Sunny Sweet Is So Not Sorry

Sunny Sweet #1

by Jennifer Ann Mann, J. Albert Mann

We’ve all woken up on the wrong side of the bed. But have you ever woken up stuck to the bed? Masha Sweet has. And there’s only one possible reason: her little sister Sunny. Masha is used to Sunny’s evil genius ways, but the glue Sunny used to secure a bouquet of plastic daisies to Masha’s head is not coming out! The girls have to stay home from school and through a bizarre turn of events, they wind up at the hospital. It’s the perfect place to fix Masha’s head…but first they will (almost) contract a (not so) killer virus, steal a cast, and lead the nurses on a wild goose chase. When this is all over, Sunny Sweet is going to be so sorry!

Genres: Middle Grade, Family, Realistic Fiction, Chapter Books, Childrens, Juvenile

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2013

Reviews

[Running · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved the relationship between Masha and Sunny because even though they were terrible to one another, they really did love each other. I also loved that this book is now going to be a series, and that they are going to be even more stories where Sunny is awful to Masha but tries to make it right in the end. I think that this is a super cute and quick read, and is great for any one with siblings boy or girl.

There were so many great characters in this book and a lot of lessons for the young readers to enjoy. I'm looking forward to what sort of trouble Masha and Sunny will be getting into next.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sunny Sweet Is So Not Sorry is a funny and endearing addition to middle grade literature. Kids (especially older siblings) will be able to relate to poor Masha, an earnest, appealing protagonist stuck with a crazy cute, evil genius little sister. Readers will cringe with Masha as adults fall for Sunny's charm, and let her get away with everything. It's a big sister's worst nightmare! Mann manages to combine reality fiction, reminiscent of Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary with some preposterous twists and turns, a la Lemony Snicket. It's a little over-the-top, but that's what makes it so appealing. What's most impressive is the author's ability to weave in - with grace and humor - divorced parents, elderly neighbors with health issues, a first crush, and even a children's ward in a hospital. It's quite a feat to combine all that with levity and humor. My only word of caution is that the cover art and book length can skew younger than the recommended 8-12 age group, and parents need to know that some of the kids in the hospital have very real illnesses (Cancer and Spina Bifida to name two) that might need to be explained or discussed with younger readers who may not be ready for these concepts.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sunny Sweet Is So Not Sorry by Jennifer Ann Mann (www.valeriemarchini.blogspot.com)

Masha never worried about going to bed with an evil genius living in the same house, AKA her younger sister, Sonny, until she woke up one morning with plastic flowers glued to her head.

Sonny is a sweet, innocent, curious child who just happens to be a brilliant, budding scientist. And what would a scientist be without experiments? And every experiment needs a guinea pig or in this case, her older sister, Masha.

But Masha is tired of being a science experiment. What she’d like is for people to remember her name. She is Masha, not Marsha. It’s hard enough being the new girl in school and showing up with a bouquet of flowers cemented to the top of her head will not make it any easier. Sunny will be so sorry for what she did!

As they look for ways to loosen the glue, Masha’s day goes from bad to worse. She quickly ends up bruised with a black eye, a not-so-busted arm with an orange cast and open cuts on her head. By the time their zany adventure is over, Sonny will have been lost several times sending Masha on a hunt for her while evading the people looking for Masha.

Sunny Sweet Is So Not Sorry by Jennifer Ann Mann is a funny and charming story of two sisters and their adventure that ends with a better understanding between them. But don’t relax just yet, Masha, Sonny is so not done with her human experiments!

[Chelsea Pitcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so sweet! (No pun intended, okay?) Very light and funny at times, but definitely more serious toward the middle. I loved the juxtaposition of humor and depth. Readers will be laughing all the way through, but they'll also be able to identify with Masha's deeper feelings about her parents' divorce, her family's recent move, and fitting in at school.

There were so many things to love about this book, and I especially enjoyed Masha's relationship with Alice. The story deals with compassion and empathy without being preachy, and I loved witnessing Masha's growth throughout the course of the novel.

And Sunny! Sunny was so cute, yet so mischievous. I could see why Masha was often infuriated with her, but at the same time, I definitely understood why the adults were so charmed by her. And I loved the way both characters grew from their experiences. Very sweet and believable.

Fantastic story!

[Crystalee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer Mann’s debut middle grade novel is a fun introduction to Masha Sweet and her sister, Sunny. Sunny is a child genius, much to the horror of her older sister, Masha. Masha is usually the victim of Sunny’s experiments, which Sunny always seems to get away with. This time, Sunny has gone too far by using a super-strength glue to affix flowers into Masha’s hair. A hilarious series of events follows.
Masha has a unique voice for a middle schooler, and one that makes the reader feel both her love and disdain for her little sister. Middle school readers will likely enjoy the crazy adventure the sisters go on at the hospital, although as an adult I found myself wondering about how realistic certain events really were.

