Lights, Camera, Amalee

When Amalee’s grandmother dies, she inherits a very strange object: a huge champagne bottle filled with over a thousand dollars’ worth of change. Amalee is told to spend the money on something important, so she decides to make a movie about endangered species. Soon there’s as much going on behind the scenes as there is in front of the camera, as Amalee deals with a new friend, a very cute older boy, her wacky family friends, and other challenges. She also discovers something she never expected to find — a link with her mother, who disappeared and died when Amalee was very little. Behind the camera, Amalee comes to understand that the past can never be changed. But the future? Well, that’s another story....

“Williams conveys middle-school insecurities with a sure hand, and Amalee’s narration is a treat to listen to.” —Horn Book