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Sunshine
Set in the northern Minnesota wilderness, a timeless novel about a boy and his imaginary dog explores the legacy of guilt and blame--and what really constitutes a family. Newbery Honoree Marion Dane Bauer evokes the "summer that changed everything" in the life of a boy growing up without a mother. Since as far back as Ben can remember, it's been him, his devoted dad, and Sunshine--Ben's little dog, who rarely leaves Ben's side. It was Mom who did the leaving, and Ben's about to spend a whole week with his suddenly present mother in the wilds of northern Minnesota. On the remote island she calls home, Ben will learn to canoe, weather the elements, and weigh a burning when will she come back to where she belongs? A must-read for dog lovers, children of divorce, and the imaginative and outdoorsy, Sunshine is a poignant, ultimately hopeful story about self-discovery, facing big realities, and finally, forgiving the things--and people--you can't forget.
188 pages, Library Binding
First published May 18, 2021
9 people are currently reading
313 people want to read
About the author
Marion Dane Bauer
173 books186 followersMarion Dane Bauer is the author of more than one hundred books for young people, ranging from novelty and picture books through early readers, both fiction and nonfiction, books on writing, and middle-grade and young-adult novels. She has won numerous awards, including several Minnesota Book Awards, a Jane Addams Peace Association Award for RAIN OF FIRE, an American Library Association Newbery Honor Award for ON MY HONOR, a number of state children's choice awards and the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota for the body of her work.
She is also the editor of and a contributor to the ground-breaking collection of gay and lesbian short stories, Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence.
Marion was one of the founding faculty and the first Faculty Chair for the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her writing guide, the American Library Association Notable WHAT'S YOUR STORY? A YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO WRITING FICTION, is used by writers of all ages. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen different languages.
She has six grandchildren and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her partner and a cavalier King Charles spaniel, Dawn.
-------------------------------------
INTERVIEW WITH MARION DANE BAUER
-------------------------------------
Q. What brought you to a career as a writer?
A. I seem to have been born with my head full of stories. For almost as far back as I can remember, I used most of my unoccupied moments--even in school when I was supposed to be doing other "more important" things--to make up stories in my head. I sometimes got a notation on my report card that said, "Marion dreams." It was not a compliment. But while the stories I wove occupied my mind in a very satisfying way, they were so complex that I never thought of trying to write them down. I wouldn't have known where to begin. So though I did all kinds of writing through my teen and early adult years--letters, journals, essays, poetry--I didn't begin to gather the craft I needed to write stories until I was in my early thirties. That was also when my last excuse for not taking the time to sit down to do the writing I'd so long wanted to do started first grade.
Q. And why write for young people?
A. Because I get my creative energy in examining young lives, young issues. Most people, when they enter adulthood, leave childhood behind, by which I mean that they forget most of what they know about themselves as children. Of course, the ghosts of childhood still inhabit them, but they deal with them in other forms--problems with parental authority turn into problems with bosses, for instance--and don't keep reaching back to the original source to try to fix it, to make everything come out differently than it did the first time. Most children's writers, I suspect, are fixers. We return, again and again, usually under the cover of made-up characters, to work things through. I don't know that our childhoods are necessarily more painful than most. Every childhood has pain it, because life has pain in it at every stage. The difference is that we are compelled to keep returning to the source.
Q. You write for a wide range of ages. Do you write from a different place in writing for preschoolers than for young adolescents?
A. In a picture book or board book, I'm always writing from the womb of the family, a place that--while it might be intruded upon by fears, for instance--is still, ultimately, safe and nurturing. That's what my own early childhood was like, so it's easy for me to return to those feelings and to recreate them.
When I write for older readers, I'm writing from a very different experience. My early adolescence, especially, was a time of deep alienation, mostly from my peers but in some ways from my family as well. And so I write my older stories out of that pain, that longing for connection. A story has to have a problem at its core. No struggle
She is also the editor of and a contributor to the ground-breaking collection of gay and lesbian short stories, Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence.
Marion was one of the founding faculty and the first Faculty Chair for the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her writing guide, the American Library Association Notable WHAT'S YOUR STORY? A YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO WRITING FICTION, is used by writers of all ages. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen different languages.
She has six grandchildren and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her partner and a cavalier King Charles spaniel, Dawn.
-------------------------------------
INTERVIEW WITH MARION DANE BAUER
-------------------------------------
Q. What brought you to a career as a writer?
A. I seem to have been born with my head full of stories. For almost as far back as I can remember, I used most of my unoccupied moments--even in school when I was supposed to be doing other "more important" things--to make up stories in my head. I sometimes got a notation on my report card that said, "Marion dreams." It was not a compliment. But while the stories I wove occupied my mind in a very satisfying way, they were so complex that I never thought of trying to write them down. I wouldn't have known where to begin. So though I did all kinds of writing through my teen and early adult years--letters, journals, essays, poetry--I didn't begin to gather the craft I needed to write stories until I was in my early thirties. That was also when my last excuse for not taking the time to sit down to do the writing I'd so long wanted to do started first grade.
Q. And why write for young people?
A. Because I get my creative energy in examining young lives, young issues. Most people, when they enter adulthood, leave childhood behind, by which I mean that they forget most of what they know about themselves as children. Of course, the ghosts of childhood still inhabit them, but they deal with them in other forms--problems with parental authority turn into problems with bosses, for instance--and don't keep reaching back to the original source to try to fix it, to make everything come out differently than it did the first time. Most children's writers, I suspect, are fixers. We return, again and again, usually under the cover of made-up characters, to work things through. I don't know that our childhoods are necessarily more painful than most. Every childhood has pain it, because life has pain in it at every stage. The difference is that we are compelled to keep returning to the source.
