Third grader Amber Brown can be messy and forgetful, but her best friend, Justin Daniels, doesn’t mind. The two mesh and love teaming up to help each other out. The humor from the original novel is left intact, from overly imaginative Amber’s dramatic warnings about why Justin shouldn’t eat leaves off the ground to their inside jokes about ordering pizza (“Hold the anchovies!”). Their friendship is on borrowed time, however, as Justin’s family is about to move to Alabama. Amplifying Amber’s stress over losing Justin are her lingering feelings over her parents’ divorce; she hardly sees her father since he relocated to France. Her mother is an affirming presence, but together Amber and Justin must learn to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth about his upcoming move. Amber Brown is most definitely not a crayon—as she tells classmates who tease her about her name—but her world tends to assume a stylized palette that sets the tone of each scene, especially moody blues and purples. The story ends on an optimistic note; those familiar with the original series will be hoping for future installments. Amber is tan-skinned, Justin presents white, and their class is racially diverse.
