero creo que ayuda a fomentar inseguridades entre los/ as niños, ya que la protagonista no puede vivir una vida normal en la escuela, si no tiene un mejor amigo y para ser realistas no siempre tenemos un mejor amigo. Por lo que, no deberíamos fomentar que los niños se sientan mal si no tiene un mejor amigo, lo importante en la escuela es compartir y aprender.
I really like this series for children whose patents have gotten a divorce. there are a lot of questions that she is able to answer and she can make them feel normal. in this book, her mom has a boyfriend and amber chooses not to meet him. Lots of burp jokes and amber makes a new friend after her best friend moves away.
I like to use the Amber Brown books for my read aloud breaks. She feels real and the kids can relate to her without the language being to gross or crude for parents who walk in to pick up their child and don't know what they overheard. it is short enough to typically finish in a week if nothing else is planned.
I'm going through a difficult and sad week ... I was looking for something to separate me from this world for a few minutes ... I found my favorite book from my childhood ... I wish everything was the same as when I was a child and I wished I was like Amber ... now everything is harder ... but I’m happy that this book still calms me down even after 11 years and Amber makes me smile ...❤️❤️❤️
Mi primaria está aquí, resumida en un libro. Era parte de un paquete de libros que cada año escolar nos daban en la primaria. Todavía recuerdo que lo leí varias veces, y aún así, no me cansaba de él.
Este libro fue un abrazo al corazón. Muchas veces me encontré pensando, sintiendo y hasta usando las mismas expresiones que el personaje principal. Como dice la edición de mi libro, “los personajes de Paula Danziger parecen tan reales que los niños siempre tienen la impresión de conocerlos”.
Una digna secuela de la primera entrega de la saga Ámbar Dorado, queda evidente la honestidad como la intención de contar las secuelas emocionales que se cortan, y como puede ser difícil seguir viviendo adaptándose a volver empezar desde cero.
Lo tenía que leer mi hijo en el colegio y siempre leo los libros que le mandan a leer. Muy bonito, les enseña que la vida tiene cambios, a veces inesperados pero, hay que aprender a vivir con ellos, a sobrellevar cada obstáculo en la vida.
I read one of the books in this series so I could recommend it (or not) to students at our elementary library, where I work. They are adorable stories. I've now read 3.