  | Trouble with Sunshine Author: Mendez, Yamile Saied | |
| Price: $24.48 | ||
Summary:
Dorani's mom, Isa, taught her to be bold and challenge the rules if they don't seem fair. People are more important than rules. But she never taught Dorani how to do it all without her. So, when Isa dies on the way to speak with the principal about Dori's latest revolution, Dori loses her voice. Her grief and guilt become the loudest parts of her.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 5.20 Points: 7.0 Quiz: 554184 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (01/15/25)
Booklist (+) (12/01/25)
The Hornbook (00/05/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 12/16/2024 In a heartfelt novel about adapting and overcoming personal challenges, M?ndez (The Beautiful Game) spotlights the camaraderie to be found in difference and the joys one discovers while learning to fit in. Thirteen-year-old Dorani Gutierrez is multitalented: she’s smart, compassionate, revels in learning about her heritage, and always speaks her mind. Though her father, who is of Argentinian descent, is mostly absent, her Puerto Rican mother’s presence more than makes up for it-until her mother dies. Now Dori must leave Miami-as well as her best friend and her mother’s fianc?-to live on a ranch in Wyoming with her t?a Ivette, her mother’s estranged sister. While moving from the city to the country is a shock, Dori throws herself into her new reality with gusto, even as she grapples with grief. With the help of Sunshine, a horse that T?a is rehabilitating following an automotive accident, Dori makes new friends and inspires good in everyone she meets. Sophisticated first-person narration is imbued with Dori’s infectious enthusiasm. Simply rendered conflict-both emotional and interpersonal-allows the novel to maintain an overwhelmingly jovial tone that celebrates all the things that make a family. Ages 9-12. Agent: Linda Camacho, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Mar.) - Copyright 2024
Booklist - 02/01/2025 *Starred Review* After the unexpected death of her mother, 13-year-old Dorani Gutierrez has her life upended when she’s uprooted from her Miami home to the cold weather of Wyoming to live with her estranged Tía Ivette. What begins as a rocky relationship for both aunt and niece becomes manageable as Dorani explores her aunt’s ranch and discovers an animal in need of tenderness. Upon meeting Sunshine, an Argentine Criollo horse who has suffered its own traumatic experience, Dorani builds a relationship with the withdrawn creature. It is this connection that allows Tía Ivette to open up and shed light on the rift with her sister. Despite the comforting routine and new friends, Dorani unintentionally sparks trouble at her new school by questioning their status quo of shunning other cultures. As this young and determined protagonist discovers the power of words, she will have to decide if it’s best to speak up or stay silent. Award-winning Méndez’s breathtaking middle-grade novel is not just about a girl and her horse but also family relationships (e.g., Dorani’s movie-star father not returning her calls) and prejudicial tendencies in the school system. Fans of animal stories will get educated on various facets of caring for a horse (combing its mane or mucking stalls). A great read about the importance of bonding, grief, and healing. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.
