Sunshine
Emotional tale of worried kid, faithful dog, broken family.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Sunshine, by Newbery Honor recipient Marion Dane Bauer, is an emotionally fraught tale of a boy who lives with his loving single dad and hasn't seen his mom since the day she just left for no reason when he was 3. Now about 10, he's hatched a plan for what he hopes will be a Parent Trap-type outcome, but real life is a bit more complicated. His faithful companion, the dog of the title, has been his mainstay since he was small, but his dad is pressuring him to leave the attachment behind. There are scary and sometimes dangerous moments, like an unauthorized canoe trip that almost turns deadly, and a forest fire engulfing an island. There are strong messages of courage, empathy, forgiveness, accepting people as they are, and maybe building from there. Vivid descriptions of abusive childhoods and emotional damage may be too intense for younger and/or sensitive readers.
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What's the Story?
Little red dog SUNSHINE has been Ben's constant companion his whole life. His mother left when he was 3. His dad, a teacher, is supportive, steady, and always there for him. But Ben is driven by the need to have a regular family with a mom and a dad, like his friends. So he's hatched an imaginative scheme to get his long-lost mom to invite him to spend a week with her on the remote Minnesota island where she lives -- which of course is the first step in getting her and his dad back together. His dad, meanwhile, is pressuring him to be less attached to Sunshine, but boy and dog are soon in a canoe headed for the unknown island and unknown adventures with the stranger who's his mom -- and who Ben hopes will be more accepting.
Is It Any Good?
Seen from inside the head of a worried kid trying to get his long-lost mom back, Marion Dane Bauer's intense summer story delves into themes of abuse, abandonment, forgiveness, and acceptance. At the center of it all is Sunshine, a faithful canine companion who's helped young Ben survive his childhood, but for whom adults seem to have little patience, and Ben's naive but wildly hopeful plan to reunite his parents. There's a lot of emotional struggle as Ben determinedly does his best to make his parents' relationship something matching his vision, and many challenges as he faces perils including near-drowning and a forest fire.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the them of a kid trying to reunite his divorced parents in Sunshine. What other stories do you know with this theme? How do they turn out?
Do you think you'd like to live on a remote island with no electricity or running water, let alone internet and cell phone service? Or maybe just try it for a week? What do you think might be great, or really hard to get used to?
How is Sunshine like other tales you've read about kids and their dogs? How is it different?
Book Details
- Author: Marion Dane Bauer
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Topics: Adventures, Cats, Dogs, and Mice
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Candlewick Press
- Publication date: May 18, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 208
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: August 2, 2021
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