Sunny Side Up

Sunny #1

by Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm (Illustrator)

When is a summer vacation not really a summer vacation?

Sunny Lewin has been packed off to Florida to live with her grandfather for the summer. At first she thought Florida might be fun -- it is the home of Disney World, after all. But the place where Gramps lives is no amusement park. It's full of . . . old people. Really old people.Luckily, Sunny isn't the only kid around. She meets Buzz, a boy who is completely obsessed with comic books, and soon they're having adventures of their facing off against golfball-eating alligators, runaway cats, and mysteriously disappearing neighbors. But the question remains -- why is Sunny down in Florida in the first place? The answer lies in a family secret that won't be secret to Sunny much longer. . .

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Comics, Family, Childrens, Fiction

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 25, 2015

About the author

Jennifer L. Holm is a USA TODAY and NEW YORK TIMES-bestselling children's author with more than 9.8 million books in print She is the recipient of three Newbery Honors for her novels OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA, PENNY FROM HEAVEN, and TURTLE IN PARADISE and a Scott O'Dell Award for her novel FULL OF BEANS.

Jennifer collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on three bestselling graphic novel series -- the Eisner Award-winning Babymouse series, the SUNNY series, and the Squish series. SQUISH is now an animated tv series on YouTube!

For more information, visit her website at www.jenniferholm.com.

Reviews

[Rachel L · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

A cute story with some more serious undertones. Sunny Side Up is the story of a young girl who is sent to Florida to spend the summer with her grandpa. Placed in the 70's, she finds Florida to be boring. Meanwhile she flashes back to months before where her and her family watched her teenage brother spiral out of control with substance abuse.

I think this is an important book for tweens to have available as they can relate to Sunny. It also shows addiction as something that shouldn't be hidden and encourages young readers to seek help if someone they know suffers from it.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What superpower would you want?" -- Buzz

"Invisibility." -- Sunny

Matter-of-fact graphic novel that alternates between the amusing and the bittersweet, Sunny Side Up centers on the plucky blonde ten year-old Sunny Lewin. A native of suburban southeastern Pennsylvania (woot-woot!), she is suddenly shipped off to spend August of 1976 with her widowed grandfather at his retirement cottage in quiet Vero Beach, Florida. (The reasons for Sunny's parents sending her away for a month soon become clear via many flashbacks.) Although initially fighting a case of terminal boredom - after all, this is set in the long-ago era before cable TV, cell-phones, and the Internet (thanks, Captain Obvious!) - Sunny soon meets Buzz, an ingratiating Cuban-American boy of similar age. Buzz - who is always bedecked with a Dodgers baseball cap (woot-woot!) - then becomes Sunny's de facto sidekick / best friend, and introduces her to the world of comic book superheroes as they hustle to earn an honest dollar or two for a little spending cash of their own.

The 70's nostalgia factor was one of the notable aspects - TaB cola, the Polaroid SX-70 'instant' camera, Dorothy Hamill's 'wedge' hairstyle, and other little details solidly ground the thoughtful story in those weeks following America's Bicentennial celebration. Although the cover illustration may suggest that this is strictly a children's book, it really was appropriate for ANY age over ten.

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

As most of my friends probably well know by now, I am generally not all that much a fan of graphic novels as a genre. But after having read a few online reviews of Jennifer L. Holm's (narrative) and her brother Matthew Holm's (illustrations) Sunny Side Up I finally decided to download it on my iPad, as from the book description, this middle grade graphic novel is set in 1976 and indeed with young Sunny, also features a main protagonist who exactly like myself was ten years old in the summer of 1976 (and well, I was of course also more than curious how similar Sunny's sojourn in Florida, her personal experiences of visiting her grandfather under rather strange and trying family circumstances would be to my own as a ten year old). And indeed, while the drug and alcohol abuse issues Sunny and her family encounter with Dale (Sunny's older brother) are not at all my or even any member of my immediate family's experiences, I could still relate to a high degree and could certainly totally and utterly understand Sunny feeling as though her parents simply do not care enough to tell her the essential truth and details of why the family's traditional beach vacation has been cancelled and why she is to visit her grandfather in Florida by herself (and basically just seem to expect Sunny to accept without questions having to spend the summer with her grandfather), not really ever providing her with any of the specific reasons why, until Sunny becomes sad and depressed, not to mention that she is at the same time feeling guilty about what has been happening with regard to Dale and finally simply chooses to confront her grandfather, who thankfully and fortunately does in fact come clean so to speak and tells Sunny the whole and absolute truth regarding her visit to Florida (that her parents need to get Dale some majorly necessary and required therapy and have to totally concentrate on this) and above all that she, that Sunny has done absolutely NOTHING WRONG with regard to the substance abuse issues her older brother Dale is facing (and of course that none of this is in ANY way even remotely Sunny's fault).

