It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with a review of Sunny Parker Is Here to Stay by Margaret Finnegan

Sunny Parker Is Here to Stay by Margaret Finnegan

Publisher:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Format:  Softcover ARC
Number of pages:   288 pages
Publishing:   April 24th, 2024
Source:  Blue Slip Media and Publisher

Opening Line: "On the day I cursed, I was zooming around the Del Mar Garden Apartments, testing out the new brakes on my bike."  

Sunny and her dad live at the Del Mar Gardens, a three story, sixty-four apartment affordable housing complex where her dad is the manager and all-around handyman.  Sunny helps her dad by emptying the lint traps, cleaning the floor and taking out the trash in the laundry room.  Usually, she can be found playing with her best friend Haley or taking a neighbor favor walk (something they learned from an app) with Mrs. Garcia and her son A.J to pick up tomatoes people are giving away or to help look for someone's lost pet.  However, this time when they take their walk, they see a sign on the old school building that the city housing authority is planning on tearing it down to build another affordable housing complex.  Mrs. Garcia says that no one will let that happen as they're already unhappy that the Del Mar Gardens was built, but Sunny can't understand why the neighborhood wouldn't want another building.  Her dad's building brings so much to the neighborhood already, another would be even better.

Then Sunny and Haley get invited to classmates Lark and Chases birthday party, and Sunny overhears the adults talking about the plans for tearing down the old school.  The adults feel that a park should be developed in the area instead of more housing, as "everyone could use it."  Plus, they comment that affordable housing projects only bring down the value of the houses in the area.  Sunny has always thought of herself as being low-income but never as being poor.  Not only is she offended by what the adults at the party were saying, but she begins to worry that she'll be ostracized by everyone at school if they find out she's poor.  Sunny wonders if this means that people don't even want her in the neighborhood.  Then news of a local town hall meeting comes, and Sunny feels obligated to do something.  She starts to organize a petition and gathers signatures but isn't sure if her dad will understand when even Mrs. Garcia thinks it won't change anything.  Sunny's dad thinks that they shouldn't get involved and as the manager it might cause problems, but Sunny is determined to do something, but will anyone even listen to a kid? 

Sunny Parker Is Here to Stay has a wonderful diverse cast and community atmosphere.  It kind of reminds me of growing up in military quarters where everyone becomes a part of an extended family.  Neighbors look after each other's kids on the playground, and you just help each other out.  Kids played until it started to get dark, and it was safe enough to wander from one building to the next.  The story is a little on the younger side as Sunny and the other children still believe in the "Scanlon Curse."  Where if Mrs. "Sourpus Scanlon" talks to you then you become cursed into silence until someone recites "paprika" three times to uncurse you, and you only have 24 hours to lift the curse, or you die.  It was still quite amusing to read about their attempts to avoid Mrs. Scanlon so as not to be cursed.  I also couldn't help feeling bad for Sunny because she started to think that her dad was a coward, not even brave enough to help her with her petition.  When she just didn't realize how complicated the situation was for him.  If you've read any of this author's other works like We Could Be Heroes, New Kids and Underdogs or Suzie B Won't Back Down, I'm sure you'll also enjoy this book.  Read it for the sense of community and standing up for what you believe in.  Or just for the message that a town belongs to all of us and even kids should have a say.  The author's note which ties it to her own experiences living in affordable housing gives this a personal and relatable authenticity. 

** A huge thank you to Blue Slip Media and the publisher for the softcover ARC **    

I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE