Sunny’s story from SUNNY SIDE UP continues in this edition of SWING IT UP, SUNNY. As the scene opens on the Sunny TV Show (each episode is matched with a TV show from the 1970s) .
THIS book is so realistic in pointing out day-to-day bits of life. Authors Matthew and Jennifer Holm excel is sharing how hard life can be when a member of a family is hurting and you are hurting for them, too.
Mom is busy cooking dinner and asking Sunny to change her little brother Teddy’s diaper. Gramps phones, from Florida, to ask Sunny how her first days of middle school are going.
Neighbor and best friend Deb watches ‘General Hospital ‘ with Sunny after school. Halloween comes up with the topic of this year’s costumes. Perhaps they should be nurses like on ‘General Hospital’. OK, but no kissing of doctors for Sunny. Then, when Sunny needs allergy tests, she finds her doctor is not anything like the ones on ‘General Hospital’. Sunny’s doctor is not romantic at all! On Halloween night, as Deb and Sunny head home from trick-or-treating, they witness two bullies taking a smaller child’s candy. Sunny talks Deb into hiding in a big pile of raked leaves and wait for the bullies to pass by. As the bullies walk by, they jump from the pile of leaves, (looking like Swamp Thing nurses- all dirty now) scaring the bullies away.
Older brother Dale comes home from military school for the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays, but he is grumpy. Dale does not appreciate the ‘Pet Rock’ Sunny gives him for Christmas. Dale is supposed to be watching Deb, Sunny, and Teddy on New Year’s Eve. Shortly before midnight, Dale is seen walking off and meeting up with his old friends. The next morning, all the mailboxes in the neighborhood are found knocked down. Coincidence?! As Dale gets ready to go back to military school, Sunny notices Dale has left the pet rock behind, but Sunny sneaks it into his duffle bag when he is not looking. During lunch after Dale leaves, Gramps talks with Sunny about how hard it has been with Dale, ” ‘I know it’s hard to watch somebody you love struggle. All you want to do is make it better.’ (says Gramps, then Sunny) ‘So what can I do?’ (Gramps) ‘ What we did. Just keep loving him and hope for the best. ‘ ” (145)…” ‘Life’s not like television.’ ” (146)
New neighbors move in next door to Sunny. She and mom take them fresh baked cookies. Though the girl at the door, Neela, is older than Sunny, they will soon be great friends. Neela will soon be teaching Sunny flag twirling, an activity that accompanies the high school marching band.
In May, Sunny sends Dale a hand-made blanket to keep his pet rock warm. Surprising, Dale phones Sunny to thank her and is very cordial. Dale goes on to explain that ‘Rocky’, his pet rock, ” ‘ was kind of having a hard time at first. But , uh, he’s trying to figure things out, so he’s doing a little better now.’ ” (209)