Amber Brown Is Tickled Pink

by Paula Danziger

  When we pull into the camp, the others are already there.

  Fredrich and his father are standing with them.

  Mom runs to Max and hugs him. “Did you see our sign? Wasn’t it sweet? Mr. Allen was just telling us that he and Fredrich made it.”

  Justin pokes me in the ribs. I am about to tell him to cut out the booger jokes when Fredrich shouts, “Hey, Justin! I didn’t know you were going to be here!”

  Before I know it, Fredrich is taking Justin and Danny down to the waterfront to show them the boats.

  Nobody even thinks to ask me.

  I suddenly remember they’re boys. At least they’re being friendly. I’m glad they like each other. They just can’t like each other more than they like me.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I, Amber Brown, have glittery fingers.

  I also have birdseedy fingers.

  These party favors are a lot harder to make than I thought they would be.

  I am glad Brandi and Kelly got here. They are really good at crafts.

  I like doing crafts, and I love glitter. But I have so many things on my mind right now . . . . . especially the toast that I still haven’t written . . . . that I keep messing things up.

  Justin, Fredrich, and Danny are not helping. In fact, they are un-helping. A few minutes ago they had a small birdseed war. I now have birdseed in my hair and in my lap as well as glued to my fingers. The only ones who are really happy are the sparrows who just got a free meal.

  “The birdseed is to throw at the bride and groom AFTER the wedding, not at each other right now,” Brandi says sternly.

  The boys settle down and we get an assembly line going.

  Brandi and Kelly make tags that say SARAH AND MAX in glittery letters. They let Danny help sprinkle the glitter.

  Fredrich is putting birdseed in squares of netting.

  I have the wrap-up job . . . which really is wrapping up. When Fredrich slides a packet of netting and seed to me, I tie it up with a piece of ribbon. Then I pass it to Justin, who ties the other end of the ribbon to one of the glittery tags.

  Once we all get going, it’s a lot of fun. I love working with my friends this way.

  When I think this, I am surprised to realize that I consider Fredrich one of my friends. When did that happen?

  “Finished!” Justin says when he ties on the last tag.

  We call Aunt Pam to come look.

  “Very nice. Your mom is going to love these.”

  I feel good. The bags of birdseed look beautiful in the bright netting.

  “What’s next?” Brandi asks. She’s counted the favors twice to make sure we have enough.

  “I have to practice my toast.”

  I don’t mention that I haven’t written it yet.

  “Great!” Kelly says. “Practice on us.”

  I shake my head and mumble, “I’m not ready.”

  Justin is looking at me.

  “Just try it,” Brandi insists. “It doesn’t have to be perfect.”

  “No, I want it to be a surprise.”

  “Do you want to see the camp?” Fredrich asks.

  “Sure,” Brandi and Kelly say together.

  Danny runs down the porch steps. “I want to see the boats again!”

  “Will you guys watch Danny?” Justin asks. “I’ll stay here. I have something I need to work on too.”

  “Sure,” Kelly says. “He’s cute.”

  Justin rolls his eyes.

  When the others have gone, I ask Justin what he needs to work on.

  “Helping you.”

  “Helping me do what?”

  “Your toast. You haven’t written it yet, have you?”

  “How did you know?”

  He smiles. “We’ve been friends since preschool, Amber. You always put things off . . . . . especially when they’re important. Come on, let’s get to work.”

  “What do you know about giving a toast?” I ask.

  “Nothing. But we’ll figure it out. What are best friends for?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The ceremony is about to start. Mom and Max and I are on the side porch, ready to make our entrance. Rose and Herman are at the front of the Grand Salon, surrounded by their instruments. Their music sounds even more beautiful than the night we heard it at their house.

  I walk in first, then turn to watch Mom and Max. When we are all at the front of the room, Rose and Herman put down their instruments. Rose comes to stand in front of us.

  Mom hands me her flowers and gives me a kiss. Then she takes Max’s hands.

  Rose turns to the guests. “Sarah and Max have written their own vows.”

  She nods at Mom.

  Mom clears her throat and says, “I, Sarah, take you, Max, to be my husband, through up, through down, through good and bad, through things that change and things that stay the same.”

  I start to cry. Mom told me she and Max were writing their own vows, but I hadn’t heard them until now.

  Max repeats the words to Mom, except he says “I, Max” instead of “I, Sarah.”

  When he is done, Rose smiles and says, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

  Mom and Max kiss . . . . . it’s a humdinger. They look like they should be in a movie.

  That’s when it hits me. Mom and Max are married.

  Even so, I hope they’re not going to be kissing like this around the house all the time.

  That would be gross.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I am looking out at the tables. So many friends. So many relatives.

  Before, I was terrified to do this, but with Justin’s help I have my toast ready.

  The biggest problem was that my dress didn’t have any pockets to hold the paper I wrote it on. So Justin sneaked it under my plate.

  Everyone loves the dumplings. Everyone is talking and laughing. Someone starts tapping a spoon against a glass. Soon everyone is tapping. The room is filled with a kind of ringing sound.

  Aunt Pam leans over to me. “That’s a signal that they want the bride and groom to kiss.”

  “Again?”

