Ironically, we had two girls named Chloe and two named Sarai, so it was fun to hear how their parents chose their names.
We kicked off the meeting with everyone, including me, sharing what they found out about their names. One of the moms in our group created it, and it was the perfect icebreaker for our session. Icebreaker: The week before the meeting, I emailed out an exercise called The Story of My Name for the kids to complete prior to our discussion. My name is Ryan and Ryan means ‘king’ and that means I am a leader.” And throughout the story, the parents often remind their children to, “be who we named you to be.” The significance of the characters’ names and their meaning are introduced right in the beginning of the book when Ryan finds herself explaining, “I do not have a boy’s name. I’ve found that things like this don’t translate from book to reality in my home the way they do from television – just another reason why I love books so much. There was more sass than what I would have preferred, but I know kids in this age group are old enough to distinguish between what a character may say (or the way she may say it) and what’s acceptable in their home. It has just the right combination of light kid fun balanced with weightier real-life issues to keep readers interested in Ryan Hart’s life.
The children enjoyed this book, and I can see why they were into it. But even if her life isn’t everything she would wish for, when her big brother is infuriating, her parents don’t quite understand, and the unexpected happens, she always finds a way forward, with grace and wit.
As her brother says when he raps about her, she’s got the talent that matters most: it’s a talent that can’t be seen, she’s nice, not mean! Ryan is all about trying to see the best in people, to be a good daughter, a good sister, a good friend. But Ryan is a girl who knows how to make sunshine out of setbacks. That means some changes, like selling their second car and moving into a new (old) house. Her dad finally has a new job, but money is tight. Ryan Hart has a lot on her mind–school, self-image, and especially family. The author, Renee Watson, has written a variety of books for younger and older children, but this is the first one I’ve seen for this age group. The book is marketed for grades 4 – 6, but I think it’s more appropriate for grades 3 – 5, so it met our needs perfectly. Ways to Make Sunshine is the first book in a new series targeting young middle grade readers.
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