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This was the second in a series but the year in the life format here didn't feel cohesive and the plot seemed thin. I enjoyed the many references to 70s culture but I don't expect my children will, and this book is written for their age group. What worked about this story and made it relatable I expect will go over my children's heads, but I will follow up after they read this. 2.5 stars
2.5 starsIt was just, Meh. Not really much I can say about it.
Solid 3 out of 10 Swing it, Sunny is a book about a girl named Sunny, who is trying to learn how to swing flags around. This book takes place in the 1970s, and it tells you about Sunny's life in middle school and how Sunny's dealing with the absence of her brother. I didn't like this book that much at all. I get the struggles Sunny is depicted going through, but I massively disliked this graphic novel. I wasn't a big fan of the art style, and this book is constantly making random things show up...
I got this for my cousin who is a reluctant reader, but who enjoys books in a comic book format. This is the second in a series, but it easily stood on its own. The layout was reader friendly, the artwork wasn't amazing, but it got the point across well. The story takes place in the late 70s in America to a young girl in middle school. Not quite my era, so the TV dinners, tv shows and pet rock references didn't warm my heart or ring any bells, but it was a good peek into a time in the past. My c...
Jennifer and Matthew Holm are dream team graphic novelists. Just like with SUNNY SIDE UP, the sequel is full of heart and humor that will take away some of the sting of the difficult situation Sunny's family is going through. But what really elevates this book and the first book for me are the delightful visual details from the 1970s that make it more than just a decade of questionable fashion and home decor.
As was the case with the first book about Sunny, and her unhappiness over the situation with her substance abusing older brother, what I really enjoyed here was the 1970s cultural references. This sequel was not as cohesive a story as the first one, but I cared about Sunny and would have liked it if it had gone on a lot longer.
"Being a teenager can be hard. When things get bad, sometimes they take it out on the people who they should be turning to for help." -- Sunny's mom, page 193Modest sequel to Sunny Side Up, this follow-up - which was again amusing and bittersweet, exactly like its predecessor - continues the day-to-day life of ten year-old Sunny Lewin. She's back home in the Delaware Valley of Pennsylvania (woot-woot!) after her month-long vacation of sorts in Florida, and is now starting middle school in the au...
I do like Jennifer Holm's take on school and life. She's light while still dealing with real issues.Sunny can't figure out her brother. She loves and misses him and he's been sent to military school where he is angry at the world. He seems like a different person and she doesn't know what's going on. It's set in the 70s so there are reference that bring back my childhood like the 6 million dollar man. I remember watching that.Sunny also meets someone new who teachers her how to twirl flags for m...
Follow-up to Sunny Side Up, and again, pretty sunny, mild, sweet stories of a girl in middle school in the seventies. I lived in the seventies, but this wasn't my seventies. References an older sib with substance abuse, separation from a grandparent. H, 12 read it: "It's good! I liked it just fine."H, 11 read it: "Yeah, it's pretty good."That's kinda what I thought. The creators of Babymouse, Jennifer and Matthew Holm write the story and Lark Pien does the art, in a breezy, reader-friendly way,
Not as good as the first one, but I like that this sweet graphic novel deals with a difficult topic...having a loved one who struggles with addiction. I think I just missed gramps. More gramps!!!
Swing It, Sunny is the second book in a semi-autobiographical series created by brother-sister team, Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm. In this installment, Sunny is entering middle school in 1976-1977. As an adult reader, I enjoyed all of the nostalgic references in the text and art. The story is deeper than the art style may lead you to believe. Sunny is dealing with missing her older brother who is currently at a military-style boarding school because he was getting into drugs and failing schoo...
Although the sequel to Jennifer L. Holm's sweetly brilliant graphic novel Sunny Side Up (and of course also Matthew Holm, Jennifer's brother who acts as main illustrator), although Swing it, Sunny is not quite as personally relatable and thus as approachable (and readable) as the first book, Swing it, Sunny has nevertheless been an entertaining, nostalgic and at times even thought-provoking reading (and viewing) experience for and to me (and this especially with regard to both time and place, wi...
For fans of the first book (SUNNY SIDE UP), this is a poignant continuation of Sunny's story as her family continues to deal with her brother's issues in the 1970s. This would be a great book for older elementary kids who are dealing with family issues or any kids who like to read realistic graphic novels. I would recommend that you read the first book first as this one takes place afterwards and just jumps right into the story.
Summer's over and Sunny is struggling with middle school and missing her brother after he's been sent off to boarding school.I enjoyed the various 70s show references, the art style, and the family dynamic that Sunny has to go through and make sense of.Even though I didn't read Sunny Side Up first, I wasn't confused about what was going on. Centering around family and friendship, it was a heartwarming story.
Unlike the first book which was one cohesive story, this series of vignettes felt disjointed. I really can't give it more than 2 stars.
I like all the references (visual and textual) to life in the 1970's. It would be a good challenge for a reader to track everything they learn about that time period. The hard story of Sunny's brother has some positive resolution in this one.
Well, that was just as underwhelming as the first book in the series.I know this is middle grade, so you can't get too far into the darker themes, but I really don't get Sunny's brother. Something nasty has to be going on behind the scenes, because he's so messed up. The whole time I was reading it, I was thinking about things like secret abuse, or something going on in that family. It's implied that he's a delinquent "just because", and while that might be the way it sometimes is in real life,
Though I liked Sunny Side Up better (it seemed to have more "meat" to it), I enjoyed this enough and am realistic enough to know that my student readers will devour it. If their eyes move along the paper, it's a win. As a child of the 70's, I loved the various pop references sprinkled throughout. I just wish there was more complexity to it. Thanks to Edelweiss Above the Treeline for the sneak peek. Look for this graphic novel in three days!
Oh I loved this one as much as the first one! :D It takes place in the 70s and has fun 70s pop culture references and clothing. Like in the first book, Sunny is trying to figure things out including family, friends and her interest (swing flag twirling). The overall tone is sweet and funny - recommended to fans of Raina Telgemier's Smile.
A 70's time capsule as Sunny's story continues. Love, love, love the featured cultural icons like "General Hospital," "The Brady Bunch," "The Six Million Dollar Man," "Gilligan's Island," and, of course, pet rocks. Sunny even makes a blanket for her brother's pet rock on her little loom (it is actually a potholder, but it works). In the midst of the 70's nostalgia and colorful graphics is the story of Sunny's brother Dale. The family hopes for him to recover at military school and his difficulti...