Sunshine

Bauer’s (Winter Dance) slim, absorbing novel plunges into the emotional life of Ben, presumed white, who has not communicated with his mother since she abruptly left when Ben was three. Since then, he has lived with his caring father, who likes things “just so,” and his loyal—though wholly imaginary—dog Sunshine while longing to be like other kids who have a mother, and struggling with many fears: of heights, of the dark, of getting lost. Suddenly inspired to bring his parents back together, Ben asks to visit his mother on the remote island where she lives in northern Minnesota. Their first days are filled with adventure—she teaches him to paddle a canoe, shows him a moose, a blue heron, a mama bear and her cub at play—and with Ben’s inexplicable feelings of anger and guilt. In unfamiliar physical and emotional territory, he behaves with uncharacteristic foolhardiness, leading to a dangerous climax and a revelation about the reason his mother left. With a deeply sympathetic protagonist, deftly drawn adult characters, and a skillfully crafted narrative structure, this is a profoundly affecting read. Ages 8–12. (May)