75. Ways to Make Sunshine

Ways to Make Sunshine (Ryan Hart #1) Renee Watson. Illustrated by Nina Mata. 2020. [April] 177 pages. [Source: Bought]
 

First sentence: I am a girl with a name that a lot of boys have. So when the substitute teacher takes roll and calls out, “Ryan?” she looks surprised when I answer. I wish Ms. Colby were here.

Premise/plot: Ryan Hart starts in this realistic chapter book for young readers. Set in Portland, Oregon, Ryan is enjoying--or "enjoying" her last days as a fourth grader. Every day seems to have its challenges. Some days are super-fantastic and she's loving her life just as it is--cooking with and cooking for her family, hanging out with her friends, just living in the moment. Other days are less so. (And that's so realistic.) Some days she's anxious about things going on at school, at church, at home. (For example, at school and church there are a handful of opportunities where she'll have to face her fear of speaking in public--a church program and a talent show.) Her challenges at home include her family moving, struggling with money, and....something that will change everything forever. And then there's that PESKY brother, Ray. This is very much a character driven novel with each chapter being written almost episodic. 

My thoughts: I read the second book first. I really loved Ways to Grow Love. I loved it so much that I sought out the first book and BOUGHT it. I already knew some of what happened in this one because it's mentioned now and then in the second book. (Like what happened on Easter, what happened at the birthday party, etc.) I do recommend both books. I would love a long, long, long series starring Ryan Hart. 

One thing I appreciated in both books is that the Hart family is religious. The family attends church and believes in God. This shouldn't be so unusual that it stands out and is worth mentioning except this is so super rare in books. Normal, every day, ordinary, nothing-special faith-filled moments are excluded from most books. And if faith is mentioned in books, it is usually done in a negative way, something to rebel and react against. (Like the sooner you divorce yourself from faith the happier you will be.) Yet the book isn't preach-y. Just unassuming and natural. 

That being said--and I did find it very refreshing to have faith mentioned at all--I would hope the Easter service was more than just all the kids in Sunday School standing up and reciting poems and essays. Because if a Sunday School talent show--one kid did play a musical instrument--is ALL that the church does for Easter, well, I would leave wanting more.

I loved the characters, the setting, the relationships. This isn't an action-packed read with mysteries to unpack and bad guys to defeat. This is "just" a book that follows a girl through three to four months of the school year. It is all about the feels--her making sense of her life, how she's feeling, etc.

Quotes:

• “I do not have a boy’s name. I have my name. My name is Ryan and Ryan means ‘king’ and that means I am a leader—”
• Dad is always telling me our people come from royalty, that my ancestors lived in Africa and were kings and queens and inventors and hard workers. Mom tells me their strength is running through my veins.
• My brother’s name is Raymond. We call him Ray. His name means “protector” and Dad says he should be keeping me, his little sister, safe. But mostly he is just bossy and nosy and sometimes he treats me like I am a glass thing that could break.
• Here’s the thing about ice cream. No matter how sweet it is, no matter if it’s given to you even when you aren’t supposed to have it, no matter if you’re told you can come back for seconds—it doesn’t take away the sadness.
• “How you wear your hair is your choice and no matter what you choose, it’s not going to determine if you’re beautiful or not. The only thing that will determine that is how you treat others. If you are mean to people, if you act ugly toward them, that’s what takes your beauty away.”
• “I’m not a leader. I’m a girl who gets so scared standing in front of people that I freeze and forget my words. That’s not a good leader at all.”

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers