Author’s agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. Ways to Make Sunshine Renée Watson (Author), Nina Mata (Illustrator) Paperback 7.99 7.19 Hardback 16.99 15.29 Ebook (Epub & Mobi) 6.39 Quantity In stock 6. Occasional illustrations by Mata ( She’s Got This) emphasize the story’s joyful realism. In vignette-style chapters, Watson warmly weaves together slice-of-life moments that capture youthful doubt alongside moments of loss and joy, showing a tight-knit family navigating difficulties with plenty of courage and plenty of love. In WAYS TO MAKE SUNSHINE (Bloomsbury, 192 pp., 16.99 ages 8 to 11), Renée Watson gives us the first installment in a series about the fourth grader Ryan Hart, a Ramona-inspired. Despite the changedĬircumstances, Ryan brings optimism to everything she does: racing bikes against her “bossy and nosy” big brother, facing her fear of public speaking, and serving as her mother’s sous chef. Ryan tries her best, but it’s hard sometimes, as when classmates tease her about having “a boy’s name” and when her father loses his job, precipitating the family’s move to a smaller, “not new at all” home.

But Ryan is a girl who knows how to make sunshine out of setbacks. That means changes like selling their second car and moving into a new (old) house. Her dad finally has a new job, but money is tight. their strength is running through my veins”). Ryan Hart loves to spend time with her friends, loves to invent recipes, and has a lot on her mindschool, self-image, and family. Fourth grader Ryan Hart’s name means “king,” and her parents encourage her to live up to it (“Dad is always telling me our people come from royalty.

In this series opener, a loose reimagining of Ramona Quimby’s exploits, Watson ( Some. In this series opener, a loose reimagining of Ramona Quimby’s exploits, Watson ( Some Places More Than Others) adroitly captures the uncertainty of growing up amid change through the eyes of an irrepressible black girl. Bloomsbury, 16.99 (192p) ISBN 978-1-5476-0056-4.

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson