By Jennifer & Matthew Holm
If you love Babymouse books, chances are you’ll love Sunny Side Up. Sunny has always looked up to her older brother, Dale, but lately, he’s been acting strange. She sees him speeding around in his car, he hangs out with questionable people. One day, Dale and their dad get into an argument. Sunny tries to intervene when she sees that Dale is ready to punch their dad, and she ends up getting hit. Now, poor Sunny has to spend the summer with her grandpa in Florida. When Grandpa tells her that they’re going to do something fun, she has great ideas of what it is….Disney World, going to the ocean….anything except going to dinner at 4 p.m. with Grandpa and his friends.
Sunny finally makes a friend named Buzz. Buzz loves comic books more than anything and tries to convince Sunny why they are so entertaining. Buzz keeps Sunny entertained by showing her how to get paid by the golf course owner, even if that means facing down some alligators. He also shows her all the places the runaway cats hide.
Sunny knows that something is happening with Dale, and finally, after catching her grandpa smoking again, she explodes. Will Grandpa tell her what’s going on with her brother, or will she be left in the dark forever?
This great graphic novel has something for everyone. Maybe a kid is dealing with problems at home, or maybe they have a sibling that is going through the same thing. It’s a great book that deals with lots of different issues, without flat out saying there are drugs, gangs, and bad things in the world. I’d recommend it to grades 4-8, but a 3rd grader could read it without many issues.
Review by Allyson Rolfe, Granger Elementary Media Center
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 3-8
Sunny Side Up
By Jennifer & Matthew Holm
Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic
216 pages
Release Date: August 25, 2015
Thanks for the review.
This book is up for one of best books under graphic novels for the Beehive awards. Our school counselor thought this would be a good tool for children with challenges at home. Thanks for the review.