Q. You write for a wide range of ages. Do you write from a different place in writing for preschoolers than for young adolescents?
A. In a picture book or board book, I'm always writing from the womb of the family, a place that--while it might be intruded upon by fears, for instance--is still, ultimately, safe and nurturing. That's what my own early childhood was like, so it's easy for me to return to those feelings and to recreate them.
When I write for older readers, I'm writing from a very different experience. My early adolescence, especially, was a time of deep alienation, mostly from my peers but in some ways from my family as well. And so I write my older stories out of that pain, that longing for connection. A story has to have a problem at its core. No struggle
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
April 2, 2021
Ben has been living with his single dad and an imaginary dog named Sunshine ever since his mom left the family when Ben was very young. This summer, though, Ben has been invited to visit his mom on the secluded island where she lives, and he is determined to get some answers. He also believes that if he is appealing enough, she will want to return to their family home and pick up where they left off.
This review contains spoilers because it's the only way I can explain what is wrong with the book.
This book rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning. To me, Ben is obviously a character with a lot of psychological trauma associated with his mom leaving home, and his imaginary dog is a very sad and somewhat creepy manifestation of that trauma. Neither of his parents seem to care about the deeper issues underlying the fact that their son speaks to, pets, and even feeds an animal everyone knows is not there. His dad is disapproving, and his mom is overly accommodating, but no one is taking a healthy approach to dealing with what is very obviously a deep pain in this boy's life.
I also nearly flew into a blind rage when I heard that the mother, a victim of physical abuse herself, lost her temper with her preschooler once, and immediately walked out on the family never to return as a means of keeping her son safe. The author clearly wants me to view this woman as a hero, but the character doesn't strike me that way at all. There were plenty of ways she could have dealt with her brief instinct to hit her child, and to say that abandoning her son, who then develops a hallucination as a coping mechanism, was the right thing to do is appalling.
I'm honestly not sure why the world needs this book. The writing is fine, but the idea that this kid accepts his mother's explanation and immediately forgives her is troubling, as is the ending where the imaginary dog goes to live with the mother until Ben comes back next year. I left the story feeling as though no one learned anything and the mother was absolved of her wrongdoing without even apologizing for the right thing. I thought I was reading a book about a boy who would face the questions of his past and move forward for himself. Instead, it wound up that Ben's mother keeps his weird doggie delusion going and apparently gets to continue to live without the responsibility of caring for her child even now that she can clearly be trusted to look after him without beating him up. And Ben has learned to feel good about his mom leaving him because it was actually heroic. There are too many mental gymnastics involved in trying to make sense of how this is a happy ending.
Candlewick provided me with an ARC of Sunshine, which comes out May 18, 2021. I chose to read it based on the author, but in the end, it was just not the book for me or my family. Your mileage may vary, but, especially if you are a mom, probably not by much.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
This review contains spoilers because it's the only way I can explain what is wrong with the book.
This book rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning. To me, Ben is obviously a character with a lot of psychological trauma associated with his mom leaving home, and his imaginary dog is a very sad and somewhat creepy manifestation of that trauma. Neither of his parents seem to care about the deeper issues underlying the fact that their son speaks to, pets, and even feeds an animal everyone knows is not there. His dad is disapproving, and his mom is overly accommodating, but no one is taking a healthy approach to dealing with what is very obviously a deep pain in this boy's life.
I also nearly flew into a blind rage when I heard that the mother, a victim of physical abuse herself, lost her temper with her preschooler once, and immediately walked out on the family never to return as a means of keeping her son safe. The author clearly wants me to view this woman as a hero, but the character doesn't strike me that way at all. There were plenty of ways she could have dealt with her brief instinct to hit her child, and to say that abandoning her son, who then develops a hallucination as a coping mechanism, was the right thing to do is appalling.
I'm honestly not sure why the world needs this book. The writing is fine, but the idea that this kid accepts his mother's explanation and immediately forgives her is troubling, as is the ending where the imaginary dog goes to live with the mother until Ben comes back next year. I left the story feeling as though no one learned anything and the mother was absolved of her wrongdoing without even apologizing for the right thing. I thought I was reading a book about a boy who would face the questions of his past and move forward for himself. Instead, it wound up that Ben's mother keeps his weird doggie delusion going and apparently gets to continue to live without the responsibility of caring for her child even now that she can clearly be trusted to look after him without beating him up. And Ben has learned to feel good about his mom leaving him because it was actually heroic. There are too many mental gymnastics involved in trying to make sense of how this is a happy ending.
Candlewick provided me with an ARC of Sunshine, which comes out May 18, 2021. I chose to read it based on the author, but in the end, it was just not the book for me or my family. Your mileage may vary, but, especially if you are a mom, probably not by much.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2021
I'd like to thank Candlewick for the arc of Sunshine! Honestly, I don't remember if I won it because it just showed up in the mail one day. Regardless of where it came from, This wonderful little read ignited my heart and evoked some long-buried feelings about what it's like being a child and being abandoned by a parent. In this book, Ben's mother left when he was only three-years-old, to live in the woods. He never understood why and he tends those feelings by imagining he has a dog named Sunshine. Sunshine gets him through the tough spots in his life; she's a constant when all the things around seem to be coming and going. One summer, his mother invites him to stay with her for a week.
