by Jennifer L. Holm
Sunny Side Up is a graphic novel, but be forwarned that this book is not for young children. Although the story begins innocent enough, young Sunny is sent to her Grandfather for the Summer. Sunny is very upset, about the change in her summer plans. Normally, her family travels to a lake for part of the summer and she had invited her friend to go with the family. Something happens with an older sibling that forces her parents to send Sunny to Florida. Sunny is not happy living in a retirement home with her Grandfather, there are no other children, and his idea of big plans is going to the post office, not a trip to Disneyworld.
Eventually, Sunny meets the landscapers son and he introduces her to the wonder of comic books. Sunny quickly becomes infatuated with the high drama of superheroes. Sunny and her new friend end up saving several cats, which enables them to buy more comic books. They even aid in locating a missing resident. This friendship leads to Sunny being invited to dinner and her discovering that the landscaper is really a Cuban Chemist, that can not work in his field due to foreign paperwork. The story comes to a head when Sunny discovers the real reason why she was sent to Florida, and she makes her Grandfather give up hiding and smoking his cigarettes. Just before Sunny is to return home her Grandfather takes Sunny to a horrible tourist trap, DisneyWorld. Sunny returns home, a little more understanding and with a love of comic books.
I think that this book would be a very good read for many students 4th grade and higher. There is some adult content, in reference to the older sibling that needs help. I did not expect the subtlety and the responsible method in which sensitive material was shown. I was actually very pleasantly surprised with the content and enjoyed this story a lot. This is a fairly easy and quick read, I would give this book a rating of 5 stars.
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