Because actually, truly (and on an emotional and personal level), the entire scenario of Sunny Side Up, with Sunny being forced to visit her grandfather in Florida without either much warning or explanation, this does kind of remind me in a very much roundabout way of how we, how my family, in August of 1976 suddenly immigrated from Germany to Canada with little prior notice and that my parents were at best not very pleased that I started to cry, that I was annoyed when told we were moving and actually if truth be told they did get rather majorly angry that I even dared to voice my objections (that I told them I did not want to move to Canada), that unlike my younger siblings, who were excited, I was terrified and yes massively angrily furious at having this sprung on me about one month prior to our departure to Canada (not to mention that I later discovered that our family had actually and in fact already immigrated in 1975, that our so-called summer vacation to Canada in 1975 had actually and unbeknownst to my siblings and me been an act of immigration, and man, do I ever even now, even in 2018 still quite with annoyance and frustration despise the fact that this was not told to us at the time, that we had in fact already immigrated to Canada in 1975).

Combined with the oh so very many historic and cultural references and allusions to the 1970s (Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific, comic books, uncomfortable sofa beds, Cuban refugees, although the 1976 US Bicentennial celebrations are of course not my experiences) I really have massively enjoyed with a huge sense of nostalgia Sunny Side Up (and I do love all the action hero comic book references that the Holms present Sunny Side Up, as I also, very much like Buzz's father Pedro, used comic books to practice and improve my English once we had arrived in Canada, and yes indeed, like Sunny, when I read my first Wonder Woman comic, I also asked myself why she was dressed in skimpy looking quasi underwear that augmented her breasts and why one could see her when she was flying her invisible jet, and ha, ha, with regard to Batman, I just remembered that I originally thought that he should not be deemed a superhero, as I got confused with the "t" sound and thought that he was not called Batman but Badman).

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book by the prolific Jennifer Holms and her artist brother Matt, who also do stuff for younger kids like the very successful Babymouse and Squish. Jennifer does a range of books for different ages. This one I would say works best for 3rd through 5th graders, based on my limited family sample of just that age group. Well, the boys read this, not the girl (yes, they have read Nimona and Lumberjanes and other "girl" books and liked them a lot), and Henry (8) gave it 5 stars, Harry 3.5, though both claim they liked it a lot.

I thought it was pretty good. The art is okay, with maybe my favor aspect of the whole book the coloring, done by colorist Pien, of American Born Chinese fame. The story is good: Sunny, ten, is sent for the summer to live with her grandpa, who lives in a retirement village, where she still manages to meet a boy her age, Buzz, who reads superhero comics with her. The big secret, which i won't bother to reveal, pertains to a family health issue, and is not to mind particularly well handled. It becomes more of an issue of honesty about how one feels rather than the issue itself. There's something missing in our dealing with this issue as readers. So I might have given this two stars, except for the enthusiastic Henry, and. . . the voice of Sunny, related with a good dose of sense of humor. I liked her just fine. She's no Lumberjane or Nimona or Ms. Marvel for edgy sassy character and dialogue, but this is a younger book, she's ten, and she might get there when she is thirteen.

[Nour (FREE PALESTINE) Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

ITS FINALLY SUMMER!! starting off my summer with one of my favorite graphic novels <3
↪ one of the greatest series ever and no one can change my mind 😤

----

This is truly one of the greatest books ever. I don’t care that it’s for 10 year olds lol 😅
‧ I wish comics were a quarter, everything was so cheap 😭
‧ honestly this book sparked my fascination for pompeii
‧ buzz is literally my spirit animal

favorite parts:
Sunny: "there's a pool here?????"
Gramps: "of course there's a pool. This is Florida."
‧ honestly, so real

Buzz: "I'm Buzz. You know, like, Buzz Aldrin? My dad likes astronauts."
Sunny: "I’m Sunny, like Sunshine. My mom likes hippies."
‧ yall are we team buzz or tony?? I’m torn 💔

Sunny's mom: "Hey-not so fast. Fork over my change, mister."
Dale: "And here I thought it was my tip."
Sunny's mom: "You want a tip? I'll give you a tip. 'Early to bed, early to rise...'"
‧ giving me 'you want forgiveness, get religion' vibes from spiderman
‧ great advice that uhh I need...