Marion Dane Bauer invokes some fierce emotions with this book. She tackles some heavy-hitting subjects that nearly broke my heart. Underneath all the fears and the hurt lies a family that has been broken-a family determined to break the cycle of abuse even if it means having to stay away from each other. It's sad and hopeful. This beautiful story will stay with me for a long time to come.
Marion Dane Bauer invokes some fierce emotions with this book. She tackles some heavy-hitting subjects that nearly broke my heart. Underneath all the fears and the hurt lies a family that has been broken-a family determined to break the cycle of abuse even if it means having to stay away from each other. It's sad and hopeful. This beautiful story will stay with me for a long time to come.
January 29, 2022
A dad
A young boy
A mum
Sunshine……who is a constant someone/something in everyone’s life
Finding answers
Healing
New beginnings
Marion has written this novel with someone in mind!
A young boy
A mum
Sunshine……who is a constant someone/something in everyone’s life
Finding answers
Healing
New beginnings
Marion has written this novel with someone in mind!
September 21, 2021
What a sweet middle-grade book about family trauma, forgiveness, and healing. Ben wants to spend a week with his mother at her remote wilderness cabin on an island in northern Minnesota, to finally get to know her and hopefully convince her to come back to live with him and his father. She left them when Ben was three years old, to be raised by his single dad, and Ben has always felt guilty that something he did (that he can't remember) caused her to leave him and never return. He has coped with his anxieties and fears (his "what ifs") with the support of an imaginary dog named Sunshine, who is always with him and comforts him, even though his dad says he's way too old to still have an imaginary friend. Now, on the island, he's going to learn both physical and mental survival skills. He finally finds out why his mother left, and both of them must learn to forgive. The storyline with the dog is particularly poignant, and I'd almost say this is magical realism because of the way the dog appears at significant times to aid Ben; even knowing it's just an aspect of his subconscious, you start to think there's really a dog there!
August 4, 2021
Ben is about to spend a week with his mother who had abandoned him seven or eight years prior to live on an island by herself. Ben also has an imaginary pet that is starting to bother his father since he’s an older kid now. Ben’s plan is to go to the island to visit his mom and be so good, that his mother will come back and live with them. So, the book goes on to its inevitable end of that not happening with only a medium explanation for the whole thing. Told from Ben’s perspective so the whole talking to and petting the dog he says he knows isn’t there made me extra uncomfortable. I’m clearly not the reader for this book.
October 2, 2021
While this book was beautifully written, I wonder what age reader would enjoy it. Initially it seems written for an audience young enough to not immediately grasp that Sunshine is imaginary - like this is supposed to be a reveal 40 pages in. But I don’t think an reader young enough to be fooled by the opening would be able to engage fully with the complexity of the trauma based story that unfolds. As a parent, this was a tough read, as neither of Ben’s parents seem to be addressing his mental health needs adequately.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2023
Short, but deep book about a boy who visits his mom who left him and his dad when he was only 3yrs old. Sunshine is a pretend dog he has created to help him cope with life's events. A story of forgiveness, growing up, and realizing just how difficult it is to be a parent and a child sometimes.
Read
April 16, 2022Trigger & Content Warnings:
Parental abandonment
Physical child abuse recounted
Forest fire
Parental abandonment
Physical child abuse recounted
Forest fire
May 21, 2024
Lola and I read this together. It was well written, but SO sad!!
July 17, 2021
Wonderful book! The characters are so deeply developed in this short novel. I really think young readers will love this story about a boy and his dog.
August 26, 2022
It’s a sweet, kind of strange little book. I feel like it had the potential to be perfect and heartbreaking and wonderful like one of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s books, but it missed the mark. I couldn’t tell if Ben was 6 or 12, depending on various situations, and the fact that he would put himself in danger for an imaginary dog seemed far fetched to me. But overall a fine, quick read.
January 10, 2022
Ben is on his way to see his mother in the middle of nowhere. Actually, she lives on in a cabin on an island in northern Minnesota. Ben hasn't seen her since the day she left when he was 3. Ben is a worrier, but he has his dog Sunshine to help him with that. At first seeing his mom again is okay. She shows him how to canoe and some of the wonders of nature. Ben's feelings get all twisted inside of him and he decides to take his mother's canoe and go exploring on his own with some unintended consequences and leading to the truth about why his mother decided to leave him. A believable story for the most part surrounding Ben's feelings and actions throughout the book. I had some issues with the use of Sunshine, but to say more would release spoilers. Recommended for readers 8 to 12 years-old who like outdoorsy/nature stories that deal with real feelings and that sometimes those feelings come out sideways for preteens.
January 23, 2023
I loved this heartfelt and psychologically-rich little novel about a Minnesota boy and his estranged mother, reconnecting in lake country.
October 1, 2021
This was an interesting book and with her descriptions, I could certainly envision the island in Northern MN...which I found hilarious since I have an island cabin up there. But the part with them going to look for the bear was upsetting to me. You don't go looking for a mama bear and sit and watch them. Geez, that's dangerous. So, yeah I wasn't all in favor of the book. It needed a warning there if this is for children. Yikes!
January 31, 2024
This is one of those books that adults think kids want, but honestly it's not even that appealing to adults.
I did like the setting of the North Woods and I wanted this to be more of a survival story.
I wasn't thrilled with the way the mom's abuse was thrown out there and not dealt with. Whole family definitely needed counseling.
I did like the setting of the North Woods and I wanted this to be more of a survival story.
I wasn't thrilled with the way the mom's abuse was thrown out there and not dealt with. Whole family definitely needed counseling.
