Ten-year-old Sunny is finding it hard to get used to her big brother Dale’s absence—he’s been sent to military school after troubling behavior with alcohol and drugs. Sunny is excited for Dale’s first visit home, at Thanksgiving, but he’s bitter and withdrawn the entire time. When he’s home for Christmas, Sunny gives him a pet rock as a gift (it’s the 1970s—they’re all the rage). He’s underwhelmed. Optimistic Sunny tucks the rock in his luggage when he’s about to leave it behind, but she’s also hurt and confused. Sunny’s new next- door neighbor is a teenage girl who does swing flags in color guard. Sunny is an eager student when the girl offers to teach her. It’s not only fun but provides a welcome distraction from life at home. A visit from Gramps, who lives in Florida, gives Sunny the chance to finally talk with someone about Dale, something her parents have found it hard to do, although her mom is trying. There is hope that the big brother Sunny has always adored is finding his way by story’s end in this honest and ultimately upbeat graphic novel that continues the story begun in Sunny Side Up. (Ages 9-12)

In the mid-1970s Sunny Lewin is back, star of her personal show, facing the prospect of Middle School, and dealing with the problems of her somewhat dysfunctional family--in particular her older brother, Dale, who has been sent off to a military academy because of his delinquent behavior.