Description: Ten-year-old Mira must balance the loyalty she feels towards her family with the desire to be accepted by her new classmates in this powerful coming-of-age story about identity, community, and finding a place to call home.
She’s not like most of her classmates. At least not yet. Her family came to the country when she was five years old, but they’re so close to becoming citizens now. This means they’ll finally be able to use Amber like everyone else. Then she’ll be as special as the rest of her classmates, the ones who were born here with magic already in their veins. But most of all, no one will compare her to Daniel anymore. Daniel who doesn’t even try to fit in, who actually seems proud of being an outsider. Once she takes her first sip of Amber, she will be on the inside. She hopes.
Review: To be honest, I originally picked this book up because of the gorgeous cover art by Julie McLaughlin. The image was so captivatingly magical and the story by Anna Staniszewski was just the same. I’m not normally a fan of magical realism, but this world was really easy to fall into. Such a great story about helping others, being true to yourself, and the importance of honesty to yourself and to others.
Abbi Lee Books 