February 26, 2024
I randomly picked this book out at the library when my kids were picking out books. The title sounded promising, but in truth, I wouldn't recommend this book. For me, there was no connection, no intrigued, but this might be an ok book for a younger reader. I truly did feel bad for the main character, but his mother didn't change. I would say look elsewhere before you pick this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2022
“I can’t think of much that’s more important than the stories we tell ourselves.“
What a great quote - just wish this would have been explored more.
Don’t really understand why her mom went to the island instead of going to get help.
What a great quote - just wish this would have been explored more.
Don’t really understand why her mom went to the island instead of going to get help.
May 6, 2021
Richie’s Picks: SUNSHINE by Marion Dane Bauer, Candlewick, May 2021, 208p., ISBN: 978-1-5362-1411-6
“I’m not crazy, I’m just a little unwell
I know, right now you can’t tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you’ll see
A different side of me”
-- Matchbox Twenty (2002)
“He props on one elbow to check for Sunshine. It’s the first thing he does every morning, look to see where she is. He knows she’s not real. Of course. She just lives in his mind. But still, when he looks he can always find her.
And there she is. Curled on a corner of the sleeping bag below his feet.
Ben pats the floor to call her closer. She opens one eye, considers his invitation, then lets her eye drift closed again.
Ben flops back down, astonished. His dog never disobeys him. Never!
But then, as if to let him know she was only teasing, Sunshine rises, pads toward him, and lies down again with a small grunt, half on, half off his pillow. She gives his ear a good-morning lick.
He sighs and turns toward her until her reddish-gold fur fills his whole vision. There’s never been a moment when he couldn’t count on her.”
Ever since he was three, and his mother left him and his father, Ben has counted on his imaginary dog, Sunshine. His father was happy to play along back then. But now Dad thinks Ben should have since outgrown the invisible dog routine.
SUNSHINE begins with Ben preparing to go stay with his mother for the first time since she left. She lives on her family’s ancestral island, on a lake in the middle of the northern Minnesota wilderness. No electricity. No wifi. An outhouse and an outside water hand pump. Mom arrives in a canoe to collect him for their week together.
“He closes his hand around a floppy ear. He can’t count the number of times he’s held an ear, warm and furry in his hand. When he was little, he used to hold it all night long while he slept.
It’s what drives his dad crazy, the way he ‘touches’ Sunshine. He says it’s taking imaginings too far.”
It turns out that Ben’s mother sees Sunshine positively, telling Ben that Sunshine is a guardian spirit, a companion, a daemon. So begins the event-filled week of mutual discovery shared by a boy and his long-lost mother. The mother to whom, Ben hopes, he can sufficiently endear himself so she will magically come back home to live with him and Dad.
SUNSHINE is intense and thrilling. I’ll keep it short, so as not to give away too much. Why Ben’s mother left her husband and small child to go live alone on the island is a mystery to be resolved. I sat and read through to the last page, eager to find out how mother and child will react to each other, and wanting to understand what happened that tore the family apart.
The psychological aspects of the story make this a better fit for upper elementary than for younger readers but this is one captivating read and a possible springboard for important discussions.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
https://twitter.com/richiespicks
richiepartington@gmail.com
“I’m not crazy, I’m just a little unwell
I know, right now you can’t tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you’ll see
A different side of me”
-- Matchbox Twenty (2002)
“He props on one elbow to check for Sunshine. It’s the first thing he does every morning, look to see where she is. He knows she’s not real. Of course. She just lives in his mind. But still, when he looks he can always find her.
And there she is. Curled on a corner of the sleeping bag below his feet.
Ben pats the floor to call her closer. She opens one eye, considers his invitation, then lets her eye drift closed again.
Ben flops back down, astonished. His dog never disobeys him. Never!
But then, as if to let him know she was only teasing, Sunshine rises, pads toward him, and lies down again with a small grunt, half on, half off his pillow. She gives his ear a good-morning lick.
He sighs and turns toward her until her reddish-gold fur fills his whole vision. There’s never been a moment when he couldn’t count on her.”
Ever since he was three, and his mother left him and his father, Ben has counted on his imaginary dog, Sunshine. His father was happy to play along back then. But now Dad thinks Ben should have since outgrown the invisible dog routine.
SUNSHINE begins with Ben preparing to go stay with his mother for the first time since she left. She lives on her family’s ancestral island, on a lake in the middle of the northern Minnesota wilderness. No electricity. No wifi. An outhouse and an outside water hand pump. Mom arrives in a canoe to collect him for their week together.
“He closes his hand around a floppy ear. He can’t count the number of times he’s held an ear, warm and furry in his hand. When he was little, he used to hold it all night long while he slept.
It’s what drives his dad crazy, the way he ‘touches’ Sunshine. He says it’s taking imaginings too far.”
It turns out that Ben’s mother sees Sunshine positively, telling Ben that Sunshine is a guardian spirit, a companion, a daemon. So begins the event-filled week of mutual discovery shared by a boy and his long-lost mother. The mother to whom, Ben hopes, he can sufficiently endear himself so she will magically come back home to live with him and Dad.
SUNSHINE is intense and thrilling. I’ll keep it short, so as not to give away too much. Why Ben’s mother left her husband and small child to go live alone on the island is a mystery to be resolved. I sat and read through to the last page, eager to find out how mother and child will react to each other, and wanting to understand what happened that tore the family apart.