  Max leans over and kisses Mom.

  Everyone cheers and claps.

  Some things about weddings are very strange.

  A minute later, Max leans over and touches my shoulder.

  It’s time.

  I swallow hard and stand up. Everyone is talking and laughing, and at first they don’t notice me. Then someone at the closest table starts saying, “Shhh, shhh!”

  The shushing spreads. Soon the room is quiet.

  I look out at them. My heart is pounding, but it is also filled with happiness.

  I raise my glass. It is filled with sparkling cider.

  The grown-ups have champagne.

  “I would like to propose a toast.”

  Everyone is listening carefully now.

  I unfold my paper and read.

  “I will admit that when I first met Max, I didn’t like the idea of him going out with my mom. In fact, I was a little bratty about it.”

  People nod and smile. Max blushes a little.

  “Now I am so happy that they did. I did not want my life to change. But no matter what I do, it keeps happening. Some of the changes are bad. Some are very very good.

  “This is one of the best changes ever.”

  I don’t need to read the next part. I look right at Mom and Max.

  “We had some problems on the way

  But we’ve survived. It’s your big day.

  Here’s the truth, I’m not pretending

  It’s a fairy tale with a happy ending.

  So here’s to Mom and here’s to Max—

  I love you both and them�
��s the facts.

  Now that you’re married, what do I think?

  I, Amber Brown, am tickled pink!”

  For more books in this series click here.

  A word from the real Amber Brown

  “Aunt,” my seven-year-old self said to Paula Danziger, in my deep truck-driver voice, “why don’t you write a book for younger kids?” At the time, Paula was only writing novels for young adults. This badgering occurred often and went on for several years.

  Then one day:

  “Aunt,” I sobbed into the phone, “I’m losing my two best friends. Ben and Dylan are both moving away.” Without my friends, the new school year looked miserable. Paula calmed me down and was very supportive, as she always was. Paula had the biggest heart of anyone I have ever known and was always there when I (or anyone else) needed her.

  I am the real-life Amber Brown. I am also Paula’s only niece, Carrie Danziger.

  Paula took my nagging for a book for younger readers and the tragedy of my best friends moving away plus many of her own experiences and ideas to give birth to Amber Brown.

  By the time Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon was published, I was already reading Paula’s older works, such as The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, but the Amber Brown series exceeded all of my expectations—it became Paula’s masterpiece and a major part of her legacy.

  Even though the world is very different today than it was when she began writing in the 1970s, the troubles and the turmoil of her characters remain the same as today’s young readers. Paula strove to relate to people on a personal level through her work and was successful because she was such a “people person.”

  Paula had so much love to give that she needed many recipients. She had many “best” friends in her life. Two of these friends, Elizabeth Levy and Bruce Coville, are pertinent to the novel that you just read. They still jokingly refer to each other as “Paula’s best friend” and “Paula’s other best friend.”

  Bruce and Paula had been friends since the time of the dinosaurs. Long, long, LONG ago, they began reading and critiquing each other’s work over the phone. They re-created this process several times at conferences, sitting back to back as if they were on the phone.

  Bruce knew Paula and Paula’s writing very well. He is the author of many science fiction adventures, including the My Teacher Is an Alien series. Even though their genres are very different, Bruce and Paula were able to edit and support each other as writers.

  Liz and Paula were friends for a long time but not quite as long as Bruce and Paula. Liz is the author of the Fletcher mystery series and MANY other books. Liz and Paula used to run into each other at writing events around the country. They always meant to get together when they were back in New York, but somehow never did. Finally, after years of running into each other on the road, Paula said to Liz, “Either we’re going to do this, or we’re not!” From that point on they were best friends; they would speak on the phone every day and frequently traveled up and down the west side of Manhattan to see each other.

  Almost all of Paula’s friends heard at one time or another, “You’re going to love this person, but you can’t love them more than you love me.” Paula loved to network her friends together, and she is the reason that Bruce, Liz and I are friends.

  Paula’s close connection with Bruce, Liz and my family is the reason why they were asked to co-write Amber Brown Is Tickled Pink. Paula always intended there to be more Amber Brown books and this was lovingly written to preserve her legacy as well as Amber’s.

  As Paula always said, “Amber Brown would not be complete without the illustrations.” Thank you to Tony Ross for illustrating the Amber Brown books for all of these years and continuing to bring her to life in the latest rendition. Amber Brown Is Tickled Pink also needed and received the support of the people at Writers House and Putnam. Thank you to everyone involved for allowing the world to continue to hear Paula’s voice. Thank you to all of Paula’s readers and fans who keep Amber and all of Paula’s other characters not only alive but close to their hearts.

  Thank-yous would not be complete without a thank-you to Paula, who not only shaped my life but continues to shape the lives of her readers through her books.

  —Carrie Danziger

  Discover all the Amber Brown chapter books

  Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon

  You Can’t Eat Your Chicken Pox, Amber Brown

  Amber Brown Goes Fourth

  Amber Brown Wants Extra Credit

  Forever Amber Brown

  Amber Brown Sees Red

  Amber Brown Is Feeling Blue

  I, Amber Brown

  Amber Brown Is Green with Envy