A Review of Sunny Sweet is So Not Sorry by Jennifer Ann Mann

Sunny Sweet is So Not Sorry   
by Jennifer Ann Mann  
Published October, 2013 by Bloomsbury                 
208 pages 
Genre: Fiction
Format: Chapter book
Disclosure: Obtained from Netgalley

Summary From Goodreads

We’ve all woken up on the wrong side of the bed. But have you ever woken up stuck to the bed? Masha Sweet has. And there’s only one possible reason: her little sister Sunny. Masha is used to Sunny’s evil genius ways, but the glue Sunny used to secure a bouquet of plastic daisies to Masha’s head is not coming out! The girls have to stay home from school and through a bizarre turn of events, they wind up at the hospital. It’s the perfect place to fix Masha’s head…but first they will (almost) contract a (not so) killer virus, steal a cast, and lead the nurses on a wild goose chase. When this is all over, Sunny Sweet is going to be so sorry!

My Thoughts
I loved this debut novel by Jennifer Ann Mann and I think kids will too.  I found Sunny and Masha to have a delightfully complicated (and hilarious) relationship.  Little sister, Sunny, is a "genius" and genuinely tries to be helpful to Masha, but often causes more problems for her.  Sunny never seems to get in trouble for her antics which frustrates Masha to no end.  Many tweens will relate to Masha who is adorably clumsy and awkward. The story has many twists and turns that will keep readers interested. 

Who Would Enjoy This Book
Children who enjoy precocious characters and books such as Beverly Cleary's Ramona series would enjoy the Sunny Sweet books.  I like how Masha is an older "tweenager" because the book appeals to younger (3rd gradeish) and older (5th gradeish) students.  I have several of my 4th graders reading it right now and they are just loving it.  I often struggle to find books for tween readers. This is a great series for kiddos who are not ready for the content of YA, but need books with more of a story line than is offered in some early chapter books. 

I was very fortunate to (accidentally) meet Jennifer Ann Mann in a session at NCTE. I was also lucky to score an ARC of the next book in this terrific new series in Boston as well. It is called Sunny Sweet is So Dead Meat and it comes out in the spring of 2014.  I am hoping to read it as soon as my students will give it back to me.