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Summary
Summary
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...
A Junior Library Guild Selection
An Odyessy Award Honor Book
Four STARRED Reviews
Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 to 7
Great for parents and educators looking for:
An illustrated 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
Praise for Dream On, Amber:
"Funny, poignant...[a] wise and accessible read for 9- to 12-year-olds."--The Wall Street Journal
"'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."--The New York Times
"One of those books that you simply won't want to put down...five out of five stars!"--The Guardian
"[A] beautifully written story."--The Independent
Author Notes
Emma Shevah is half-Irish and half-Thai and was born and raised in London but now lives in Brighton, England. She runs the literary club at New York University in London and teaches English at Francis Holland School. Her novel Dream On, Amber received a 2017 Odyssey Honor Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults. Visit Emma at emmashevah.com.
Reviews (6)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Charismatic 11-year-old Ambra Alessandra Leola Kimiko Miyamoto finds it confusing to be of both Italian and Japanese descent, and it's "molto embarrassing" to have five names that draw attention to her differences-she'd prefer to stick to Amber. What's more, her Japanese father abandoned the family years earlier, leaving Amber and her younger sister, Bella, with unresolved anger and longing. Middle school is going to be tough, so Amber creates an imaginary father to confide in and tries to lift Bella's spirits by sending her faux letters from their father, who she pretends is a secret agent ("When all my missions are over, I might be able to come back. I might not though, so don't get all excited or anything"). Crawford-White's margin doodles (stars, confetti, swirls, etc.) and a smattering of Italian and Japanese words (including chapter numbers written in English, Italian, and Japanese) further enliven Shevah's debut. Amber's effervescent and opinionated narration captivates from the start, making it easy to root for her as she strives to conquer the "beast" of her worries and thrive at home and at school. Ages 9-12. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Though she barely remembers him, eleven-year-old Amber Miyamoto (half-Italian, half-Japanese) misses her dad, who abandoned the family when she was six. With a mix of humor and heartache, Amber's lively narrative in this British import describes her attempts--one successful and one less so--to make up for his absence. Amusing doodles decorate the pages of the art-loving middle schooler's story. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Almost-12-year-old Amber Miyamoto hates germs, loves to draw, and can't figure out why her father left 6 years ago. She is also half Italian and half Japanese, which makes her feel mixed up like a salad and isn't helping with her anxiety over starting middle school. Other things bothering her include Bella, her little sister; having a cavewoman phone that doesn't have Internet access; the swirling black hole inside her where her dad should be; maybe liking a boy; and being targeted by a school bully. When Amber has a genius idea that goes awry, she has to learn to confront her fears and mistakes in order to regain control of her life. Shevah's debut novel is a charmer, and it not only supplies some much-needed diversity to the middle-grade fiction scene but also addresses the emotional impact of living in a single-parent home. Amber's amusing self-awareness, imagination, and drawings keep the tone light, and her true-to-life tween concerns (e.g., existing in an Instagram and WhatsApp dead zone, hating Justin Bieber) will resonate with many. While its humor and illustrations lend it Wimpy Kid appeal, its emotional depth makes it stand out from the pack. Molto bene!--Smith, Julia Copyright 2015 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE has been engulfed in a conversation on the lack of books featuring minority characters. This call for diversity has been accompanied by uncomfortable yet necessary debates about what constitutes quality representation, and few people agree on that. Two new novels about biracial girls illustrate the range of approaches authors can take to these issues. Emma Shevah's "Dream On, Amber" is narrated in a spunky, endearing voice by Amber Miyamoto, who is many things: a big sister, a talented artist, a germophobe and an 11-year-old girl living in South London with her Italian mom and 6-year-old sister, Bella. Amber's Japanese father left their family five years ago, and his absence sometimes feels like "a massive black hole" to her: "But that's only sometimes." When Bella writes a letter to their father and gives it to Amber to mail, despite neither of them knowing his whereabouts, Amber writes back, pretending to be their dad. This sets off consequences that Amber handles with the assistance of an imaginary father, whom she addresses somewhat confusingly as "you." At the same time, Amber enters a new middle school where she encounters clueless questions about her ethnic identity, annoying yet supportive teachers, potential