Amber's best friend Justin is moving away.
A good kid's book about how it feels when someone you love leaves. Amber is an engaging character. ( )

Two best friends living in New Jersey are forced to deal with separation as one friend prepares to move to Alabama. Amber Brown and Justin Daniels are now in third grade, but have been friends since preschool. Their class takes “trips” to different countries to learn about the life and culture of various parts of the world. On a trip to china, Justin gets a fortune cookie that reads “soon you will be going on a new journey and beginning a new life”. Suddenly, neither Amber nor Justin feel well because it makes them realize that they have to face the fact the Justin will soon be moving and Amber will be losing her best friend at school. Their friendship takes a toll as they be try to deal with the array of emotions tied to their looming separation. Painterly illustrations are scattered throughout the book and complement the text, providing younger readers with black and white visuals of the characters tied to the story. The themes of friendship and separation as seen through the eyes of third graders will connect with the elementary school age readers. ( )

Amber is very sad because her best friend is moving away. This is a common occurance in a child's life, that a friend they make may move away or they may need to move away themselves. This is a very good book to recommend to a fluent reader going through this kind of experience, or to use as a read aloud, because Danziger is able to paint vivid characters who feel authentic. Danziger's story is not all sad, there's fun along the way too, especially in the behavior of the 3rd graders in Mr. Cohen's Class. ( )

Lexile: 720
Reading Recovery: 24
DRA: 38
Fountas Pinnel Guided Reading: Q

Third grader, Amber Brown, is sad when she finds her best friend is moving away. This book is a good alternative to Junie B. Jones for parents who object to Junie B's language and ways. ( )