Sunny: "Do you have any tuna fish?"
Old man: "Why would I need tuna fish?"
Sunny: "That's our trick for finding cats."
Old man: "Myra's not a cat! She's my neighbor!"
‧ 💀 if you dont get it... read the book so you do pooks

Old woman: "Let me give you something for your hard work!"
Sunny: "No, really you don't have to-"
Old woman: "Here's a nickel each!"
Sunny: "Remember when I said I felt bad about us getting a dollar? I take it back"
‧ me core

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different sort of summer for Sunny. Sunny is spending the summer with her grandfather who lives in a retirement village down in florida. There are no kids around and no one to play with and grandpa's idea of an adventure is going to pick up his pills. There are some funny cute things going on in this story. The meat of the story is told in flashbacks. We see Sunny and her brother and the trouble the he is getting into. He is addicted to alcohol and we find out that Sunny was sent down to her Grandfather's while her brother goes through detox.

Sunny does meet one kid who teachers her all about comic books and alligators. It turns out being an ok summer. The artwork is bright and Sunny is sad. She is trying to figure out life.

I think this is such a well done book for this age group. Kids going through something like this will appreciate having a story about it.

I am going to let my niece read this and see what she thinks of it. I think it's something she would like. I like this so much more than Babymouse. Jennifer can do some really deep work.

[Beary Into Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 4
This book was super cute! I loved the illustrations and the relationship the main character had with her grandpa. Perfect book to wrap up Summer with.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Siblings Jennifer and Matthew Holm, best known for the Baby Mouse series, create a fabulous graphic novel that follows 11-year-old Sunshine “Sunny” Lewin when she’s dispatched to spend the summer with her grandfather in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1976. Days with Gramps at the Pine Palms retirement community are pretty boring: They’re hundreds of miles from Orlando and Disney World, and there aren’t any other kids at all — until Sunny meets Buzz, the Cuban gardener’s son.

The Holms’ Sunny Side Up will delight nostalgia buffs and anyone who enjoys a great coming-of-age story about the dangers of having too many secrets. And Lark Pien (American Born Chinese, Boxers & Saints) pens captivating full-color drawings that capture the era and the characters to perfection. The Holms aimed their book at tweens who grapple with a loved one beset by alcohol or drug problems, but Sunny Side Up should appeal to readers of all ages. Highly recommended.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, the joys of time travel! This story takes place in 1975 and 1976, and it was so pitch perfect that I was laughing in recognition within pages.

The story itself is about Sunny's unplanned summer visit with her Gramps in Florida. Flashbacks reveal that Sunny's brother, Dale, has a drug problem that impacts his entire family. Not at all preachy, especially when Sunny and Buzz find lost cats and keep getting rewarded, this graphic novel shows the importance of talking about your feelings with someone you can trust.

My favorite scene was when Buzz's father, a Cuban chemist working as a gardener, tells Sunny to take some of his comic book collection home with her. "Take them home. As many as you want. Comics and books are no good if they sit on the shelf."

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's August of 1976 and ten-year-old Sunny arrives in West Palm Beach, FL, to spend a month with her grampa. He says he has "big plans" and then they do things like go to the post office, the grocery store, and the early bird buffet. Sunny dreams of Disney World, but the two hour drive seems an impossible dream -- even though Grampa's car "Bertha" has 200 horsepower under the hood. As a child of the 70's, this book is a blast from the past. There is even a nod to the bicentennial celebration.
Although much of the book takes place in Florida, there are flashbacks to the previous year in Pennsylvania and we soon learn that Sunny's older brother Dale has a substance abuse problem. That the Holm sister-brother duo set out to do was share their own struggle with such a situation in order to give hope to other kids. Graphic novels like this give readers a window or a door depending on their situation and show them the world that a previous generation grew up in. Can't wait to read the rest of the series!

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars - it's ok. The illustrations don't add any richness or depth to the story, and so it's a very fast and simplistic read. Remember when sitcoms were mocked for tackling and resolving a challenging issue in 24 minutes? This is even more, erm, concise, as it tackles Cuban immigrants, senility, cigarette addiction, feminism (the girl discovers comics and, while she focuses on different elements than the boy, does decide that she's Batman, not Wonder Woman, when they play), and the Big issue.

The only reason I'm glad I read it, tbh, is because I'm 2 years older than Sunny, and I remember a lot of the references. The shampoo Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific really did smell good, and I wish I could find it again. And the painted fire hydrants for the Bicentennial were actually delightful. Etc.

I know some of you, my friends, are old enough to remember 1976 - you might want to read* this just for the nostalgia. What do you remember from the 70s?

*I was going to say skim, but reading would take about 5 minutes longer than skimming, so just read it. It's not a bad book, not a waste of a little time.

[Shoa Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A breezy Middle Grade single-sitting summer read about a girl who goes to Florida to spend the summer with her Gramps.



The book is semi-autobiographical, features nice colored illustrations



and is targeted to help kids cope with a close family member or friend dealing with substance abuse.

It took me more than one sitting though, coz I was jet lagged and kept passing out! :P
BOOM!

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay, good, great for the Telgemeier/Bell/Gownley fans. Although the Holm team are stars in their own write (heh heh, see what I did there?).

This one got darker than I was expecting. I enjoyed the Florida Retirement Center from a Kids Perspective story, and then it got to the potentially triggering content, and it felt a little out of the blue (even though they've been alluding to it throughout), tone-wise. I liked her friendships with the other kid on campus, and the residents themselves.

I suppose it was pretty realistic, in that way, though. Life isn't always consistent in tone.

Anyway, yes, good. Give it to the burgeoning young GN fans. Like.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Sunny is spending a summer in Florida with her grandpa, while family problems simmer back home in Pennsylvania. Between searching for the missing cats of the retirement community residents, and spending time reading comics with another young chap, Sunny has a memorable, not-too-boring time.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

[Julie G · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 9-year-old says "three stars," and I agree.

[MorganD · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very sweet book. It is about this little girl who went down to Florida to cost her grandfather because of something bad that happened in her family. At first she really hated being there but then it kind of grew on her and she made a friend. I recommend this book if you are looking for a easy, fun and engaging graphic novel.

[Stef · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Finished this one as well! Just in time too :) Happy New Year everybody!

[Maddie K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book Sunny Side Up, it was so good that I read it in one night. It's about a girl named Sunny who had to stay at her grandfathers house for the summer because her brother was doing bad things. At first she thought it was going to be great because her grandfather lives in Florida and that's the home for Disney world. Once she started staying there it wasn't fun because her grandfather lived at a place with a bunch of old people and no kids. Then she meets a boy named Buzz who loves comic books he always talked about comic books but Sunny had never read one. One day one of the ladies that lived there couldn't find he cat she had looked everywhere so she asked them if they could help. They found the cat and she paid them both. Buzz wanted to use the money to buy a comic and so they went to the book store. Sunny decided that she wanted to try one out. She ended up really liking it and so then they did stuff for people that live there and that's how they made their money to buy the comic books.

[Dov Zeller · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sunny Side Up" is the story of Sunny's summer stay with her grandfather in FL when she is around ten years old, and things are tough at home. The story goes back and forth in time to show events leading up to her trip to FL, which starts out shaky, but gets better as she makes a friend her age and goes on lots of adventures and reads a lot of comic books, and as she gets closer to her grandfather and finds herself more and more able to connect with him and the his peers at Pine Palms (a retirement home). This book was between a 3 and 4 for me. I wasn't completely convinced by the 70s nostalgia or the organization of the novel (chapters going back and forth in time in the particular way they did) and at times I wondered if it went deep enough in terms of emotional content, though it did address Sunny's internal struggles directly and delicately. It was the confident story arc, and most of all the humor and sweetness of developing friendships that compelled me to go for the four.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graphic novel tells the story of Sunny who is ten and sent to spend the summer at her Grandfather's in a retirement community in Florida while her parents deal with her older brother Dale's drug addiction. She meets a new friend who is a big fan of comic books about superheroes. The two kids help find lost cats and have other adventures with the old people. Sunny is sad about keeping secrets and feels her brother's addiction is her fault. It doesn't help that her grandfather said he quit smoking but Sunny finds cigarettes all over the house. Finally she confronts him and is comforted by him about her guilt about her brother.

[Tracy The Great · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it was a great book because it was really interesting! I recommend this book to anyone who likes comics!

[Jacobe D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sunny's summer just turned upside down.

Sunny Lewin had plans for this summer. Big plans. But all of that changes when she is shuttled off on a "big girl trip" to Florida to live with her grandfather for the summer. At first this doesn't seem too bad. The only down side is that Sunny can't go to the island with her best friend on their "terrific" summer getaway. But that's alright. After all, Florida is the home of Disney World!

