- Graphic Novels
- Ages 8–12
- Contemporary
Sunny Makes a Splash
Book 4 of 6 in SunnyView the full series
A breezy, summer-set Sunny story about a first job, independence and maybe-flirtation at the community pool. It is one of the cosier, lower-sensitivity entries in the series.
- Best for8–12
- FormatGraphic
- Length224 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr45 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Warm
- Heartwarming
- Cosy
- Nostalgic
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
It is summer, and Sunny is bored. Most of her friends are away, her mum wants her to babysit more than she would like, and there is not much happening except heat, television and the community pool. Then Sunny gets a job at the snack shack, and suddenly summer starts to feel a lot more interesting. She is earning money, serving fries and ice cream, working with a sweet boy, and discovering that independence can be exciting as well as complicated. Her mum is not entirely sure Sunny is ready for so much freedom, but Sunny wants to prove she can handle it. This fourth Sunny graphic novel has a relaxed, nostalgic summer feel and a lower emotional weight than the first books. The story is still about growing up, but the focus is on first work, responsibility, family boundaries and the early awkwardness of maybe liking someone.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 8–12
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Summer story
- First job
- Realistic graphic novel
- Low peril middle grade
- Reluctant readers
Avoid if
- Has not read earlier sunny
- Wants high stakes plot
- Dislikes crush storylines
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Struggling with reading
- Making friends
- Moving to secondary school
- Low self esteem
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A warm graphic-novel series about growing up — a reluctant-reader favourite that opens talk about family and change.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific kick is the first job — Sunny at the snack shack at the community pool, earning money, working with a sweet boy, independence and responsibility tangling together. The Sunny for a teen mid-first-summer-job.
- Adventure and freedom
- Being special or chosen
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
The summer-job Sunny — 1970s community pool, first independence, mum's-not-sure-you're-ready tension. Lower-sensitivity than the early volumes; nostalgic and warm. Useful for any older tween about to take on real responsibility.
- Nostalgia
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Conversation starter
In the series
Sunny.
6 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
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- Hive ↗
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