The psychological aspects of the story make this a better fit for upper elementary than for younger readers but this is one captivating read and a possible springboard for important discussions.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
https://twitter.com/richiespicks
richiepartington@gmail.com
September 4, 2021
I really liked this book! First book of the year to make me sob-cry. It follows Ben who is 10 years old(?) and his imaginary dog named Sunshine. Ben lives with his dad in St. Paul and his mom left when he was 3 years old. He gets to visit her at her home on a remote island. She lives on this very isolated island in Minnesota--two hour canoe trip to the mainland, no electricity, no cell service, no running water. Ben has an idea to reunite his family by making his mom realize how good he is and that she wants to come back to live with them. Things don't go quite as planned.
I loved the writing! I felt very much part of the remote wilderness. But some things didn't quite sit well with me the more I thought about this book. Ben is 10 years old and seems a little old for imaginary friends. Although he knows Sunshine isn't real, he just behaves in a way that I don't get. For example, when his mom comes to pick Ben up in her canoe, she jumps onto the dock and Ben cries out because she almost lands on Sunshine. If Ben knows Sunshine isn't real why is he behaving that way. Also, why don't the parents try to help figure out what is going on with Ben and why he acts like Sunshine is so real that his mother could have hurt her when she landed near/on the dog. It just seems like at some point someone would have talked to Ben about the imaginary dog. There's also another scene where Ben and his mom go exploring and she takes him to a nearby uninhabited island in the lake to view a mama bear with her cubs. As they are watching the bears, Ben suddenly yells out. His mom is trying to keep him quiet. They are far enough away from the bears, but don't want to draw attention to themselves. Ben had yelled out because Sunshine ran towards the cubs!! Then Ben jumps off the boulder and yells and that's when the mama bear is coming right towards them While his mom scares off the bear who is now lumbering towards Ben, Ben runs back to the canoe leaving his mom behind. He thinks he's going to be in trouble, but his mom says it's her fault. She is used to the wildlife while he wouldn't be. Wait? What? They could have been killed!!! Now I get that her leaving the family while he was very young could be traumatic, but this is to the point that he needs help.
I don't want to give to much away because I really did like the writing so I'll just say that truths are revealed about why his mom left. I also think the author really captured the painful relationship between a child and a parent that leaves and has little to nothing to do with their child. The awkward conversations when they are reunited. The lack of connection to someone you feel you really should be connected to. Ugh, I want to say more but I also don't want to spoil it. I have such mixed feelings about this book!!
I loved the writing! I felt very much part of the remote wilderness. But some things didn't quite sit well with me the more I thought about this book. Ben is 10 years old and seems a little old for imaginary friends. Although he knows Sunshine isn't real, he just behaves in a way that I don't get. For example, when his mom comes to pick Ben up in her canoe, she jumps onto the dock and Ben cries out because she almost lands on Sunshine. If Ben knows Sunshine isn't real why is he behaving that way. Also, why don't the parents try to help figure out what is going on with Ben and why he acts like Sunshine is so real that his mother could have hurt her when she landed near/on the dog. It just seems like at some point someone would have talked to Ben about the imaginary dog. There's also another scene where Ben and his mom go exploring and she takes him to a nearby uninhabited island in the lake to view a mama bear with her cubs. As they are watching the bears, Ben suddenly yells out. His mom is trying to keep him quiet. They are far enough away from the bears, but don't want to draw attention to themselves. Ben had yelled out because Sunshine ran towards the cubs!! Then Ben jumps off the boulder and yells and that's when the mama bear is coming right towards them While his mom scares off the bear who is now lumbering towards Ben, Ben runs back to the canoe leaving his mom behind. He thinks he's going to be in trouble, but his mom says it's her fault. She is used to the wildlife while he wouldn't be. Wait? What? They could have been killed!!! Now I get that her leaving the family while he was very young could be traumatic, but this is to the point that he needs help.
I don't want to give to much away because I really did like the writing so I'll just say that truths are revealed about why his mom left. I also think the author really captured the painful relationship between a child and a parent that leaves and has little to nothing to do with their child. The awkward conversations when they are reunited. The lack of connection to someone you feel you really should be connected to. Ugh, I want to say more but I also don't want to spoil it. I have such mixed feelings about this book!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2024
My first one star review. I heavily disliked this book. This book never went anywhere. Never resolved anything. Before it began, it was over. The dog sunshine who is an imaginary friend, comes and goes and comes back, despite Ben the boy and his dad, not wanting Sunshine to be there. Ben deciding to send Sunshine away, but she comes back anyways, what's the point of resolving his inner conflicts by using his dog as a visual aid. I thought she wouldn't need to be there if he rekindled his relationship with his mom, but nope. Sunshine is still there. And I thought she was supposed to represent his mother. But the ending does somewhat make sense that he left Sunshine with his mom. It begs the question now, if he will see Sunshine upon returning to her cabin? That unfortunately we will never truly know! Because this book ends abruptly. The final act felt like a second act. It truly was a disappointment.
Ben is also an unlikeable character. He is extremely bratty, he says some pretty rude things, despite only being 3 when his mom left home and blaming her for not being there. Yet he so badly wanted her back in his life, constantly saying he "spoiled" his chance with his mom when he yells at her, takes her canoe without telling her, possibly even causing an island fire, and even saying stuff by the end that he wanted to hug her, but didn't. Like come on! I thought you wanted to bond, why are you like this?!?! He also suddenly blamed himself for her leaving, despite her saying she was the one he needed to stay away from in the previous chapter. Kid, did you not hear what your mom just said?