This was a quick read, and I think most pre-teen girls would love it. There was also a little bit of age-appropriate romance, and this issues of divorce and fitting in with peers were touched on. This should be a fun series to follow in the coming years.

[Heather Demetrios · Rating 5 out of 5]

The voice is so strong—Jen walks this sweet line in middle grade between innocence and emerging maturity. Her protagonist, Masha, isn’t a syrupy sweet little girl: she’s got lots of attitude and a rich interior life. I love her little sister, Sunny—she kind of reminds me of Emma Jean Lazarus from Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree. She’s hilarious with her spot-on comic timing, but what’s best is her insatiable curiosity and how much she interacts with her environment. Jen does a great job of balance here, too: though Sunny is a genius, she’s also at times a vulnerable little girl. No stock characters here! I love the occasional zany bits, but again, that sense of balance with the budding friendship between Masha and one of the ill children at the hospital keeps it emotionally resonant.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book thinking it would be a cute story to read in my spare time, but the novel was much more than that. There was humor, emotion, and depth to the plot and the characters. I was laughing throughout it, but I also felt myself seeing the underlying love that was felt between the two sisters. This is a must read for anyone. I am eager for the next one to come out! I am in love with the crazy shenanigans of Marsha and Sunny Sweet. JUST KIDDING! I would never forget the absence of an r in Masha's name.

[Jen Jenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a GoodReads 1st Reads.

I absolutely LOVED Sunny Sweet is So Not Sorry! Absolutely loved it! :) It was so fun and engaging. I laughed, I mean really laughed hard on nearly every page! The writing was great, the pace, rhythm, and story were simply fantastic! I'm now a big fan of Jennifer Ann Mann, and can't wait to read her other work! Thank you 1st Reads! I love this program and love being introduced to new fabulous people and adventures. Highly recommend, to children of all ages.

Finished 19 December 2013

[Nicole McInnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with lots of great moments between the main character, Masha, and her too-smart-for-her-own-good little sister, Sunny, this book follows the girls' through one very adventurous day. Masha faces scary situations, meets new people and gains new insight into life with her hardworking, single mother. All of this is handled deftly and realistically by Jennifer Mann. I can't wait to read the next book!

[Elissa Schaeffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Masha believes her younger sister, Sunny, is an evil genius. The genius part is true and Sunny certainly loves to cause chaos and problems for Masha!

Masha is an 11-year-old struggling to find her place in a world with a genius sister everyone notices and loves, despite her precociousness and uncanny ability to annoy her sister to anger. She believes she's the only one who sees Sunny for the evil genius that she really is. Add to that a new home and school with her recently divorced mom, and Masha just wants things to be normal. She wants rules to be followed, to find a friend, and for Sunny to stay out of her hair. Literally. Because she wakes up with plastic flowers stuck to her head, courtesy of the evil genius little sister. And so begins the most un-Masha-like day that she's ever had.

There is so much to like about this book. I really liked Masha, and I was appropriately annoyed by Sunny and frustrated by everyone's reactions to her. But in the course of this one day, everything that could possibly (outrageously) happen, did happen. You think that nothing can get worse and then suddenly something even worse happens. And it keeps piling up. While Masha struggles to try to keep some sense of order, she ends up having the most eye-opening and character-developing day.

Easily recommended, ages 8 and up. I look forward to more.

[Dena McMurdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is SUPER cute. I read it to my girls and they loved it. My oldest said that she wished there was a movie about Sunny and Masha Sweet!

Masha is an adorable character that has to put up with and suffer through the "experiments" of her evil genius of a younger sister. There were several times throughout the book that I laughed out loud. Sunny keeps making life more and more miserable for poor Masha, yet Masha proves to be a worthwhile role model as she continues to forgive and express love for her sister.

I would gladly recommend this book to young boys and girls. It shows the ups and downs involved with having a sibling, while making you smile through the whole ordeal. And, it also made me grateful that I did NOT have a sibling like Sunny, because I know I wouldn't have been as forgiving as Masha.

Illustrations: There are approximately 2-3 black and white illustrations per chapter. They give just enough to enhance the story without being too distracting. It's also nice for younger readers to have a visual aid.

