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nikkideeley's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Book 67 of 2024: Sunny Rolls the Dice - Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm
Sunny wants to fit in and be groovy, but her best friend Deb is wanting to grow up faster than Sunny does and they have to pick their path in life.
Review:
⭐️ 3/5
Another good instalment which would be very relatable for children. I feel this book lost the depth of the first two books, but it was still an enjoyable read and an honest portrayal of being a 12 year old.
Challenges:
📚Books in 2024: 67/60
Book Information:
📖 Pages: 224
📖 Format: e-book (Library)
📖 Type: Fiction
📖 Genre: Graphic Novel, Historical, Middle Grade
📖 Series: Sunny
mdevlin923's review against another edition
3.0
Sunny and her friend Deb have started playing Dungeons and Dragons with some boys from the neighborhood...although Sunny is starting to realize that Deb is less interested in D&D and more interested in boys at school and being groovy (things that Sunny doesn't care as much about). Sunny has to figure out if she wants to fit in with Deb or do the things she is interested in.
lawbooks600's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Trigger warnings: N/A
Score: Seven out of ten.
At least I didn't take a few years to get around to reading Sunny Rolls the Dice by Jennifer L. Holm. After reading Swing it, Sunny, I hoped this one would be as good if not better, but let me get this straight: I wasn't disappointed. I only found the other three instalments slightly more enjoyable, but at least it wasn't an underwhelming reading experience.
It starts (more like continues) with Sunny opening a 1970s magazine and completing a quiz on how 'groovy' she is (according to late 1970s standards,) only to discover she is 'not groovy.' The theme of this collection of illustrations seems to be self-worth and how judging yourself could lead to negative consequences, and that is a discussion topic that is still relevant. The central problem is Sunny continues to judge herself harshly and changes her attributes to make herself more 'groovy' for most of the narrative, and she only stopped that in the concluding pages.
Let's move on to some other aspects, the pictures were engaging and so were some of the characters, with the spotlight being on Sunny this time as she keeps developing and changing as a character. The side characters are sometimes on the page, like Arun (an Asian,) but not as often as Sunny. Dedicating more page time to them would help though. It appears Sunny stopped judging herself mostly by herself, with help from other people, but there wasn't a support network. Perhaps people didn't understand problems like this back then in the late 1970s? (If so, then there's one downside to living in that decade.) The lighter scenes like when Sunny plays Dungeons and Dragons (a contemporary game at that period) with her friends is a jarring juxtaposition compared to the heavier subjects. At least the finish is heartwarming as I see Sunny's arc come to a close. There is one more book in the Sunny series to read, Sunny Makes Her Case, but no library has it, so I'll write my thoughts on it once I obtain it. It sounds intriguing, though.
bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
This book didn't have the same emotional resonance for me as the superb first book in the series did, but this is still a big winner. Holm and Holm tackle a lot of important coming-of-age issues, things like the challenges of maintaining friendships when kids mature at different rates, learning to assert yourself when the things you like to do might be considered less than "groovy" by your peers, and learning how to be true to yourself. As with the other two books, the drawings in this one are colorful and appealing, and Sunny remains a winning character. Plus, I always enjoy the total immersion in 70s pop culture that comes with these books, even though I was a child of the 80s and not the 70s, and I got a good laugh when it mentioned some things from my own childhood I'd forgotten about (such as fluffernutter sandwiches and Love's Baby Soft cologne). I found this a fun, charming book, and I'm certainly on board for more from this series.
leslie_s's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first Sunny book to read. I just loved the tween angst of being "groovy"!
sagemarilee's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
Sunny Rolls the Dice is the 3rd book in the middle grade Sunny series by Jennifer Holm. This book, like its predecessors is full of lots of 70s pop culture references. The main theme of this one is that Sunny finds her interests diverging from those of her friend. Her friend has crushes on boys and wants to buy Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. Meanwhile, Sunny is more interested in playing Dungeons and Dragons with the boys and buying D&D stuff.
This was a fun, sweet, quick read. It made me have to explain some 1970s references to my almost-10 year old. :D
This was a fun, sweet, quick read. It made me have to explain some 1970s references to my almost-10 year old. :D
historybowler's review against another edition
3.0
Closer to 3.5 stars. Definitely better than the previous entry in the series, but still inferior to the original book. I do love the inclusion of D and D to the series, but it still felt a little off.
kethumary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75