My partner's mom abandoned him when he was a child. However he remembers it since his mind was further developed than a 3 year olds. You wanna know what I remember from when I was 3? My grandma's house and two out of body experiences where I was looking at myself. Not conversations with grownups. Not actions. Just still shots in time. I truly think the author tried to make up a trauma relationship healing story without any healing being done. How would children even like the character of Ben? He doesn't have a personality other than I like dogs and being called a "what if" kid. The writing is beautiful, but the story is terrible. I read this year another parent abandonment book, same setting too with the woods and cabins. But that book drew several emotions out of me. This left me mad and only mad. Thankfully it was a short read.
1/5. I just can't recommend this book to anyone. Sad because the art on the cover is what drew me into picking this up.
Ben is also an unlikeable character. He is extremely bratty, he says some pretty rude things, despite only being 3 when his mom left home and blaming her for not being there. Yet he so badly wanted her back in his life, constantly saying he "spoiled" his chance with his mom when he yells at her, takes her canoe without telling her, possibly even causing an island fire, and even saying stuff by the end that he wanted to hug her, but didn't. Like come on! I thought you wanted to bond, why are you like this?!?! He also suddenly blamed himself for her leaving, despite her saying she was the one he needed to stay away from in the previous chapter. Kid, did you not hear what your mom just said?
My partner's mom abandoned him when he was a child. However he remembers it since his mind was further developed than a 3 year olds. You wanna know what I remember from when I was 3? My grandma's house and two out of body experiences where I was looking at myself. Not conversations with grownups. Not actions. Just still shots in time. I truly think the author tried to make up a trauma relationship healing story without any healing being done. How would children even like the character of Ben? He doesn't have a personality other than I like dogs and being called a "what if" kid. The writing is beautiful, but the story is terrible. I read this year another parent abandonment book, same setting too with the woods and cabins. But that book drew several emotions out of me. This left me mad and only mad. Thankfully it was a short read.
1/5. I just can't recommend this book to anyone. Sad because the art on the cover is what drew me into picking this up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2020
For almost as long as Ben can remember, it has been just him, his little dog, Sunshine, and Ben’s dad. His mother left when Ben was three. He doesn’t know why, and his dad doesn’t like to talk about it. Ben’s dad is great, but Ben really misses having a mother. He is reminded of it all the time since his friends all have mothers. But he has Sunshine with him, even if no one else can see her, and she is a great comfort to him. Ben’s mother has been living on an island in Northern Minnesota, and Ben has asked to spend a week with her in the summer. His father reluctantly asked her, and she agreed. Now Ben will see her for the first time in a very long time. He and his dad wait on a dock of a big lake when they see a canoe coming. It’s Ben’s mother. She is strong and beautiful and very independent. When Ben finds out his mother lives in a cabin with no wi-fi or electricity and an outhouse, he worries, but when his father says he can change his mind, Ben bravely goes forward with his plan. He and Sunshine hop into the canoe and get on their way.
The island is wild and primitive. Ben’s mother seems to accept Sunshine and that helps. Ben has to sleep in a loft, climbing a ladder to get to his sleeping bag, which is scary for him, but he does it. The loons at night sounds like wolves howling, and Ben and his mother encounter a bear and her cub. It’s Sunshine that causes trouble with them and they have to run for their lives. After a couple days, Ben offers to keep himself busy for an afternoon so his mother can work on her novel. She tells Ben to explore the island but doesn’t tell him to stay on dry land. Sunshine and Ben decide to take the canoe out, and that is when the real trouble begins.
Marion Dane Bauer has written a wonderful story told from the point-of-view of young Ben. Readers will relate to his dilemmas with divorced parents, an unknown mother, staying in a frightening place, trying to be brave, and learning so much about himself. The addition of the imaginary dog is a perfect device to understand Ben and how he is learning, growing, and changing. The writing is lovely, the characters are well-developed and very likable, and the story is compelling. It is quite a page-turner, and it will keep young readers engaged to the end. This is a terrific book. I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The island is wild and primitive. Ben’s mother seems to accept Sunshine and that helps. Ben has to sleep in a loft, climbing a ladder to get to his sleeping bag, which is scary for him, but he does it. The loons at night sounds like wolves howling, and Ben and his mother encounter a bear and her cub. It’s Sunshine that causes trouble with them and they have to run for their lives. After a couple days, Ben offers to keep himself busy for an afternoon so his mother can work on her novel. She tells Ben to explore the island but doesn’t tell him to stay on dry land. Sunshine and Ben decide to take the canoe out, and that is when the real trouble begins.
Marion Dane Bauer has written a wonderful story told from the point-of-view of young Ben. Readers will relate to his dilemmas with divorced parents, an unknown mother, staying in a frightening place, trying to be brave, and learning so much about himself. The addition of the imaginary dog is a perfect device to understand Ben and how he is learning, growing, and changing. The writing is lovely, the characters are well-developed and very likable, and the story is compelling. It is quite a page-turner, and it will keep young readers engaged to the end. This is a terrific book. I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
June 18, 2021
Ben lives with his father and his faithful imaginary dog, Sunshine. This summer, he’s going to spend an entire week with his mother, whom he hasn’t seem since he was three. She lives alone on an island in northern Minnesota. As he and his father journey to meet her, Ben struggles to ignore Sunshine, since his father thinks Ben is too old to have an imaginary friend. After journeying to his mother’s island home by canoe, Ben finds himself struggling with his anxiety and often unable to speak. He has so many questions he wants to ask her and has imagined many conversations together, but nothing comes out. He desperately wants to figure out how to get her to return to living with them. Instead of asking, Ben spends his days on the island, giving his mother time to read. After a disastrous expedition to see some bears and another harrowing solo journey in a canoe, a disaster hits the island and a path to forgiveness is formed.
