Skip to main content

Sunny Side Up

By


Sunny Side Up
By Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm
Graphix, 2015. Comics. 217 p.

Sunny is a fun-loving ten-year-old who is depressed to be spending the summer living with her grandpa in his retirement community in Florida. After receiving her mandatory guest pass, Sunny’s fears of a depressed and boring summer are quickly confirmed when she realizes that her grandpa’s idea of “big plans” is going to the post office or grocery store. Luckily, while visiting the golf course with her grandpa, Sunny meets Buzz, the son of Cuban immigrants, and the two quickly become friends. Buzz introduces Sunny to comic books and Sunny falls in love with the stories of Batman, Superman, Spider-man and Swamp Thing.

Alternating between the time of her visit to Florida and flashback sequences of her time at home leading up to the trip, the story progresses by revealing more and more of the purpose behind Sunny being sent to spend the summer with her grandpa. Her brother, Dale, began spending time with friends who were bad influences and became involved in doing drugs and drinking alcohol. As she remembers a number of experiences, happy and sad, surrounding her brother’s transformation and her management of her feelings, she relates to her beloved superheroes to make connections and cope.

Written and illustrated by the duo behind the Baby Mouse series, Sunny Side Up is a graphic novel that is as funny and entertaining as it is sweet and moving. A great Read-Alike for Smile by Raina Telgemeier.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Faker

By
Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dragon Run

By
Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...
1 comment
Read more

Books That Take You There: Under the Sea

By Suzanne
The ocean is a mesmerizing realm, teeming with an astonishing diversity of life. It contains microscopic bacteria and algae to towering kelp forests and countless marine creatures. Beyond its beauty, the ocean is vital to life on Earth. It supplies oxygen, sustains food chains, and plays a crucial role in climate regulation. Dive into these six captivating books that will transport you beneath the waves and unveil the wonders of the deep. The Sea Knows  Written by Alice B. McGinty and Alan B. Havis  Illustrated by Stephanie Laberis  New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2020. Picture Book.  The Sea Knows  is a lyrical picture book that explores the vastness and wonder of the ocean. Through rhythmic, poetic text, the book contrasts the sea’s many characteristics. It can be both fierce and calm, shallow and deep, full of tiny creatures and enormous whales. This captivating book encourages curiosity about the natural world and highlights the ever-...
Post a Comment
Read more