Ways to Make Sunshine

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Ages 7 to 10

Award-winning author Renée Watson’s Ramona-esque middle grade series starring an irrepressible girl and her lovable family.

Ryan Hart loves to spend time with her friends, loves to invent recipes, and has a lot on her mind—school, self-image, and family. Her dad finally has a new job, but money is tight. That means changes like selling their second car and moving into a new (old) house. But Ryan is a girl who knows how to make sunshine out of setbacks. Because Ryan is all about trying to see the best. Even when things aren’t all she would wish for—her brother is infuriating, her parents don’t understand, when her recipes don’t turn out right, and when the unexpected occurs—she can find a way forward, with wit and plenty of sunshine.

Newbery Honor- and Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Renée Watson was inspired to write her own version of Ramona, starring a Black girl and her family, in this charming new series.

About the Author

Renée Watson is a New York Times bestselling author. Her novel, Piecing Me Together, received a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award. Her books include Some Places More Than Others, This Side of Home, What Momma Left Me, Betty Before X, cowritten with Ilyasah Shabazz, and Watch Us Rise, cowritten with Ellen Hagan, as well as two acclaimed picture books: A Place Where Hurricanes Happen and Harlem’s Little Blackbird, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Renée lives in New York City. www.reneewatson.net; @harlemportland (Instagram); @reneewauthor (Twitter)