My blog: Books for Kids

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siblings are often difficult, especially when the younger sibling is a know-it-all. In this case, that sibling Sunny is actually a genius, which seems to give her complete freedom to do horribly destructive things that have disastrous results for her older sister. I was so completely annoyed by this younger sister, which as I reflect is a good sign for the writer. I think I was more annoyed by the praise and permission granted Sunny from grownups. A good ending with hints of more annoyances and conflicts in the future.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun new series with Masha and her intellectually gifted and super-precocious little sister. Will be getting it for my 4th graders.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

One morning, Masha wakes up to discover that her younger sister, Sunny, a true evil genius, has permanently glued a bouquet of plastic flowers to her hair. When her mother discovers that they can't easily remove the flowers, Masha is allowed to stay home from school, but it's not long before her elderly next door neighbor has an accident. Masha and Sunny wind up following their neighbor to the emergency room, where a series of unlikely events leads to a madcap adventure involving a case of mistaken identity, an infectious disease, and a doctor who wants to shave Masha's head!

For kids with a zany sense of humor, Sunny Sweet is So Not Sorry will be a real treat. From beginning to end, this book is unpredictable, with silly surprises lurking in every chapter. Girls who have pesky younger siblings will relate all too well to Masha's frustrations with Sunny's mischievous behavior, but they might also appreciate their own sisters that much more when they realize how much worse their situations could be! Most of what happens in this book is over the top and totally impossible, especially the scenes of borderline medical malpractice that take place at the hospital, but for kids who like good escapist fiction this won't be a problem. This story is pure tween entertainment from beginning to end, and readers won't be satisfied until they come to the end of the girls' adventure and discover how things are made right.

Though the reading level of this book makes me classify it as middle grade, I think it would make a great read-aloud for younger kids as well. Most kids don't behave like Sunny, but she is so much fun to watch in action! In fact, Sunny reminds me a lot of Judy Blume's Fudge, another troublesome younger sibling in middle grade fiction who appeals to kids of all ages – even adults! Sunny Sweet is So Not Sorry was not necessarily my cup of tea, as I tend to have trouble suspending my disbelief, but I have a feeling young readers will eagerly open their imaginations to these characters and the events of their crazy day.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Masha wakes up one morning with plastic flowers stuck to her head. Turns out her little sister glued them on during the night. Sunny is a genius and thought the flowers would help Masha make friends. After repeated attempts at home (washing, peanut butter, freezing) to remove the flowers mom gives up. Masha is allowed to stay home from school until they figure something out. Soon after mom and Sunny leave, Masha hears a racket and finds her neighbor collapsed in the street. She calls an ambulance which takes Mrs. Song, Masha and a newly arrived Sunny to the hospital. A comedy of errors then takes place as Masha and Sunny might have caught whooping cough, Masha gets a cast on her arm in a case of mistaken identity, and various hospital personnel try to remove Masha's flowers all the while calling her Marsha. Genius sunny becomes a mini-doctor during their stay in the hospital, always offering Masha advice and annoying her to no end.

I found this book charming and fun. I really enjoyed the relationship between Masha and Sunny. You could feel the sisterness of it. They love each other, but they really can't stand each other at times. Having two sisters myself I knew exactly what was happening. Masha's experience was a bit extreme, but it made for a good story. I especially enjoyed the ending when their true feelings for each other came out. I think this is a fun book that kids will enjoy.

[David Fulk · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's something every older sibling can relate to--the annoying little sister/brother who seems to get away with everything. As a middle child who has been both the annoyer and the annoyee, I totally get the relationship between put-upon Masha and irascible genius Sunny as they repeatedly butt heads--but, when all is said and done, have a sisterly bond that transcends all.

Jen Mann writes with great wit, invention, and charm, keeping us laughing at the girls' misadventures and guessing at what unlikely scrape Sunny could possibly get Masha into next. There's a lot of heart too, giving the story just right mix of humor and relatability.

Happily for middle-grade readers, there are two more installments of the Sunny-Masha saga that follow. A "sweet" ride!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, humorous story about two sisters: Sunny, a 6 year old genius, and Masha, her older sister. When Masha wakes up with a head full of plastic flowers stuck to her head, she knows who to blame. The evil doings of Sunny have set off a series of events that lead the girls to the hospital. While there, Masha makes a few friends, Sunny realizes that not all good intentions are good, and both realize that sometimes it is good to have a sister on your side.

Great story for those students who like realistic fiction with a fun twist as well as fans of Ramona and Clementine.

*Won this copy from a Nerdy Book Club give away.

[Erica]

Like Beezus and Ramona for a new generation (for example, Sunny keeps calling her sister's cell phone to annoy her.) Much like Beezus and Ramona, I of course sided with the older sister and worked myself into a fury at the younger sister. Anyone who was ever tortured by a younger sibling (or is currently being tortured, since this is middle grade!) will appreciate this.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sunny Sweet Is So Not Sorry is smart, funny, inventive, and consistently surprising. Just when I thought I knew where it was going, the book would take a completely different turn. The characters are appealing, and there's a terrific blend of total wackiness and heart. I can't wait to read more of the sisters' adventures.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an "oh my goodness, I can't believe that happened" tale about annoying little sisters. It will appeal to those who like junie b. jones, ivy + bean, and clementine and give them a look at the older sister's perspective. This was a really fun if a little bit unbelievable read.

[Nancy Cavanaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a fun story! This is a great start to a series that readers will love! I can't wait for Sunny Sweet's next caper.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was HILARIOUS! The voice was incredible, and the dynamic between the normal sister and the evil genius little sister kept me flying through the pages. Kids are going to eat this book up.

[Ely]

I have heard good things about this book.

[Michael Bugg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at the local library while browsing for books to read with my kids. (I say this because sooner or later my friends are going to start questioning my reading habits.) I did not expect to find myself turning the last page, still at the library, a little over two hours later.

Masha (not Marsha!) Sweet wakes up in the opening pages to find out that her "evil genius" little sister, the titular Sunny Sweet, has glued flowers to her hair. A minor inconvenience to most, but Sunny actually made the glue herself and it isn't coming out as Elmer's would. Unable to extract the flowers before having to go to work, Masha and Sunny's newly single mother lets them stay at home until they can figure out how to get the flowers out of Masha's hair. Not long later, their neighbor has an accident on her bicycle, and Masha and Sunny end up riding along in the ambulance to the hospital, where most of the story takes place and where Masha makes her first real friend since moving.

From an adult's perspective, there are elements that are just completely unrealistic. Masha manages to get mistaken for another patient and get a cast for her not-broken arm, for example. On the other hand, Masha's character is so genuinely real and likable--even when she's wrong--that you're willing to go along with it. She's eleven; of course she thinks getting a cast is the coolest thing and doesn't bother correcting the doctor! Her frustrations that her sister never seems to get called out on her behavior is one that every older sibling gets. Her little quirks, like always noticing how people smell, are written in with a rare deftness in a kid's novel. And her dialogue, both inner and outer, feels completely genuine for her age.

If the novel has one flaw, it's that despite a touching scene in the last act where Sunny finally realizes just how badly she messed up, the final chapter (an obvious lead-in for the next book) just seems to reverse that character development entirely for the sake of comedy. Even so, the possibly tacked-on ending hardly diminishes the rest of the novel.

Hopefully, I can find this book again in a few years when my youngest daughter is ready for it. In the meantime, I highly recommend it to any young ladies of up to the tween years.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An event filled day starts with little sister Sunny gluing plastic flowers to her sister's head while she sleeps. Unable to remove the flowers, their mom lets Masha stay home from school until they can figure something out later that night.

That's when a convoluted string of silliness (and unrealistic) things happen. This is the book for those young readers who like bratty, obnoxious little siblings who clueless adults think are adorable.

[West Hartford Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Review provided by teen volunteer, Abby.] 4 Stars - The start of the book was a little slow and boring, But once I started getting into the book more it got really good. Like once they got to the hospital it was really good. I recommend it to anyone with a little sibling.

[TINA ALEXANDER · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sunny is a evil genius she will create a robot then a army of robots in a snap😆😆😆☺☺☺😊😊😊

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that Sunny Sweet is a good book for people aged 8-10. The book was great for those who want to read a funny, hooking, fictional book that makes you feel like you are a character. I read this book because my sister really enjoyed it, she literally couldn't take her eyes off it and neither could. I would reccomend this book people who wouldn't mind a bit of prediction. Thank you for reading y review. Hope you enjoy the book if you read it!

[Anne Graue · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first in the Sunny Sweet series of books by Jennifer Ann Mann introduces readers to the voice of Masha, an 11-year-old girl with an incorrigible genius sister. Their relationship is in some ways a typical sister relationship and in other ways so unique. Mann is no stranger to sister relationships, growing up with three herself, and her knowledge of the intricacies of how sisters relate, share, and speak to one another is the foundation for this series that explores these sisters, Masha and Sunny, through antics, aggravation, and affection. As an adult reader, I read the books with enthusiasm, as a sister myself and a mom of sisters who may not always get along but who know the bonds are there that remain always. Once you have finished the first in the series, you will not want to say goodbye to Masha and Sunny, but you don't really have to, at least for a few more books.

[Dawn Moews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book for intermediate readers is enjoyable and, I think, a good book to offer to these readers. Sunny Sweet is an interesting, albeit not very believable, character. Her sister Masha is one that every older sibling will most likely be able to identify with--especially those who are 4 or more years older than their younger siblings.

The plot was fun and believable--if not realistic. The characters were engaging. I definitely enjoyed reading it, and stayed up much too late to finish it once I started it. I definitely think this would be a fun book for a class read aloud.
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