Dream On, Amber

Reach for this book when your child is grappling with the 'missing pieces' of their identity, whether that is a father who is no longer in the picture or the feeling of being caught between two different cultural worlds. Dream On, Amber follows a creative, half-Italian and half-Japanese girl named Amber who is tired of being the 'little' one with the big holes in her life. To cope with her father's absence and protect her younger sister, she begins to imagine him back into their lives through letters and art. This story beautifully balances the heavy reality of a single-parent household with a quirky, humorous voice that keeps the tone accessible for middle-grade readers. It is a powerful choice for normalizing the complicated feelings of abandonment while celebrating the resilience of the family that remains. It offers a gentle but honest look at how children use imagination to process grief and find their own strength.