Ok, I take that back. The Retirement Home that Gramps lives in is so boring. Gramps is a sweet guy, but the only fun things that Sunny has experienced are the hide-a-bed that squeaks every five seconds, and the ecentric old grandmas that give you a toilet-paper-trinket as a gift. Things have started to get a little better ever since Sunny met a boy her age at the resort though. He is addicted to comics, and just might have Sunny hooked too! They have been doing everything together, from finding cats, to battling Big Al, to even looking for a neighbor who disappeared! But the same question remains: why is Sunny here in Florida in the first place? The answer involves her brother Dale, who hasn't been himself lately. Always late, secretly meeting the neighbor hood "bad boy", and even smoking... and drinking. Sunny misses the old Dale, and has battle scars of her own to prove that he has changed. Will Sunny's family end up shattered into a million pieces? Will Sunny's life ever be the same again?

I loved Sunny Side Up, first of all, because of the tilte. I mean, what could be cleverer?! Anyway, I could really feel Sunny's pain, when I knew she was battling hard with her brothers substance abuse problem. She really tried to keep a happy face on (some might even say her "sunny side up"), and roll with the punches, but you could tell that Sunny was tired of keeping secrets. Sunny really perseveres and tries to help her family through this difficult struggle. Sunny Side Up reminds me of Smile, Sisters, and other Raina Telgemier books. I hope that you choose to read this book, and remember; always keep your sunny side up!

[steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable. It took me a second to realize that some chapters were flashbacks (this is what I get for not reading the date at the begginning of each chapter) but once I did, it was smooth sailing. I really liked Sunny and her Grandpa and the moment Buzz showed up with his L.A. Dodgers hat (go Los Doyers!), I was a goner for him as well. It took a while to come out, but this book dealt with a serious family situation that I felt was handled perfectly for this age group of readers. Sunny felt scared, confused, angry, etc and this book let her express all those different emotions. I really liked that and I would rec this book for children struggling with family members with different addictions in their lives. The pictures were great for it being a graphic novel, I especially liked Sunny struggling with the squeaky sofa bed. Her facial expressions made me laugh.

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been eagerly anticipating reading this and it absolutely did not disappoint. While the story is more serious than the brother/ sister duo's Babymouse and Squish graphic novels, the seriousness is leavened with humor both gently and snort-worthy and the treatment makes the issue accessible and relatable to tween readers. A definite purchase for school and public libraries. On a side note: I had the exquisite pleasure of hearing it performed in a Scholastic reader's theater at the ALA Annual conference - Jon Muth, Dav Pilkey, Craig Thompson and Jenni Holm brought the book to hysterical life. If Dav Pilkey ever runs out of steam in the writing department, surely he can have a career in sound effects.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another recommendation by a student who said I would enjoy it. The beginning was sweet and easily transferable to conversations and experience I am sure many of us have had with grandparents. As the story developed it was like a gut shot because I knew absolutely nothing about the book before I read it. I really think that made it have more powerful of an impact on me. It is so sad to think that there are so many people out there dealing with alcohol and drug addictions. It is heartbreaking thinking of all the little siblings that see a role model/hero come crashing down around them. I wish the book would have given a little more, but overall it did a nice job of touching on a major issue facing many families today.

[Charles Hatfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good-humored book, eager to please. Some nice comic notes here, well observed, and the period details made me smile. Sadly, this good stuff is hung from a frail, undernourished frame: the story's big reveals and hard secrets don't work, the backstory is thinly developed, the thematizing is forced, and the artwork is not especially evocative or interesting. In the end, the book feels like a formulaic effort to hit certain expected "children's book" marks, and the visuals are not transporting or rowdy enough to make it a keeper IMO.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet graphic novel suitable for older children. Sunny is a young girl who gets sent to spend a summer with her grandfather in Florida. While the trip does not meet her expectations and her dreams of a vacation in Florida, she puts on a happy face and pretends that she is enjoying her time. For the past year, her older brother has been struggling with drug / alcohol use, and she always feels like she has to hide her feelings and put on a happy face. Her parents send her to Florida so they can try to help her brother.

[Shreya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunny Side Up was an amazing book! I loved every part of it! So amazing I had to start and finish it today! Sunny is such an amazing character and every bit of the book makes you want to read until the end! I can't wait for my turn with the sequel "Swing It Sunny"! I'll make sure my time with these library books is used wisely.... by reading about Sunny! Thanks for making my book life grow ;)

-Shreya

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sunny's summer plans are changed unexpectedly when she is sent to visit her grandfather in his Florida retirement community. A powerful graphic novel that tells the story of a 10-year old coming to terms with her big brother's drug problem. The Holm siblings do a great job telling a story set in 1976 that is relevant and moving and will resonate for middle grade readers facing hard truths.

[Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually strongly disliked this book. It was very confusing and made no sense. It is a quick read and really easy. I don't really recommend this book unless you want to do a quick read for graphic novels.