Amber: YA novel by Dave Webb
Some reviews:
5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, January 22, 2008 By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews This review is from: Amber (Paperback) Readers fascinated by Dave Pelzer and A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive will want to pick up a copy of AMBER by Dave Webb. It tells the heartbreaking story of a little girl's struggle to survive in a world of neglect and abuse.
Life has not been kind to 10-year-old Amber, but recently things have gotten worse. She has been uprooted and moved so many times in an effort to escape her mother's abusive boyfriend that she can barely remember what the last place looked like.
When Amber returns home from school, she finds her mother gone. Hopefully, she is at work, but the passing time and her continued absence point in another direction. Warned to head straight home from school and not to talk to anyone makes having friends almost impossible for Amber. Now there is no one to turn to for help.
Finally, her mother shows up, drunk but apologetic. Amber's only real escape is her Fantasy. It's a place she calls her Kingdom, with kings and queens and all the trappings of royal life. The bad part of her Fantasy is the Voices. They are often frightening, and Amber fears that telling someone will only label her as crazy.
Amber finds friendship and some comfort when she teams up with a runaway named Shayna. Together they offer each other safety and companionship, at least temporarily.
Author Dave Webb has crafted an emotional story about Amber and her struggle to get past her fears and have her voice heard by someone who cares; someone who can help her. Although less than 100 pages, Webb reaches the hearts of his readers as Amber suffers emotional and physical stress and abuse from her absentee mother; Greg, her mother's abusive boyfriend; and teasing taunts from bullying classmates. Can she survive her environment and find that "someone" who cares?
Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
from yabookscentral:
http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/5900-amber
From www.bn.com:
What a read! The characters felt extremely real and the emotions were so raw in this novel. I actually planned to read for just a few minutes, but I was hooked and didn't stop until the last word 'which were a bit blurry because you brought me to tears TWICE.' As a former middle school teacher I feel students will surely be drawn in to the drama and suspense. I can see great literature circle discussions if it is ever used in a classroom setting. You definitely won't be disappointed in reading this fast-paced book!
November 19, 2007
Anonymous
A definite read! I really enjoyed this book. It is an easy read and a book that you do not want to put down until you have read every word. A true example of the human spirit, very believeable.
5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, January 22, 2008 By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews This review is from: Amber (Paperback) Readers fascinated by Dave Pelzer and A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive will want to pick up a copy of AMBER by Dave Webb. It tells the heartbreaking story of a little girl's struggle to survive in a world of neglect and abuse.
Life has not been kind to 10-year-old Amber, but recently things have gotten worse. She has been uprooted and moved so many times in an effort to escape her mother's abusive boyfriend that she can barely remember what the last place looked like.
When Amber returns home from school, she finds her mother gone. Hopefully, she is at work, but the passing time and her continued absence point in another direction. Warned to head straight home from school and not to talk to anyone makes having friends almost impossible for Amber. Now there is no one to turn to for help.
Finally, her mother shows up, drunk but apologetic. Amber's only real escape is her Fantasy. It's a place she calls her Kingdom, with kings and queens and all the trappings of royal life. The bad part of her Fantasy is the Voices. They are often frightening, and Amber fears that telling someone will only label her as crazy.
Amber finds friendship and some comfort when she teams up with a runaway named Shayna. Together they offer each other safety and companionship, at least temporarily.
Author Dave Webb has crafted an emotional story about Amber and her struggle to get past her fears and have her voice heard by someone who cares; someone who can help her. Although less than 100 pages, Webb reaches the hearts of his readers as Amber suffers emotional and physical stress and abuse from her absentee mother; Greg, her mother's abusive boyfriend; and teasing taunts from bullying classmates. Can she survive her environment and find that "someone" who cares?
Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
from yabookscentral:
http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/5900-amber
From www.bn.com:
What a read! The characters felt extremely real and the emotions were so raw in this novel. I actually planned to read for just a few minutes, but I was hooked and didn't stop until the last word 'which were a bit blurry because you brought me to tears TWICE.' As a former middle school teacher I feel students will surely be drawn in to the drama and suspense. I can see great literature circle discussions if it is ever used in a classroom setting. You definitely won't be disappointed in reading this fast-paced book!
November 19, 2007
Anonymous
A definite read! I really enjoyed this book. It is an easy read and a book that you do not want to put down until you have read every word. A true example of the human spirit, very believeable.
From the Midwest Book Review, June 2016 Edition:
Kaye Trout
Reviewer
Genre: Memoir / Rating: Very Good
I generally start a review by quoting from the back cover, and this is no exception.
"In his memoir, veteran elementary school teacher Dave Webb recalls some of the most memorable events from his nearly thirty years in education. His many travels as a teacher have taken him to dozens of public and private schools and have connected him and his classes with the likes of award-winning authors, Hollywood actors, and students from around the world. He invites everyone to learn from both is successes and failures in this often funny, sometimes heartbreaking tale of one man's teaching career."
Mr. Nomad is a memoir and very nicely done with short, interesting chapters, thirty four in total, not numbered but titled, such as "The Substitute's Survival Guide", "Best of Both Worlds", "The Angry Mom", "Things Kids Say", and "Classroom Publishing" to name a few, and presented in a chronological manner, starting with "First Days of School" and ending with "The Last Day of School".
At the end of the book, Webb has an "Appendix I: Share Fair" in which he describes some "neat" teaching ideas which he has picked up over the years, and "Appendix II: The Bookends of My Career (1988 and 2030)" is fun as he recalls trivia from 1988 and then makes predictions for 2030, when he plans to retire.
There's lots of variety, and some chapters are more fun and interesting than others, but that's personal taste. Overall, there is something here for everyone.
It's clearly apparent that Dave Webb is a dedicated teacher with a gift for inspiring his students through his creative approach to teaching. It's also clear that Webb is an accomplished, serious writer with nine published books to his credit.
Mr. Nomad is well written and well edited, and if you enjoy reading memoirs, I'm certain that you'll enjoy the Tales of a Traveling Teacher.
Kaye Trout
Reviewer
Genre: Memoir / Rating: Very Good
I generally start a review by quoting from the back cover, and this is no exception.
"In his memoir, veteran elementary school teacher Dave Webb recalls some of the most memorable events from his nearly thirty years in education. His many travels as a teacher have taken him to dozens of public and private schools and have connected him and his classes with the likes of award-winning authors, Hollywood actors, and students from around the world. He invites everyone to learn from both is successes and failures in this often funny, sometimes heartbreaking tale of one man's teaching career."
Mr. Nomad is a memoir and very nicely done with short, interesting chapters, thirty four in total, not numbered but titled, such as "The Substitute's Survival Guide", "Best of Both Worlds", "The Angry Mom", "Things Kids Say", and "Classroom Publishing" to name a few, and presented in a chronological manner, starting with "First Days of School" and ending with "The Last Day of School".
At the end of the book, Webb has an "Appendix I: Share Fair" in which he describes some "neat" teaching ideas which he has picked up over the years, and "Appendix II: The Bookends of My Career (1988 and 2030)" is fun as he recalls trivia from 1988 and then makes predictions for 2030, when he plans to retire.
There's lots of variety, and some chapters are more fun and interesting than others, but that's personal taste. Overall, there is something here for everyone.
It's clearly apparent that Dave Webb is a dedicated teacher with a gift for inspiring his students through his creative approach to teaching. It's also clear that Webb is an accomplished, serious writer with nine published books to his credit.
Mr. Nomad is well written and well edited, and if you enjoy reading memoirs, I'm certain that you'll enjoy the Tales of a Traveling Teacher.