Review #48: Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown by Paula Danziger

Title: Danziger, Paula. Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown. Penguin Young Readers. 2010. 48 pages.  Tr. $9.51. ISBN 978-1-41311-545-1

Genre: Fiction
Reading Level/Interest Level: 3.2/ K-3
Series: A is for Amber
Similar Titles: Junie B Jones by Patricia Page, ZigZag Kids by Patricia Reilly Giff

Amber is ready for 2nd grade! She has her new teddy bear backpack, new pencils, and a new teacher! At first she is afraid that the teacher will be mean, because the old 2^nd grade teacher was well known and loved. And then there is Hannah Burton to deal with, who is never satisfied with anything, has to know everything, and finds fault with every single thing about Amber. But, soon Amber and her best friend Justin realize that their new teacher, Ms. Light, is even better than could be expected, especially when she stops Hannah’s teasing about Amber’s “yucky” name, when she reveals that Amber means electron in Greek, just one more thing she has in common with the friendly and eccentric Ms. Light…electricity!  With a thumbs up from Justin and a thumbed nose to Hannah, Amber is even more excited for second grade than when she woke up that morning.

 I was surprised to learn that Amber Brown is a series that was specifically marketed to Grades 3-6, and this novel is part of a branch of that series to entice younger children in the tween set (2^nd and 3^rd grade)  as well as pre-tweens.  I had never read the Amber Brown series before, and though this book is simple and would be easy for a Kindergartener to understand, I don’t know that they’d find it as entertaining as slightly older readers would, given the focus on fitting in, though Amber is born to stand out, which is why I recommend it for Grades  1 -3. Amber is quirky, fun, genuine and adorable, making the reading experience a pleasure.