Sunshine

April 1, 2021

Gr 4-6-Ben, a young white boy, and his dog Sunshine are spending a week with Ben's mom in northern Minnesota. Exploring the lakes and islands of the region, Ben sees moose, white-tailed deer, and a blue heron. His mother left when Ben was three, and his plan is to bring her back home to St. Paul. Living on a remote island, in a cabin with no electricity, Ben's mom doesn't seem afraid of anything. But Ben is a "what-if'' kid; scared of heights, the dark, and getting lost. With Sunshine at his side, he can be brave. After Ben's mom discovers he has an imaginary dog, she explains, to Ben's delight, that Sunshine is his guardian spirit. However, when encountering bears, Ben calls out a warning to Sunshine, and endangers their lives. Now his mom suggests it's time to give up his pretend dog. Bauer keeps the reader wondering why Ben's mom left the family, creating a sensitive portrait of a woman victim to an abusive mother. That Ben is hiding his anger beneath a multitude of fears feels authentic, and his deep need for the adoring Sunshine will resonate for dog lovers. Descriptive passages of the islands and the trio's adventures in the Minnesota wilderness are sure to appeal to outdoorsy readers. But the central theme of the book, Ben's sense of loss and abandonment, informs every part of the narrative as he vacillates between trying to connect with his mother and the anger that's expressed in his shrugging off her touch. VERDICT A moving story about a boy and his dog and the solace a pet, real or imagined, can bring.-Sarah Webb, City and Country Sch. Lib., NY

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 24, 2021
Bauer’s (Winter Dance) slim, absorbing novel plunges into the emotional life of Ben, presumed white, who has not communicated with his mother since she abruptly left when Ben was three. Since then, he has lived with his caring father, who likes things “just so,” and his loyal—though wholly imaginary—dog Sunshine while longing to be like other kids who have a mother, and struggling with many fears: of heights, of the dark, of getting lost. Suddenly inspired to bring his parents back together, Ben asks to visit his mother on the remote island where she lives in northern Minnesota. Their first days are filled with adventure—she teaches him to paddle a canoe, shows him a moose, a blue heron, a mama bear and her cub at play—and with Ben’s inexplicable feelings of anger and guilt. In unfamiliar physical and emotional territory, he behaves with uncharacteristic foolhardiness, leading to a dangerous climax and a revelation behind the reason his mother left. With a deeply sympathetic protagonist, deftly drawn adult characters, and a skillfully crafted narrative structure, this is a profoundly affecting read. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from April 15, 2021
When Ben was just 3, his mother abandoned him and his father. Now the boy is to spend a week with her on an extremely isolated island in a lake on the Minnesota-Canada border. Fortunately, he has his golden-red dog, Sunshine, to accompany him. His pragmatic dad says he's far too old for an imaginary pet, but Sunshine is what keeps this "what-if kid," as his father calls him, safe. She pushes his fears down as Ben and his mother paddle across one lake and then another to reach her cabin. Although Sunshine attacks a bear and her cub that his mom takes them to see, they come through the danger unscathed. It's only after he takes the canoe and nearly fails to paddle back against a driving wind that he recognizes Sunshine's shortcomings. Without the dog's support, he finally confronts his mother about what he believes he did to drive her away when he was a toddler. Then he learns the crushing truth: that, after the damage of her own abusive upbringing, she feared she would hurt him. A terrifying fire on the island forces him to courageously help his mother and eventually come to grips with both her flaws and his. Richly character driven, immersive, evocative, and painfully sad, this effort can't fail to move young readers. Ben and his family seem to be White. An outstanding exploration of childhood trauma from a masterful author. (Fiction. 8-11)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.