Sunny Side Up by Jennifer & Matthew Holm

Pages: 217
Intended Audience: Tweens and up
Genre: Graphic novel
Notes for Parents: Deals with a mature issue but not in depth.

The Back Cover

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 own: 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. . .

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

Jennifer Holm and Matt Holm are the brother and sister team best known for the Babymouse graphic novel series.

What’s good?

The story goes back and forth between Sunny’s adventures in Florida with her grandfather and the events back home that led up to her having to stay with her grandfather. The plot is simple and straight forward, with several moments that are funny and heartwarming. Set in the mid-1970s, readers from the era will recognize many classic reminders of that disco age. Sunny is a likeable character, as is her grandfather who’s a rascally old fella. There is a serious issue at the core of the story, but it’s dealt with in subtle ways that make this story appropriate for most tweens.
Best Part: The lost cats

What isn’t good?

As with many graphic novels, there's not a lot of depth to the characters, but it does tell a great visual story. The big “family secret” is more of a family issue and is dealt with delicately, perhaps a little too delicately, but grandpa’s hidden cigarettes was a good way to confront a similar, less gritty issue. The problem itself is alluded to, but should be easy to understand for most readers.
Worst part: It was a bit more juvenile than it needed to be.

Recommendation þþþoo

The story is aimed at middle grades, so older students might not like how gently the issues are dealt with. It’s wonderfully nostalgic for those of us who were alive in the 1970s, but this may not be appreciated by younger readers. It was a very quick and easy read, and was quite entertaining. Recommended.

Holm, Jennifer L. & Matthew Holm. Sunny Side Up. New York: Scholastic, 2015.