- Graphic Novels
- Ages 8–12
- Contemporary
Swing It, Sunny
Book 2 of 6 in SunnyView the full series
A warm sequel about starting middle school while still feeling the aftershocks of family upheaval. It is funny and readable, but strongest for children who like realistic graphic novels about growing up when life at home is complicated.
- Best for8–12
- FormatGraphic
- Length224 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr45 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Warm
- Heartwarming
- Bittersweet
- Thought provoking
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Sunny is back from Florida and starting middle school, which turns out to be confusing in entirely new ways. Classes, friendships and fitting in are all harder than expected, and Sunny keeps telling her grandfather on the phone that she is fine even when she is not. At home, things are still unsettled. Her brother Dale has been sent away to boarding school, and when he returns, he seems different from the brother she remembers. Sunny wants life to feel normal again, but middle school and family change keep pushing her into unfamiliar territory. This second Sunny graphic novel keeps the humour, period detail and accessible panel style of Sunny Side Up, while digging further into the emotional experience of a child trying to carry on after a difficult family disruption. It is thoughtful, funny and quietly moving, with strong appeal for readers who like realistic, friendship-and-family graphic novels.
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
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: substance references, mental health.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Middle school story
- Realistic graphic novel
- Family issues
- Raina telgemeier next
- Reluctant readers
Avoid if
- Has not read sunny side up
- Needs light comedy only
- Sensitive to family addiction
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Moving to secondary school
- Anxiety and worry
- Struggling with reading
- Illness in family
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 weight is middle school after a hard summer — Sunny back from Florida starting school, big brother sent away, the family unsettled in ways nobody is saying out loud. The Sunny that keeps the addiction story going gently in the background.
- Friendship and belonging
- Family belonging
- Making a difference
Why parents love it
The Sunny sequel that continues the family-addiction storyline in the background — Dale sent to boarding school, Sunny pretending she's fine on the phone to grandpa, middle school overlaid. Same restraint, same care. Best read after Sunny Side Up.
- Nostalgia
- Conversation starter
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
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.
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.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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