Ways to Make Sunshine

Renee Watson's Ways to Make Sunshine is a warm family story for 9 year olds about a girl whose name means king, and who is trying very hard to live up to it.

What happens

Ryan Hart is in fourth grade in Portland. Her mum chose the name so she'd feel powerful every time someone says it. That's not easy when the supply teacher looks surprised a girl answers to it, and Brandon at the next desk won't stop teasing.

Then there's ice cream before dinner, which is never allowed. Ryan knows straight away something is up. Dad's post office closed six months ago, and his new job pays a lot less. The family has to move.

The new house isn't new at all. The carpet is bland and the bedrooms are tiny (although Ryan does get her own). Dad works nights now, so there's no more singing along in the car on the way to school.

What makes it such a lovely read is Ryan herself. She's kind, a bit stubborn and full of ideas. She invents recipes, like lemon brownies, and not all of them work. Her big brother Ray is bossy and protective in equal measure. Sound familiar?

The chapters are short and each one feels like a little story of its own. A burnt chicken dinner. A tin of treasures left behind in her new wardrobe. An Easter speech she has practised a hundred times.

The worries are real ones, about money and moving and being laughed at, and they're handled gently. Grandma's talk about what really makes a person beautiful is a moment lots of parents will want their child to hear.

This is a great pick for a reader who likes everyday family stories with plenty of heart and not much drama. It's quiet, funny and kind.

What to read next

If this one goes down well, Renee Watson's Some Places More Than Others is another story about an Oregon girl, this time one desperate to meet the New York relatives she's only seen in photos.