“Hermes here. The Greek god - / Don’t put down the book - / I’m talking to you. If the lines looks like poetry, / relax. This book is shorter than it looks.” He may be the god of liars and thieves, but here's one moment when Hermes is telling the truth. Funny story. I remember working as a children’s librarian in New York City when, one day, I got “that kid”. Librarians, you may have had “that kid” in your rooms as well at some point. It’s the kid that has read (their words) “everything”. They a...

I am envisioning a beautiful Newbery sticker on this one for 2022. One of the very best books of the year.

There they are:the girl as electric as amber,and the boy, indestructible as clay.Don't let the size of this new masterpiece from Laura Amy Schlitz intimidate you. It is smooth as butter with the saltiness of good cheese on a hearty piece of bread. This epic tale, told mostly in verse, is magnificent in its scope. Framed by eighteen exhibits of Greek artifacts, the narrative tells the story of Rhaskos, the slave boy, and Melistos, the wellborn girl. Their destinies are bound together in ways that...

I love Greek mythology and this middle grade book was right up my alley. The author was skillful at weaving several stories together and I was thrilled with the way she inserted great lessons in every chapter. (This old lady learned about Greek art, artifacts and language in a painless way.) I was also relieved to find that the author wasn't tempted to make Amber and Clay into a cheesy romantic tale. She raises serious issues about slavery and abuse. She introduces Socrates to a new generation a...

I'm dithering between 4 and 5 stars. I am at a loss for words: this verse novel for the middle-school set grabbed me and won't let go. I don't think I can write a coherent review.I loved our two main human characters: Rhaskos, an enslaved boy of Thracian heritage, and Melito, an aristocratic girl living in Athens.I loved the author's use of the Greek gods as narrators. Hermes was a delight.I loved the writing--the poetry was so varied, so clever, so easy to gulp down. It flowed so effortlessly f...

Amber and Clay is the story of two children who are very different and who have very different life experiences and yet who join together to try to accomplish a common goal. Amber is a wild girl, reckless, undisciplined, plain, the child of a rich man, a child unloved by her mother. Clay is a quiet boy, the son of an enslaved woman, thoughtful though untaught, clever though unschooled, interested in drawing horses. The story takes place in ancient Greece and the other characters include a philos...

Popsugar #12 A book about the afterlife

4/5 stars!Thank you so much Candlewick Press for sending me a review copy! Amber and Clay was undoubtedly a GORGEOUS book! From the wonderful stanzas on paper, to the breathtaking twists and turns these characters went through.I think I never read a 500 page book so fast. It reads like a breeze, although the contents are sometimes far from light. I had some trouble with the pacing about 200 pages in, because it becomes denser, but it only lasts a couple of pages before going back to being the fa...

ARC provided my Follett First LookI tried. Really did. After all, I was a Latin teacher and minored in Ancient Greek in college. A Drowned Maiden's Hair is one of the few books my younger daughter liked.This reminded me a lot of Ryan's Echo. There's a lot going on, and for the right reader, this will be perfect. I'm not sure I have those readers right now, and finishing this was tough even for me.

There they are: the girl as electric as amber, and the boy, indestructible as clay. Don't let the size of this new masterpiece from Laura Amy Schlitz intimidate you. It is smooth as butter with the saltiness of good cheese on a hearty piece of bread. This epic tale, told mostly in verse, is magnificent in its scope. Framed by eighteen exhibits of Greek artifacts, the narrative tells the story of Rhaskos, the slave boy, and Melistos, the wellborn girl. Their destinies are bound together in ways

Incredibly good. Still processing, but will review soon!

Very well-researched, well-written with touches of humor, very long. As an adult reader, I appreciated every aspect of this book.

This is an excellent book with many distinguished qualities. I would put it more in the YA category and therefore not put it eligible for a Newbery. I think only a few authors could pull off writing a story that mixes fantasy, mythology, poetry and historical fiction. The audio narration was fantastic. I thought the transitions between points of view and inclusion or artifacts were done very well. The depiction of Socrates could not have been better. Other reviewers have described the gods and g...

4/5 stars Do you ever pick up a book and open up to the first page and know this book will be great? Well, that's what happened when I started reading Amber and Clay. Not only is this a perfect summer read, but it's perfect for fans of mythology and more specifically, Greek Mythology. Do you like the Greek Pantheon? You'll love this. Do you like Poetry? You'll really love this.Do you want a book that will leave you breathless and still processing it after you finish it? YOU'LL LOVE THIS. Such a

Oh gosh, my heart. This was so heartbreaking and beautiful and cathartic (appropriate for a novel set in ancient Greece.)I loved these characters and felt for them so much - Melisto and Rhaskos go through so much and I ached for them while also feeling their joy at the good things they experienced too. They don't meet until much farther in the book than I expected, but their friendship is still so beautiful and believable.Unsurprisingly, I shed many tears while reading this and for many differen...

8/12/21 Update - By reading both the print copy (mostly) and the digital copy, I was able to better comprehend this story of Rhaskos (aka Thrax or Pyrrhos) an enslaved boy in ancient Greece. Learn about the Spartans and the Athenians. Find out how an enslaved person can earn their freedom, is it even possible? With a wide cast of characters, cameos by the ancient gods; Hermes, Artemis, Hephaistos, & Athena plus the philosopher Sokrates (aka Socrates or So-kra-tees); there is a lot to digest. My

Long and mostly boring. There were spots where I got into the story but these were rare and fleeting. I really cannot see a middle grader reading this book.

One of the coolest things about this novel is that it could potentially be real. A lot of research went into this novel, as shown by the 5 page bibliography in the back. It would be amazing if maybe, just maybe, Laura Amy Schlitz got it right. It took a long time to get into this story because there's a lot going on. I appreciated the cast list in the beginning and I think having a map would have helped also. This story is told from multiple POVs and in multiple ways, from free verse to novel fo...

An ambitious, impressively crafted epic tale set in ancient Greece and told from multiple perspectives, mostly in verse with some prose sections. A boy and a girl who have little in common and never meet in the flesh are bound by destiny. The god Hermes acts as chorus, providing snarky, irreverent interludes as well as much-needed context that is not always sufficient.

This took me too long to finish. I hope I can come back and read it again when I have more time to savor it. I love all of Laura Amy Schlitz’s books and this is no exception. The way that artifacts are inserted into the text to show how modern archaeologists view Ancient Greece was very interesting and then having the perspective of some of the gods (particularly Hermes but also Athena and Hephaestus) was such a masterful move. The breadth of perspective was amazing. I liked that this was a stor...