A Junior Library Guild Selection • An Odyssey Award Honor Book • Four STARRED Reviews

 

My name is Amber Alessandra Leola Kimiko Miyamoto.

I have no idea why my parents gave me all those hideous names but they must have wanted to ruin my life, and you know what? They did an amazing job.

 

As a half-Japanese, half-Italian girl with a ridiculous name, Amber's not feeling molto bene (very good) about making friends at her new school.

 

But the hardest thing about being Amber is that a part of her is missing. Her dad. He left when she was little and he isn't coming back. Not for her first day of middle school and not for her little sister's birthday. So Amber will have to dream up a way for the Miyamoto sisters to make it on their own …

 

Great for parents and educators looking for:

• A format for middle grade readers, especially for reluctant readers and those who love graphic novels

• A story featuring a strong, diverse female character

• A funny story that deals with tough topics while entertaining young readers

• Children's books with a story of being multiracial

• Award-winning middle-school books

 

''Dream On, Amber' also does something unusual for a children's book that grapples with race: It does not solve Amber's biracial identity crisis. Though Amber struggles with the questions of her missing father and Japanese identity, the biggest lesson of this book is that sometimes there are no answers.'—New York Times