The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James

The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James
Ashley Herring Blake
Little, Brown, 2019 384 pages
Grades 5-8
Realistic Fiction

Sunny has not had an easy life. Abandoned by her alcoholic mother and left with Kate, Mom's best friend, Sunny suffers from a serious heart condition. When a new heart becomes available, Kate whisks her into surgery for a transplant. Upon waking up, she sees her birth mother, who Sunny suspects is really a mermaid. The surgery is successful and with her new heart, Sunny reinvents herself and decides to become a "new Sunny". The first step in this process is a first kiss. As the summer progresses Sunny makes a new friend, as she comes to terms with the betrayal of her old best friend, and she and Quinn decide to go on this kissing mission together and search for boys as possible candidates. As the search continues, with some hilariously disastrous results, Sunny realizes that she would rather kiss her partner in crime, Quinn, than a boy. Meanwhile, Mom wants to reconnect and begins to teach Sunny to surf as a way to bond. Sunny realizes that she loves surfing, but is she ready to trust Mom and let her back into her life?

It is impossible to read this character driven story without falling in love with Sunny and caring about her outcome. Readers will instantly empathize with her and experience the betrayal of a best friend, the confusion of first love, and the frustration of a body that does not always cooperate. All of the secondary characters are as carefully drawn as Sunny and though loving, are realistically flawed. Coming of age is hard enough, but poor Sunny has a lot to deal with during this pivotal summer. She conquers it all and figures things out in a satisfying manner. Readers will see the crush on Quinn develop before Sunny realizes it. It was with great relief that her adults are all supportive and helpful as she wrestles with her romantic preferences and navigates the choppy waters of first love. Blake offers a few surprises that readers may not see coming, making for an entertaining read, that though quiet, is never boring. Sunny is a poet/song writer and her poems are sprinkled through the book, possibly encouraging other young writers. A well-crafted piece of fiction sure to impress both readers and reviewers and satisfy fans of the author's earlier works.