Sunny Parker Is Here to Stay

by Margaret Finnegan (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

A determined girl spends the summer before middle school learning to stand up for her low-income community in this funny, fast-paced read just right for fans of Kelly Yang's Front Desk.

Sunny Parker loves the Del Mar Garden Apartments, the affordable housing complex where she lives. And she especially loves her neighbors. From her best friend, Haley Michaels, to Mrs. Garcia and her two kids--developmentally disabled son AJ and bitter but big-hearted daughter Izzy--every resident has a story and a special place in Sunny's heart.

Sunny never thought living at the Del Mar Garden Apartments made her different--until the city proposes turning an old, abandoned school into a new affordable housing complex and the backlash of her affluent neighborhood teaches Sunny the hard way that not everyone appreciates the community she calls home. Her dad, the Del Mar's manager-slash-handyman, wants Sunny to lay low. But as hurtful rhetoric spreads and the city's public hearing approaches, Sunny realizes that sometimes there's too much at stake to stay silent.

With her friends behind her, Sunny Parker is determined to change the narrative--because she and her community are here to stay!

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Hardcover
$17.99

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Kirkus

Well intended but lacking in execution.

ALA/Booklist

Sunny's journey is a celebration of the power of empathy, intergenerational friendships, and collective action.

Hornbook

Sunny is a spunky young girl who finds the courage to stand up for what she believes in.

Review quotes

There are plenty of humorous situations. . . The book uses its diverse cast to sensitively address poverty, community, racism, and autism. Sunny is a spunky young girl who finds the courage to stand up for what she believes in. —Booklist

Though the story thoughtfully tackles serious topics such as domestic violence and structural racism, Sunny's hopeful perspective and commitment to community care enhance the swiftly paced narrative . . . Sunny's journey is a celebration of the power of empathy, intergenerational friendships, and collective action. —Horn Book Magazine

Margaret Finnegan
Margaret Finnegan is the author of New Kids and Underdogs and Junior Library Guild Selections We Could Be Heroes and Susie B. Won't Back Down. Her other work has appeared in FamilyFun, the Los Angeles Times, Salon, and other publications. She lives in South Pasadena, California, where she enjoys spending time with her family, walking her dog, and baking really good chocolate cakes. Connect with her at MargaretFinnegan.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781665930086
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date
April 23, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039070 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Homelessness & Poverty
Library of Congress categories
Neighbors
Social classes
Housing
Novels

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