Berkley Books, 2003.
ISBN: 978-0-425-22401-4
407 pages
Reader's Annotation
Going to the lake alone was dumb, but there hadn’t been any trouble there in years. Until that day when Sunshine was abducted by vampires.
Plot Summary
Sunshine (Rae) Seddon spends her time baking killer desserts until that day by the lake. Abducted by vampires she never expects to survive. Joining forces with a fellow captive, a vampire named Constantine (Con), Sunshine must use her dormant magical powers to help them both escape. First repelled by Cons, Sunshine finds herself increasingly drawn to him. When Sunshine kills a member of the vampire family that captured them with her bare hands, she becomes a target of authorities. Caught between the local cops (SOF) and the vampires, Sunshine must use all her powers to discover the location of the vampires in order to defeat them. If not, the vampires will continue to hunt for Sunshine and Con, and ultimately take over their city.
Critical Evaluation
Author Robin McKinley specializes in the fantasy genre, and many of her novels reflect her fairy tale sensibilities. McKinley’s favorite themes (a strong young female protagonist in a beauty and the beast situation) are predominant her novels. Her settings are usually far away and technologically deprived. For this novel, written in 2003, the author has created a post-apocalyptic world for Sunshine, which different from any other novel she has written. The apocalypse in McKinley’s world includes a world war between vampires (and other supernatural creatures) and humans. Told in the first person by “Sunshine” Rae Seddons, the story centers on her work in the family coffee shop as a baker. It is only after Sunshine is abducted that the world beyond the coffee shop begins to come into focus. Sunshine has an original voice with a unique viewpoint and dialect. While her voice is worth reading it is also sometimes very slow going. The reader is thrust into this exciting world with no background knowledge for the terminology or history. This contributes to becoming lost at times. While Sunshine’s language is often difficult to interpret, her vampire companion, Constantine is the opposite. Although very old, Constantine feels contemporary to the reader. Sunshine is snarky, comedic and insightful about her life, and her inherent magic. Constantine is her polar opposite. Together they are magnetic. Although the story is original it has not had the success of later books like Stephanie Meyers’ Twilight, in part due to the difficulty with the jargon, and the lack of background information. This book could be recommended to an older young adult reader who has read the Twilight series, or the Vampire Academy novels, and is ready for an outstanding stand alone vampire-themed novel.
Author Information
Born on November 16, 1952, Jennifer Carolyn Robin Turrell McKinley spent much of her early life traveling the world as a Navy brat. She currently resides in England. McKinley won the Newbury Medal for The Hero and the Crown. You can follow her at: http://robinmckinleysblog.com or www.robinmckinley.com.
Genre(s)
Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal
Curriculum Ties
English/Reading: This book could be used as a tie in with other vampire fantasy novels like: Twilight, Vampire Academy, or Vampire Diaries.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Vampire Theme: Discuss how the relationship between Sunshine and Con is complicated. How can a human and vampire become allies?
2. Baking Theme: Discuss Sunshine's baking talent and how she creates incredible desserts. Is cooking related to magic?
Language and sexuality.
Challenge Defense Ideas
- Become familiar with the book and its content.
- Refer to the collection development policy of the library.
- Refer to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly available for viewing on amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Robin-McKinley/dp/0425224015/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256704098&sr=8-1
- Try to get reviews from teens who have read the book.
Adult Crossover. Ages 16 and above.
Why I included this title
This selection was recommended by Nancy Pearl as a cross over for YA readers at a seminar I attended at the Santa Clara County Office of Education. It is also included on the 2005 ALA Best Books for Young Adults.
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