Margaret Finnegan’s Sunny Parker is Here to Stay has heart

SUNNY PARKER IS HERE TO STAY, by Margaret Finnegan, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, April 23, 2024, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 8-12)

A girl stands up for her affordable housing community in Sunny Parker is Here to Stay, a middle-grade novel by Margaret Finnegan.

Sunny Parker loves the Del Mar Garden Apartments, the affordable housing complex where she lives. And she especially loves her neighbors. From her best friend, Haley Michaels, to Mrs. Garcia and her two kids—developmentally disabled son AJ and bitter but big-hearted daughter Izzy—every resident has a story and a special place in Sunny’s heart.

Sunny never thought living at the Del Mar Garden Apartments made her different—until the city proposes turning an old, abandoned school into a new affordable housing complex and the backlash of her affluent neighborhood teaches Sunny the hard way that not everyone appreciates the community she calls home. Her dad, the Del Mar’s manager-slash-handyman, wants Sunny to lay low. But as hurtful rhetoric spreads and the city’s public hearing approaches, Sunny realizes that sometimes there’s too much at stake to stay silent.

With her friends behind her, Sunny Parker is determined to change the narrative—because she and her community are here to stay! —Synopsis provided by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Sunny Parker is a quirky character that immediately grabs your attention with the usual middle-grade antics — you can’t speak while your cursed by an old woman in the complex unless someone triple paprika’s you or you’ll die type of antics. Sunny’s voice is clear and strong from the start. And she won’t let a bad haircut — think weed whacker — stop her from accomplishing her goals.

Author Margaret Finnegan’s writing is comfortable and inviting. And her exploration of community and what that means is strong. This will especially resonate with readers who may be experiencing gentrification in their own neighborhoods.

Sunny Parker is Here to Stay is an entertaining read about acceptance and friendship. It moves fairly quickly and has a good flow. Though Sunny is entering into middle school, she reads a bit young, making this book more suitable for 8-11-year-olds.

About the author:

Margaret Finnegan is the author of the Junior Library Guild Selections New Kids and Underdogs, We Could Be Heroes, and Susie B. Won’t Back Down. Her other work has appeared in FamilyFun, the Los Angeles Times, Salon, and other publications. She lives in South Pasadena, California, where she enjoys spending time with her family, walking her dog, and baking really good chocolate cakes. Visit her online at MargaretFinnegan.com.

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