Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR grabbed my attention right from the start. The main character, known for her upbeat, always optimistic view of life, jumped right off the page.
Her name is Amber Appleton, and though life is most definitely not giving her a fair shake at the moment, she is making the best of what she has. Since leaving her mother's boyfriend's apartment, she and her mom have been living on Hello Yellow. It took me a bit, but I soon figured out that they were living on a school bus. It's the bus her mother drives every day.
Seventeen, homeless, and living on a bus with her alcoholic mother seems like it would be the worst thing ever, but Amber doesn't see it that way. She is doing well in school and hoping to attend college. She has a support system that includes her four video game-playing friends, an attorney who keeps her clean and fed, and a Korean Catholic priest who helps her keep the faith. There is also Bobby Big Boy, a tiny dog Amber rescued from certain death in a shoebox she found on the street.
Amber prides herself on giving people hope. She does everything from volunteer at a nursing home to simply wishing everyone she passes a good day. That is until she experiences a tragedy that threatens to ruin it all. How can she carry on with a positive outlook and hopeful spirit when the worst thing possible has happened?
Author Matthew Quick uses a combination of humor, quirky characters, and inspiring events that will touch every reader's emotions. I challenge anyone to read SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR and not come away with a smile and a decision to make the best of what they have - just like Amber Appleton.
SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR grabbed my attention right from the start. The main character, known for her upbeat, always optimistic view of life, jumped right off the page.
Her name is Amber Appleton, and though life is most definitely not giving her a fair shake at the moment, she is making the best of what she has. Since leaving her mother's boyfriend's apartment, she and her mom have been living on Hello Yellow. It took me a bit, but I soon figured out that they were living on a school bus. It's the bus her mother drives every day.
Seventeen, homeless, and living on a bus with her alcoholic mother seems like it would be the worst thing ever, but Amber doesn't see it that way. She is doing well in school and hoping to attend college. She has a support system that includes her four video game-playing friends, an attorney who keeps her clean and fed, and a Korean Catholic priest who helps her keep the faith. There is also Bobby Big Boy, a tiny dog Amber rescued from certain death in a shoebox she found on the street.
Amber prides herself on giving people hope. She does everything from volunteer at a nursing home to simply wishing everyone she passes a good day. That is until she experiences a tragedy that threatens to ruin it all. How can she carry on with a positive outlook and hopeful spirit when the worst thing possible has happened?
Author Matthew Quick uses a combination of humor, quirky characters, and inspiring events that will touch every reader's emotions. I challenge anyone to read SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR and not come away with a smile and a decision to make the best of what they have - just like Amber Appleton.
