Sunshine

Set in the northern Minnesota wilderness, a timeless novel about a boy and his imaginary dog explores the legacy of guilt and blame--and what really constitutes a family.

Newbery Honoree Marion Dane Bauer evokes the "summer that changed everything" in the life of a boy growing up without a mother. Since as far back as Ben can remember, it's been him, his devoted dad, and Sunshine--Ben's little dog, who rarely leaves Ben's side. It was Mom who did the leaving, and Ben's about to spend a whole week with his suddenly present mother in the wilds of northern Minnesota. On the remote island she calls home, Ben will learn to canoe, weather the elements, and weigh a burning question: when will she come back to where she belongs? A must-read for dog lovers, children of divorce, and the imaginative and outdoorsy, Sunshine is a poignant, ultimately hopeful story about self-discovery, facing big realities, and finally, forgiving the things--and people--you can't forget.

Author: Marion Dane Bauer
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Published: 05/18/2021
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.40w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781536214116
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4
Point Value: 4
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 511840 / Sunshine


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 04/01/2021 pg. 117
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2021
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 06/01/2021
Publishers Weekly 05/24/2021

About the Author
Marion Dane Bauer is an award-winning author of more than one hundred books for young people, including the Newbery Honor Book On My Honor and The Stuff of Stars. A former faculty member of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults, she now writes full-time. Marion Dane Bauer lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.