new friends and her first crush. Though "Dream On, Amber" is ripe with opportunities for didacticism, Amber's appealingly oddball voice makes the lessons go down easy. "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. In "Full Cicada Moon," Marilyn Hilton's novel in verse set in 1969, a 12-year-old aspiring astronaut named Mimi has moved with her Japanese mother from multicultural Berkeley to snowy Vermont, where her African-American father has a new college teaching job. Mimi endures a checklist of racist encounters with quiet maturity, and many of her experiences are deftly rendered with beautiful phrases. She's a smart, self-reliant girl with an interesting story. But ultimately the book turns into a virtuous parable about race that favors white experiences over Mimi's. In two climactic scenes that both deploy the word "pardon," Mimi and her mother forgive white people for racist behavior. First, Mimi forgives a friend and her mom for not inviting her to their house because of her race. Mimi explains: "I hug Stacey and then her mom/and pardon them/ for their confusion/about everything, because,/just like me, they are learning/how to take/one small step." Then, a white neighbor who has treated her family poorly asks Mimi's mother to forgive him after he reveals that he flew bombing missions over Tokyo during World War II. Mimi's mom, who lived through the nuclear bombing in Hiroshima, actually says to him, "You are pardoned." For pardoning these white people, Mimi and her family are rewarded by being welcomed into the white community, and their racial identities become acceptable to the people who had rejected them. In reality, people who are not white forgive - or at least make peace with - white people's racist acts all the time, but "Full Cicada Moon" has oversimplified complex situations. Although complicating factors such as Japanese aggression, Japanese internment, the civil rights movement and interracial marriage are mentioned, they are like scenery glimpsed through a moving bus's window. They seem detached from Mimi's lived experience rather than an integral part of her. The spare, first-person verse structure may make it difficult to delve into these issues, but the lack of context flattens what could have been a wonderful story. Instead of being a multidimensional character rooted in her family's history, Mimi is a means through which white racism can be forgiven. This old-fashioned novel about race earnestly tries to bridge the gap between white and nonwhite through an uplifting tale of cross-cultural understanding. In 2015, that feels distinctly dated. MALINDA LO'S latest work of fiction is "Tremontaine," a collaborative serial.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Amber has a lot to deal with-a new school, a bully, a completely uncool phone, a huge fib, and an invented dream dad-in this South London-based coming-of-age treat. Amber is half Italian and half Japanese. She longs to know more about her Asian ancestry, but her father left when she was six. She is keenly affected by his absence, and when she draws a replacement, her creation seems to come alive. The situation is ripe for maudlin introspection, but there is none to be found. The first-person point of view keeps the fast-paced and clever story bopping along. Laura Kirman's performance is lovely and matches the character's inner self-doubtful and strong at once. VERDICT Highly recommended. ["By turns playful and poignant, in both style and substance, this coming-of-age novel will hook readers from the first page to the last": SLJ 10/15 starred review of the Sourcebooks Jabberwocky book.]-Jane Newschwander, Fluvanna County Public Schools, VA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Overwhelmed by a new school and worried about her little sister, Amber draws a lively Dream Dad to give her fatherly advice. Originally published in England, Shevah's funny yet poignant first novel makes its American debut. Eleven-year-old Londoner Amber is half-Japanese and half-Italian, but her Japanese father has not been in touch since she was young. Her younger sister, Bella, writes a letter to invite their dad to her birthday party. Feeling protective, Amber responds as their dad, inadvertently convincing Bella that their father will attend her party. In addition, Amber does not fit in with the other girls in her middle school, she has a crush on a boy, and a teacher forces her to enter the school's art contest. Drawing and creating art is Amber's refuge, but she's afraid to show anyone her work. During a fit of sadness, she sketches a Dream Dad and shares all her fears with her drawing. With art as her therapy and witty Dream Dad on her side, Amber realizes that she doesn't need to navigate life on her own. Shevah tenderly captures the void of growing up without a father yet manages to create a feisty, funny heroine. Crawford-White's whimsical pen-and-ink illustrations line the margins, as if Amber herself has added the doodles. Chapters are numbered in English, Italian, and Japanese, reflecting Amber's multicultural identity, but refreshingly, that identity does not drive the plot. A gutsy girl in a laugh-out-loud book that navigates tough issues with finesse. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
