Ways to Make Sunshine

Through the text, protagonist Ryan Hart grows in the face of challenges and develops as a leader and positive thinker. At the beginning of the text, Ryan faces the difficult news that her family is moving due to ongoing financial struggles. Ryan is so upset that she refuses to eat her favorite dessert: “My ice cream is a pool of milk now and that’s fine with me because I really don’t want it” (17). Ryan is unable to see the positives in the situation, instead refusing to eat her favorite treat.

The new house offers her opportunities and realizations that may not have been available to her had her family not moved. Even though the Harts’ new home is smaller than their earlier house, Ryan’s extended family and friends still gather at their new house to celebrate Easter. When everyone leaves after a fun-filled afternoon, Ryan reflects: “I think about my family and friends and how Mom told me it’s the people who make a place a home. Without love, all you have is a house” (76). Had the family not moved, Ryan would not have made this realization; the new house causes her to find renewed value and love for her family and friends.