rock on Amber Appleton

Matthew Quick's SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR (Little Brown 2010) is a nlvel that cannot quite contain the irrepressible Amber Appleton, its main character. She leaps off the page as soon as we hear her voice. Whether she is trying to tell us about her cool dog, her living on a school bus now that she and her mother are homeless, or her stint as an English instructor at the Korean Catholic Church, Amber is force to be reckoned with. Just ask Prince Tony, the principal of Amber's school. Or ask any of the residents of the nursing home Amber visits for her once weekly throw down with Joan of Old. Fresh, sassy, and (most importantly) vulnerable, Amber Appleton will captivate readers and draw them into this story of love and redemption. <239>