Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown
Written: Jul 30 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A somewhat cute story for any child about to start 2nd grade.
Cons: Not all that in depth about what to expect in 2nd grade.
The Bottom Line: It's a good book to promote reading and will be a good read for your 2nd grader.
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| merlot's Full Review: Paula Danziger - Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber... |
My daughter will be starting 2nd Grade on Monday and is feeling those first day jitters. She's feeling a bit apprehensive about having a new teacher and new classmates. I figured a new book would cheer her up.
The Author
Get Ready for Second Grade Amber Brown is written by Paula Danziger. I remember reading Danziger's books when I was younger and they have stayed with me as great books all these years.
For those of you who may not recognize the name right away, Danziger is the author of books such as The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, Can You Sue Your Parents for Malpractice? and There's a Bat in Bunk Five to name a few.
A few months ago I happened to pick up a copy of Get Ready for Second Grade Amber Brown at my local bookstore. I thought it would be perfect to buy a few months later, before school starts. However, when I went back to get it, it was no longer available. A search on the internet let me know that the paperback version was to be released on July 28th. So, I waited and today finally picked up my copy.
The Book
Amber Brown is actually a character that Danziger writes about often. There are several books out about Amber Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon, Amber Brown Sees Red, and others. In some of the books Amber is in Fourth Grade, but for this one we are going back to her first day of Second.
Amber's starting school today and she's a bit nervous because the second grade teacher everyone loved, Mrs. Wilson has left the school. Amber's a little worried about the new teacher. Will she give bathroom passes, extra homework, or could she be an alien? Only time will tell.
When she meets Ms. Light she quickly learns that Second Grade's not going to be so bad. She has some familiar classmates and plans on learning to read chapter books.
Unfortunately, that's really about all the story there is. Nothing exciting, no drama, no real laughs.
The Illustrator
This book is illustrated by Tony Ross. It's not a picture book but it does have some pictures. They revolve around Amber and her buddies. The pictures fit into the story very nicely and kind of give you an idea of what Amber looks like and who she is. Which is good, because you don't get a real sense of that through reading the book.
My Thoughts
This is a Puffin Easy-To-Read book. It's a level 2 book. There are 3 levels to these Puffin books.
•Level 1: Beginning reading, simple words, picture clues
•Level 2: Reading together, short sentences, simple dialogue.
•Level 3: Reading alone, harder words, longer text.
This book is a little easy for my daughters current reading level, which is fine. I knew that when I bought it, I just wanted something to set her mind to ease as to what is coming up in 2nd grade. This book doesn't really accomplish that.
The story falls flat in my opinion. The character is not really developed. Perhaps all the character development is done in the previous Amber Brown books. However, since in those books Amber is in 4th grade I thought they wouldn't really relate to my daughter's current situation. If, like me, you have a 2nd grader that you are buying this book for, you're going to be disappointed by this.
Another reason I wanted to purchase this book was to encourage my daughter to read the other Amber Brown books. They are bigger chapter books and when I showed them to my daughter she was a tad intimidated by the size. There's not a doubt in my mind she could read them, but I figured with this easier to read book she might get into the character and then want to read the other books in the series. That's not what's happening here. Amber Brown hasn't pulled her in.
Amber is pretty much the only character in the book. She mentions her best friend Justin, but it's pretty much in passing. We don't really learn much about him, other than this year he's going to tell chicken jokes. We also learn a very little about Hannah Burton, who appears to be the 2nd grade bully.
As for Ms. Light, we don't really even learn much about her. I was hoping that Danziger would really set our mind to ease about Amber's fears about the new teacher. Instead what we got was a lesson in light. Yes, the teacher likes to point out that her name is a symbol of electricity. She makes lightbulb shaped nametags, strings lightbulbs across the classroom, she even wears lightbulb shaped earrings that light up. Amber does admit that Ms. Light might end up being okay, and kids do gain a few facts about electricity but that's about it.
I was hoping for a book that might talk about some of the fun things second graders get to do. Not being the youngest on the playground, field trips, math, reading, I dunno, just something and I feel a little let down by this book.
My Daughters Thoughts
My daughter liked the book, which I guess is the truly important thing. It was easy for her to read and didn't take her very long, but she did think Amber was cute and a little silly. We'll have to wait and see if it spiked her interest in the other Amber books or not.
I should also note, when it comes to books, my daughter is pretty easy to please. She loves to read and will choose a book over a toy on most occasions.
Final Thoughts
If you're looking for pure entertainment this is a good book. If you want this book to help your child ease into 2nd grade it's not really going to do much for you. This book is just average to me.
Recommended:
Yes
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