Ernestine & Amanda

Ernestine & Amanda #1

by Sandra Belton

At the beginning of their first adventure, Ernestine and Amanda agree on one thing: they aren't going to be friends. Ernestine thinks wealthy Amanda is stuck-up. Amanda thinks Ernestine is too fat. But as a year goes by and the lives of these ten-year-old piano students become more and more intertwined, the girls are amazed to discover how much they are beginning to need each other.In the second adventure Ernestine's father has lost his job, Amanda's parents are separating, and neither girl wants to go off to camp. But Ernestine's summer at an Africian-American girl's camp ends up being filled with fun. While Amanda's, at a posh predominantly white camp, forces her to reconsider what it really means to be a friend. "A gentle, sweet, simply told tale of family, community, and friendship.... Will enhance any library's collection". -- School Library Journal

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

from Contemporary Authors Online: Sandra Belton has published a number of well-received picture books for children in addition to novels for young adults that include the award-winning McKendree. She is perhaps best known for her "Ernestine and Amanda" series about two African-American girls growing up in the 1950s. In an interview with Janice DelNegro for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books online, Belton noted that the series is enriched by her own experiences as a youngster in small-town West Virginia. "Ernestine and Amanda are the keepers of my childhood memories and dreams," the author remarked. "Their voices echo the ones I heard while chasing lightning bugs and playing at twilight with the kids down the street. The homes they live in and the schools and churches they attend paint a picture of the neighborhoods that nurtured all of us. The events of their lives and the heroes they celebrate are the ones of our heritage."

Reviews

[Krystle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seemed very promising. The dialogue in chapter one was short and snappy, the summary on the back of the book was great! Buuut...it seemed like the author just gave up at the end of the book and just slapped in an ending chapter. What was the point of the Thanksgiving dinner? She could have just ended it with the contest! All of the characters were untied and not well developed enough. The main flaw about this book was that the characters, plot, and series have so much potential but the author does not know how to expertly fill them out. She might have done this because there is a series but professional readers know that every book should satisfy as a stand alone, not a book waiting for another book to fill it up. What if the reader never has access to the sequel? But the book is not that bad, just not good enough.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

gr 4-6 150 pgs


1950s Mostly a story about two girls, Amanda and Ernestine, who start out as enemies and discover that they have more in common then they realized.

Mostly a friendship story with some historical details.

[Salsabrarian]

Two rivals compete for the chance to perform with a noted singer and musician. Takes place in the 1950s. Interesting historical notes at the end about the famous musicians featured in the story.