LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
October 2023 Book of the Month
We couldn’t have rated My Name is Sunshine Simpson, the first book in GM Linton’s Sunshine Simpson series, more highly, and boy does this sequel live up to expectations! Sunshine Simpson Cooks Up a Storm is an illuminating, uplifting delight from start to finish, tackling big themes (handling change, bigotry, friendship, family friction, and loss) with huge heart. Sunshine herself is exactly that in name and nature — a beam of warmth and light whose story will have readers gripped and rooting for her every step of the way.
“It felt as if there were worry worms in my tummy, tangling themselves into one giant knot. Sometimes, little butterflies excitedly fluttered and danced, too. But the worms were always trying to eat the butterflies.” Big changes are afoot for Sunshine, and they’re not easy to handle. After losing her darling Grandad Bobby, it’s Sunshine’s last year at primary school, and her dad’s promotion means he has to work away from home. And what’s with her charity bake-sale teammate making bigoted remarks as her class celebrates Black History Month? Then there’s the family friction that comes in the wake of an unexpected visit from Sunshine’s glamorous Grandma Pepper (a word of warning: do NOT call her Granny. Best to use Glammy or Glam-ma!).
Add to that exuberant Auntie Sharon’s energy and advice (“we run tings, tings nuh run we!”), and a palpable sense of friendship and community, and Sunshine Simpson Cooks Up a Storm is as sweet and nourishing as Glammy Pepper’s spiced banana and pineapple hummingbird cake.
As a bonus, a recipe for this cake is included, along with Sunshine’s notes celebrating amazing Black heroes, and information on Black History Month. Oh, and mention must be made of a glorious climax that hits all the right notes with its Caribbean Christmas vibe, replete with seasonal songs played on steelpans.
Joanne Owen
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About
Sunshine Simpson Cooks Up a Storm Synopsis
Sunshine Simpson's life has never been so busy! She feels like she's on a rollercoaster.
At school everyone is talking about preparing for the big move to scary secondary. Plus, there's a Charity Bake Sale to plan for.
But with Sunshine's Dad travelling for work, Mum forgetting how to smile, a surprise family guest in the mix, and her BFFs and bake-sale classmate Riley CLASHING, Sunshine needs a DARING PLAN to stop the storm clouds from settling!
Will Sunshine's foolproof plan prove to be a piece of CAKE...or a recipe for disaster?
G.M. Linton effortlessly weaves in themes of transition to secondary school, grief and racism to the second installment of a series that is warm, gently funny and beautifully child-centred. The first title, My Name is Sunshine Simpson, published to critical acclaim in May 2023.
Includes engaging endmatter on Black History Month and celebrate inspirational Black British figures, including David Olusoga OBE, Yvonne Conolly CBE, Dame Kelly Holmes, Sir Lewis Hamilton, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Johnson Beharry, Doctor John Alcindor, Julie Felix, Ainsley Harriott, Lenny Henry, Shaka Hislop, Vanley Burke, and Dame Commander Pat McGrath DBE.
The uplifting Sunshine Simpson stories are told with humour and charm through one young girl’s quest to find her voice, celebrating the Windrush legacy and exploring themes of identity, community, belonging and self-belief.
West Midlands based author. G.M. Linton was inspired to write her debut series by her own family and the stories of her parents, who arrived in Britain from Jamaica as part of the Windrush Generation in the 1950s. Through powerful and poignant inter-generational storytelling and childhood memories, G.M. Linton keeps the Windrush legacy alive, celebrating their rich and colourful stories of the past.
G.M. Linton said: “I was inspired by my parents to write Sunshine Simpson. When I was younger, I wasn’t particularly curious about our heritage. Even though I enjoyed the Jamaican food, music and culture at home, I was young and English and had to balance this side of me too. As an adult, I've realised that may parents were my heroes and I wanted."
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781801313353 |
| Publication date: |
28th September 2023 |
| Author: |
G.M. Linton |
| Illustrator: |
Fuuji Takashi |
| Publisher: |
Usborne Publishing Ltd |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
352 pages |
| Series: |
Sunshine Simpson |
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Press Reviews
G.M. Linton Press Reviews
Praise for The Sunshine Simpson series:
'An utterly briliant book that had me laughing and crying in equal measure. G.M. Linton has created a truly radiant heroine. It is officially a new favourite.' - Tola Okogwu, author of Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun
'A book as warm and radiant as sunshine itself! I loved it.' - Lisa Thompson, author of The Goldfish Boy
'A beautiful, heartwarming hug of a book about the power of self-acceptance. I defy anyone not to fall in love with Sunshine!' - Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear
'I loved this book, Sunshine entirely lives up to her name in this delightful story that manages to be both sincerely heartfelt and sparklingly funny in equal measure.' - L.D. Lapinski, author of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency
'A huge, uplifting hug with a message that says: be yourself; be proud of who you are.' - Jen Carney, author of The Accidental Diary of B.U.G
'The story is filled with heart, humour, joy and sadness. I couldn't stop reading.' - Serena Patel, author of the Anisha, Accidental Detective series
'Sunshine lives up to her name - she's charming and hilarious' Aisha Bushby, author of A Pocketful of Stars
'This book made me LAUGH and how it made me CRY' Rashmi Sirdeshpande, author of How to Change the World
Author
About G.M. Linton
G.M. Linton found her way back to her first loves of reading and creative writing after decades of ignoring the two - and now enjoys nothing better than snatching time to read a good book and losing herself whilst imagining characters and storylines. She is particularly inspired by her parents, who arrived in Britain, from Jamaica, as part of the Windrush generation, in the 1950s. G.M. Linton lives with her family in the West Midlands. She can be found happily snacking on stuffed green olives and may be partial to a slice of cake or two.
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