FIERCELY FICTIONAL celebrates fierce, inspiring fictional girls we know you’ll love. To us, “fierce” isn’t just about slaying dragons or solving mysteries. It’s about breaking free from your comfort zone, discovering your confidence, fighting for what you believe in, & discovering your emotional strength. Any girl can shine bright & be fierce, & in this series, we’ll connect you with a new fiercely fictional character every month!
FIERCELY FICTIONAL is back, and this month, we’re highlighting the fearless Dorani from The Trouble With Sunshine by Yamile Saied Méndez.
Dori’s mom raised her to believe that people are more important than rules, which is why Dori has always been fearless when it comes to doing what is right. She’s never afraid to stand up for her beliefs, but when speaking up leads to the most devastating loss of her life, her voice feels stifled by grief and sadness.
Grieving the loss of her mom, Dori moves from Miami to Wyoming to live on her Tía Ivette’s horse ranch, where she rehabilitates and trains troublesome horses. Not only is she the new girl in school, but Dori suddenly stands out in a way she never has before. Back in Miami, she’s never had to explain her Puerto Rican and Argentinian roots because she was always surrounded by vibrant Latin American culture, but in Wyoming, Dori’s classmates and teachers are unfamiliar with her heritage and traditions.
As Dori navigates her new town, new school, and life without her mom, she bonds with a horse named Sunshine. Sunshine recently lived through an accident that’s left her skittish and fearful, something that Dori deeply understands. When her school implements new policies that unfairly target certain students, Dori knows what she needs to do – and how her mom would have wanted her to handle things.
The Trouble With Sunshine:
A heartwarming story about grief and new beginnings, by Pura Belpré Award-winning author Yamile Saied Méndez.
The trouble with sunshine is it comes even if you think you don’t deserve it.
Dori’s mom, Isa, taught her to be bold and challenge the rules if they don’t seem fair. People are more important than rules. But she never taught Dori how to do it all without her. So, when Isa dies on the way to speak with the principal about Dori’s latest revolution, Dori loses her voice. Her grief and guilt become the loudest parts of her.
Moving from vibrant Miami to quiet, middle-of-nowhere Wyoming with her aunt feels like the punishment she deserves. She spends most of her time with their newest horse, Sunshine. Sunshine was involved in an accident that’s left her skittish and hard to care for. Tia Ivette knows her behavior comes from fear, and she is trying everything to make Sunshine brave again. But Dori knows grief can feel like fear… and grief is just love with no place to go.
Speaking up for Sunshine reminds Dori that the very best parts of her mother live on through her, and so when she starts to notice that the rules at her new school unfairly target specific students, she knows just want her mother would do…
The Trouble With Sunshine
AUTHOR: Yamile Saied Méndez
PUBLISHER: Scholastic Press
DATE: March 4, 2025
The Trouble With Sunshine is a perfect read for anyone who’s ever felt alone in their loss, struggled to fit in, or loves to cause a little good trouble. What makes Dori fierce? She’s unafraid to speak up and advocate for the things that are important to her. But her outspoken side isn’t the only thing that makes her fierce. She’s quietly brave as she navigates her new life without her mom and learns to embrace her new normal.
We’re excited to share that author Yamile Saied Méndez is here to share a peek between the pages of The Trouble With Sunshine and all the reasons Dorani is totally fierce!
Five Reasons Dorani Gutierrez is Totally Fierce:
She’s not afraid to speak up, even when the consequences aren’t the best:
When Dorani’s school bans one of her favorite books, she’s not afraid to speak up and tell her principal that banning books hurts children. And when she moves to her new school and discovers that there is a lot of prejudice against minority groups, she doesn’t hesitate to speak up again, even though the first time she did brought her dire consequences.
When she makes a mistake, she apologizes and tries again:
Throughout the book, Dorani experiences a lot of grief. Losing her mom, her best friend, is a special kind of heartbreak she never thought she’d go through. Dorani’s family and friends give her the space to express all her emotions, but sometimes, she forgets that others are going through difficult things, too.
When she realizes her actions cause others pain, she doesn’t hesitate to apologize and correct her behavior. Like learning how to ride a horse for the first time, apologizing isn’t easy, but Dorani tries and succeeds.
She loves to share her culture with others and learn about new cultures, too:
In Miami, Dorani never had to explain her Latine and Puerto Rican culture, but in Wyoming, a lot of people aren’t familiar with her holiday traditions, or even facts of her family’s ancestral country.
When her teacher isn’t familiar with Puerto Ricans calling their country an archipelago and instead calls it an island, Dorani respectfully corrects her and is happy to share other facts about her culture, like things they do on Three Kings Day. She’s also excited when Aniston, her new friend, tells her of her own traditions.
She’s brave:
Moving to a whole new part of the country to live with a stranger (even if that stranger is her aunt) is one of the most difficult things Dorani has to do. In Wyoming, she encounters a lot of new situations: being the new girl, dealing with frigid weather, and learning how to take care of horses! But even though she’s so scared and nervous, she still does what needs to be done, and grows so much in the process.
Being brave doesn’t mean not feeling fear. It’s feeling fear, acknowledging it, and still moving forward.
She’s a bridge between people:
Dorani has a talent for bridging differences between people. As a child who grew up between cultures, languages, and homes, she’s had to learn to bring people together. She’s the bridge between her parents, between her late mom and her aunt, and between her friends who are getting to know each other. She also celebrates others and their accomplishments.
📚Need another fierce read to add to your shelf after The Trouble With Sunshine? Catch up on our FIERCELY FICTIONAL series!
