Dream On, Amber by Emma Shevah (Children's, 7 years +, 10E/10E)

 March 2014, Chicken House, 272 pages, Paperback, Review copy 

Themes: having an absent father, tight bonds between sisters, kind deeds, getting into a pickle, 

Content: lots of laughs, some tissues needed

Summary from Chicken House

She's Amber Alessandra Leola Kimiko Miyamoto (as if the name makes up for her being tiny!)

Amber is half Japanese and half Italian, and is starting a new school with a caveman phone. But the hardest thing about being Amber is that a big part of her is missing.

Her dad.

He left when she was little and if he isn’t coming back, she’ll have to find a way to make it up to her little sister.

And Amber has a BIG imagination …

Nayuleska's thoughts

Apologies as I was due to review this in March, but somehow thought I had when I hadn't. This book is ACE! It feels exactly as the front cover looks, funky and fresh. Amber's voice is funny, putting an interesting slant on all the events which happen in her life. Some of course aren't as catastrophic as she makes them to be, but others are. 

What touched me the most was her relationship with her little sister. She did her best to keep her happy - naturally they had the usual sibling rivalry and disagreements. I burst into tears when Amber's younger sister revealed a shocking plot twist - I wanted to give her such a huge hug, and Amber, who desperately wants her dad to be someone rather than no-one. I'll definitely be rereading this heart warming book again. 

Find out more Emma's website.

Suggested read

For more sweet older/younger sister relations check out the awesomely popular Dork Diaries which include Dork Diaries: Party Time by Rachel Renee Russell (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E)