Bauer is such a remarkable writer. Her books are invitingly brief for young readers and also offer real depth of emotion. In this novel, she shows the struggles of someone with anxiety who is often asking “what if” rather than diving in. She doesn’t allow it to be superficial, instead really exploring what it feels like. At the same time, readers will realize that Ben is incredibly brave and fueled by anger that he won’t acknowledge. His connection to Sunshine is fully realized, from the way they curl up to sleep together to her position in the canoe to their ongoing friendship in a new place.
Ben is a complex character and so are his parents. His father is fastidious, clearly anxious himself in ways that Ben can’t articulate. His mother is a remarkable character in children’s literature. A mother who left her child behind for reasons that are hinted at but not fully revealed until later in the novel. Yet she is given the space to be warm, kind and caring while also being rather distant and reserved. She is many things, and also far more than she realizes.
A book full of dangers, adventure and heart. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
Bauer is such a remarkable writer. Her books are invitingly brief for young readers and also offer real depth of emotion. In this novel, she shows the struggles of someone with anxiety who is often asking “what if” rather than diving in. She doesn’t allow it to be superficial, instead really exploring what it feels like. At the same time, readers will realize that Ben is incredibly brave and fueled by anger that he won’t acknowledge. His connection to Sunshine is fully realized, from the way they curl up to sleep together to her position in the canoe to their ongoing friendship in a new place.
Ben is a complex character and so are his parents. His father is fastidious, clearly anxious himself in ways that Ben can’t articulate. His mother is a remarkable character in children’s literature. A mother who left her child behind for reasons that are hinted at but not fully revealed until later in the novel. Yet she is given the space to be warm, kind and caring while also being rather distant and reserved. She is many things, and also far more than she realizes.
A book full of dangers, adventure and heart. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
May 1, 2021
This one is a 3.5 for me, and as always, I finished it full of admiration for the author's deft touch with character development and the subtle way she reveals the story's secrets. Ben has only vague memories of the mother who abandoned him when he was three--just flashes of moments and scenes that don't reveal the whole picture. This summer he's arranged to stay with her for one week in her cabin on a remote island in Minnesota. His plan is for the two of them to reconnect, and then he'll persuade her to return to the bosom of her loving family. After all, he knows his father still loves her despite her absence. But once he arrives in the North Woods, far from St. Paul where he and his father lives, he's shocked at her spartan living conditions. She has no electricity, no running water, and uses an outhouse. Slowly, the two of them get to know little things about one another, and Ben even shares his imaginary dog, Sunshine, with his mother. Sunshine has always provided him comfort, something his mother understands, as she calls the dog a daemon, a constant companion. Ben's mother shares her love for the woods and its animal inhabitants with her son, but she pretty much leaves him to his own devices. When he decides to take her canoe out on the lake while she's writing, he becomes disoriented while trying to return to her island, setting off a series of events that lead to a conflagration but also eventually present an opening for truth-telling. Each scene is written so well, effectively capturing the desperate yearning of a boy for his mother but also her own inability to give him what he wants. If nothing else, this book reminds readers of the long-term effects of abuse and its cyclical nature. The author excels in her delicate but honest handling of a tough topic as well as in her descriptions of the island and its surroundings.
May 24, 2021
This one summer, Ben finally talked his dad into asking his mother if he could visit his mom who lives in a primitive cabin deep in the woods. His mother left him when he was three and he seems to be about ten now. The story didn't tell how old he was. He, his father, and this little dog Sunshine have led a loving life, except sometimes Ben has all these "what-ifs?", and I wondered why until I learned about his mother leaving. Marion Dane Bauer lets Ben tells this story, much of it showing deep feelings, anxiety about many things, yet a determination to do the right thing. Sunshine is his imaginary dog and there is pressure from his dad to give him up. This time (the first he's seen his mother since she left) he wants to show his mother what a good person he is so she will want to return to live with him and his dad again. The emotional ups and downs in this brief, poignant book made me a little teary. It's not only for those who have had upheavals in their family, who may find comfort that others do, too but for everyone to try to learn and understand. It is a beautiful story.
Thanks to Candlewick Press for this advanced copy.
Thanks to Candlewick Press for this advanced copy.
September 19, 2023
Middle-grade books perfect for boys can be hard to come by. They're a little more reluctant to read about female protagonists (not that I agree that's good!).
There's an imaginary dog who plays a key role, and I think this is powerful, as many kids have imaginary friends of some kind.
I like the idea shared that no one is perfect, that our traumas can heal, and that forgiveness is a process.
I don't love the way the parental relationship is portrayed, but we are seeing it from the child's perspective, so that plays a role in it. You have to set aside the mother's abandonment of the family if you want to really love it. I found that hard to do, but others may not. (I just struggled with her acting like because the dad likes a clean house, she's justified in leaving - that's how it came across to me - I'm sensitive to this because I like a clean house!!!).
I'd follow this with "My Side of the Mountain" as a good book flight.
NOTE: I was given the book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
There's an imaginary dog who plays a key role, and I think this is powerful, as many kids have imaginary friends of some kind.
I like the idea shared that no one is perfect, that our traumas can heal, and that forgiveness is a process.
I don't love the way the parental relationship is portrayed, but we are seeing it from the child's perspective, so that plays a role in it. You have to set aside the mother's abandonment of the family if you want to really love it. I found that hard to do, but others may not. (I just struggled with her acting like because the dad likes a clean house, she's justified in leaving - that's how it came across to me - I'm sensitive to this because I like a clean house!!!).
