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Description
"Dara's larger-than-life personality and true-to-life middle grade issues command center stage until the curtain falls."—School Library Journal, STARRED Review
Dara Palmer is destined to be a star, and she's writing herself the role of a lifetime. In this book, Emma Shevah tells a heartwarming story of one girl's experience with transracial adoption and the drama of middle school.
Dara longs for stardom—but when she isn't cast in her middle school's production of The Sound of Music, she gets suspicious. It can't be because she's not the best. She was born to be a famous movie star. It must be because she's adopted from Cambodia and doesn't look like a typical fraulein. (That's German for girl.)
So irrepressible Dara comes up with a genius plan to shake up the school: write a play about her own life. Then she'll have to be the star.
Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 to 7
Great for parents and educators looking for:
- A story told with doodles and illustrations, perfect for readers that love graphic novels and reluctant readers
- A great conversation starter for parents to talk to their kids about being unique and growing up with differences from their fellow classmates or community
- A story about a girl who takes the initiative and isn't afraid to forge her own path.
- Books for kids about transracial adoption
Praise for Emma Shevah's Dream On, Amber:
A Booklist 2015 Top 10 First Novels for Youth
A Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2015
"[This] novel is a charmer...While its humor and illustrations lend it Wimpy Kid appeal, its emotional depth makes it stand out from the pack."—Booklist STARRED review
"A gutsy girl in a laugh-out-loud book that navigates tough issues with finesse."—Kirkus STARRED review
"Amber's effervescent and opinionated narration captivates from the start."—Publishers Weekly STARRED review
"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."—School Library Journal STARRED review
About the Author
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.
Praise For…
" Fun and thought-provoking." — People Magazine
"Following Dream On, Amber (2015), Shevah returns with another book, this time deftly navigating the complexity of being a transracial adoptee... this funny, charismatic heroine will capture her readers' hearts. " — Kirkus Reviews
"Dara’s larger-than-life personality and true-to-life middle grade issues command center stage until the curtain falls" — School Library Journal, starred
" Like Shevah’s Dream On, Amber, this entertaining insight into the mind of an adopted child, snappily narrated and exuberantly illustrated, is sure to win readers over, one teaspoonful at a time." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
"With themes of transracial adoption, racism, identity, friendship, and sibling rivalry (not to mention a hyperactively decorated page design), there’s a lot going on here, but Shevah’s novel raises interesting questions without attempting to neatly answer them all….[Dara’s] emotional growth is believable and appealing, and her super-chatty narration is never not funny." — Horn Book Magazine
"As she did in Dream On, Amber (2015), Shevah takes an insightful look at tween life, exploring themes of identity, race, and family with a liberal dose of humor. Dara is a winning, fittingly overdramatic character who starts to grow once she takes a more serious look her life and those in it...A heartwarming, diary-style novel (with decorative doodles by Crawford-White) that deserves a place on library shelves." — Booklist