Swing it, Sunny by Jennifer and Matthew Holm book review

This is the follow up to the book Sunny Side Up. Jennifer and Matthew Holm continue the story of Sunny’s life after her older brother is sent off to military school. Sunny really misses her brother Dale. She knows that he was sent to boarding school because he was getting in trouble with drinking and drugs. Their parents did not really have another way to deal with it. In addition to all the family drama, Sunny is trying to navigate middle school. Her Grandpa is a constant in her life, always checking in with her from Florida. Sunny has a new neighbor move in who is a little older than she is. Neela is the neighbors name and she is in the high school color guard performing with swing flags. She begins to teach Sunny how to do it and introduces her to some of the other color guard girls. Sunny’s new hobby distracts her a little bit from missing her brother. Dale came home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but he did not really participate in family things. He was sullen the whole time and the reader feels bad for Sunny.

I think this is a good middle school graphic novel that will help readers deal with possible family issues, missing older siblings and dealing with substance abuse. It is a positive story because it shows coping skills. Kids have to learn that others might make choices that will impact their lives, but you have to try to go on living your own life. The illustrations really convey a lot of emotions and complement the text in the story. The colors are vibrant and convey a positive feeling. Hopefully most readers will be left with a positive feeling at the end of the story. This would be a good purchase for a school library. It could be used by counselors if they have students in similar situations. It could be used in literature circles or for book club. It is possible to read it as a stand alone book, but readers will have more character development understanding if they read the first story. I think that when you read it, you absorb some 1970s culture without even realizing it. I definitely recommend this book to readers from middle grade to adult.