Sometimes
I wish
I was
a balloon too.

Rebecca's life is pretty complicated. She has a brother she calls "Frog Face" who is always in trouble with somebody, a grandfather whose penchant for colour meditation means he dresses entirely in one colour each day and parents who are separated and seem intent on competing with each other. So when a gorgeous new guy turns up at school, she figures things are about to get a whole lot better.

Instead, though, Rebecca finds out just how complicated life can be. Her worst enemy "The Grasshopper" is after the new guy too, and another guy wants to take Rebecca out on a date. The next door neighbour thinks Frog Face needs to be disciplined and Mum is dating a mystery man. Worse is to come when Rebecca's best friend Amber decides to run away and her grandmother dies. Rebecca has to wonder if things will ever get better.

Amber Pash on Pink is a novel which goes to the heart of what it is to be a teenager. Rebecca's life is like a roller coaster and so are her emotions. Her voice is real, with author Pauline Luke exploring teen life without patronising and analysing.

Teens will love the format, with a mixture of diary-type entries, emails, poems, letters and even recipes.

A highly enjoyable first novel.

Amber Pash on Pink, by Pauline Luke
UQP, 2004

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