I'd follow this with "My Side of the Mountain" as a good book flight.
NOTE: I was given the book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
December 8, 2020
Ben’s mom walked out of his life when he was 3 years old. He’s felt like it was his fault ever since, but he’s got a plan. He’s spending a week with his mother on her island in the woods, with no running water, electricity or phone service in hopes he can win back her love and convince her to come home again. Ben plans to bring his dog Sunshine along for the adventure, so what could go wrong?
The wilderness teaches Ben a thing or two about himself, facing fears and learning about the mom he hasn’t seen since he was young, but it also teaches him about growing up. Exquisitely well written with so much packed into the awkward weeklong stay on a remote island just mom and son. His mother’s feelings are almost palpable, and Ben’s narrative adds a sincere spin on the story within. Thought provoking, fast paced and lovable Sunshine is certain to win over many hearts.
*Disclaimer: A review copy was provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.
The wilderness teaches Ben a thing or two about himself, facing fears and learning about the mom he hasn’t seen since he was young, but it also teaches him about growing up. Exquisitely well written with so much packed into the awkward weeklong stay on a remote island just mom and son. His mother’s feelings are almost palpable, and Ben’s narrative adds a sincere spin on the story within. Thought provoking, fast paced and lovable Sunshine is certain to win over many hearts.
*Disclaimer: A review copy was provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.
June 29, 2021
Ben's mom left when he was 3 years old. It has made him an anxious child of divorced parents, a worrier who has only lived with his very particular father. fortunately he has Sunshine, his red-gold dog who accompanies him everywhere. Ben needs him and Sunshine is a calming influence. When his mother invites Ben to spend a week with her on her remote island in northern Minnesota, he jumps at the chance to get answers to worrisome questions and try to convince her to come home to St. Paul, MN, so he can have a mom again, like other kids. Little does he know reaching mom's tiny log cabin takes two hours of paddling a canoe past 2 lakes, including a portage, an outhouse, no WIFI, and no electricity! It's a series of challenges and slow discoveries as Ben tries to adapt and learn why his mother left, while facing his own daemons. The story comprises 193 pages of psychological revelations, but no love for any of the characters.
September 9, 2021
This is one of those rare times when I decide to review an older child's book on Goodreads.
Bauer is famous in the world of children's literature, having written quite a few books targeting young readers. When I was asked to review this book, I thought it would be an enjoyable, brief ride and it is a good book. The writing is great, tight in scope, and imagery plays a small role in the overall story, except when dealing with the boy's imaginary dog, Sunshine. Yet I am so tempted to give it a 3. At no time, while reading this novel, did I feel that it would "speak to a child." It seemed as if it was written for an adult. The cause of the tension between the mother and child is not something that most children would be able to relate to nor would they understand the mother's motivations for her actions. This is certainly NOT a book that I would consider as as primary acquisition for a library that supports young readers.
Bauer is famous in the world of children's literature, having written quite a few books targeting young readers. When I was asked to review this book, I thought it would be an enjoyable, brief ride and it is a good book. The writing is great, tight in scope, and imagery plays a small role in the overall story, except when dealing with the boy's imaginary dog, Sunshine. Yet I am so tempted to give it a 3. At no time, while reading this novel, did I feel that it would "speak to a child." It seemed as if it was written for an adult. The cause of the tension between the mother and child is not something that most children would be able to relate to nor would they understand the mother's motivations for her actions. This is certainly NOT a book that I would consider as as primary acquisition for a library that supports young readers.
July 18, 2021
Ben, who is around 10 or 11 years old, goes to spend a week with his mother whom he has not seen since she left him (and his father) at the age of three.
She lives in a cabin with no electricity on a remote island accessible only by canoe / portage.
Ben has a dog named Sunshine with reddish-gold fur. I was kind of annoyed when I found out that Sunshine wasn’t a real dog, but a pretend pet. (Ben later learns that Sunshine is a “daemon,” or spirit animal. I think that term will be confusing for kids.)
I wished that Sunshine was real - Ben needed a real dog to soften the harshness of the situation. I also think kids like boy/dog stories and this will be a harder sell if kids know that the pet is imaginary.
They were parts where I felt that Ben’s thoughts and actions were too mature / didn’t reflect that of a real 10 year old, and others that did feel real. A bit inconsistent.
She lives in a cabin with no electricity on a remote island accessible only by canoe / portage.
Ben has a dog named Sunshine with reddish-gold fur. I was kind of annoyed when I found out that Sunshine wasn’t a real dog, but a pretend pet. (Ben later learns that Sunshine is a “daemon,” or spirit animal. I think that term will be confusing for kids.)
I wished that Sunshine was real - Ben needed a real dog to soften the harshness of the situation. I also think kids like boy/dog stories and this will be a harder sell if kids know that the pet is imaginary.
They were parts where I felt that Ben’s thoughts and actions were too mature / didn’t reflect that of a real 10 year old, and others that did feel real. A bit inconsistent.
July 6, 2021
This about Ben who's mother left him when he was three. He believes it is his fault. Now that he is older he is going to spend a week with his mom on a remote island in Northern Minnesota. The characters in this story are so complex. Ben is a "what if" child with an imaginary dog and many fears. His parents are also complex with issues they deal with and then helping Ben to deal with his emotions on not knowing why is mother left and many fears. This is a story about finding out who you are, dealing with life and all it has to offer and change. Another well written realistic story by Bauer.
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