Sunshine: A Graphic Novel

The extraordinary -- and extraordinarily powerful -- follow-up to Hey, Kiddo.

When Jarrett J. Krosoczka was in high school, he was part of a program that sent students to be counselors at a camp for seriously ill kids and their families. Going into it, Jarrett was worried: Wouldn't it be depressing, to be around kids facing such a serious struggle? Wouldn't it be grim?

But instead of the shadow of death, Jarrett found something else at Camp Sunshine: the hope and determination that gets people through the most troubled of times. Not only was he subject to some of the usual rituals that come with being a camp counselor (wilderness challenges, spooky campfire stories, an extremely stinky mascot costume), but he also got a chance to meet some extraordinary kids facing extraordinary circumstances. He learned about the captivity of illness, for sure but he also learned about the freedom a safe space can bring.

Now, in his follow-up to the National Book Award finalist Hey, Kiddo, Jarrett brings readers back to Camp Sunshine so we can meet the campers and fellow counselors who changed the course of his life.

• Forming Connections: Jarrett is a one-on-one counselor to a withdrawn 13-year-old named Diego, who has brain cancer. He uses his drawing skills to connect with Diego over shared interests in superheroes and comics. He also bonds with another family, the Orfaos, particularly a cheerful young boy named Eric who has leukemia.
• Challenging Perceptions: The book counters the assumption that the camp experience would be uniformly grim or depressing. Instead, Jarrett finds moments of ordinary fun and deep connection, realizing the children are focused on "living life to its fullest".
• Impact of Service: The memoir highlights how the experience of serving others profoundly changes Jarrett's own outlook on life, helping him to differentiate between trivial worries and what truly matters.
• Hope and Resilience: Through the stories of the campers and their families, the graphic novel emphasizes themes of hope and the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity and illness. 

Age - 12+
Author - Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Format - Hardback
Pages - 240
Dimensions - 6.1 x 0.7 x 8.46 inches