A summer at a Florida retirement home sounds like a snooze, but Sunny is hiding a family secret that is anything but boring.
Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, the creators of the popular Babymouse series, bring us a realistic graphic novel series that feels like a personal memoir. In the first book, Sunny Side Up, young Sunny Lewin is sent to Florida to spend the summer of 1976 with her grandfather in a retirement community. She is one of the only kids there until she meets Buzz, a boy who is obsessed with comic books. While the Florida scenes seem quiet, flashbacks slowly reveal that Sunny’s family is in turmoil because of her older brother’s substance use. There are currently five books in this series for students to enjoy.
This series is a great find for students who find long novels overwhelming or those who are still developing their English skills. The dialogue is mostly made of short, simple sentences that are easy to follow. Matthew Holm’s clean, colorful illustrations do a lot of the work, showing character emotions and historical details that help visual learners track the plot. Because the art style and the main cast stay the same across every book, readers don’t have to struggle to figure out a new world with each new volume. This consistency helps kids feel more comfortable as they move through the story and onto the next book. You could easily use this book in class to discuss 1970s history or as a way to talk about the impact of family struggles in a way that feels safe and age-appropriate.
Total Books in Series: 5 Best Starting Point: Sunny Side Up
