Forever Amber Brown

'I'm only nine years old. It's enough that I have to change and grow up.' Well, it is not quite enough for Danziger's irrepressible heroine, Amber Brown, who has also to cope with the news that her mother, recently divorced, is now contemplating a second marriage. It is a well tried theme in writing for children, but one which is given here the typically sparky Danziger treatment: short sentences and snappy vocabulary, a good supply of humorous one-liners, plenty of witty exchanges between adult and child. When we go a little deeper, we find a sympathetic (but totally unpatronising) understanding of what happens when a young child is forced to confront change and to adapt to it. Young Amber particularly comes to understand that the complexities of today's world demand a flexible interpretation of what the word 'family' can actually mean. It all makes for an enjoyable, if undemanding, read.