Sunny, Diary Three is the twelfth book in the California Diaries series and takes the form of a diary written by Vista Private School student Sunny Winslow.
Back Cover Summary[]
"When I'm gone," Mom was saying, "you and Dad take care of each other, okay?"
"okay," I whispered.
Summary[]
Sunny’s mom has stopped her cancer treatments, leaving the hospital to spend her final days at home.
Sunny has been sleep deprived and kind of all over the place. She goes to school, but not to her classes. She talks to Dawn a little, but otherwise, her mind has been hijacked by thoughts of losing her mom. When a string of visitors comes through the door to say their good-byes, she finally realizes this is it. The end.
Facing the pain allows Sunny to actually talk to her mom and learn a little more about her before she’s gone. Sunny makes it her duty to start helping and becomes obsessed with listing everything she needs to say before her mom dies.
Her mother knows there isn’t enough time (there will never be enough time) to say everything that needs to be said, but maybe there’s something she can give her daughter that will help ease Sunny’s pain.
Characters[]
Sunny's Family
Extended Family
- Morgan
- Sunny's paternal grandparents
Teenagers
Adults
- Ms. Krueger
- Unnamed doctors and nurses
- Jack Schafer
- Carol Olson
- Greta, Rebecca, - members of Betsy's cancer support group
- Anne - one of Betsy's friends
- Jim - Pastor/minister
- Jake and Nina - singers and piano player (Jake)
Locations[]
- Winslow House
- Vista Private School
- Palo City Universalist Church
- Mall
Pop Culture and Real Life References[]
- Little Women
- Alice in Wonderland
- Marlo Thomas and the show That Girl
- K.D. Lang (singer)
- Joni Mitchell
Continuity and Inconsistencies[]
Continuity
- Sunny apologizes for how she acted toward Ducky in Dawn, Diary Three.
Inconsistencies
- Sunny narrates that she's lived in California all her life, except in Dawn's Book its said that the Winslows are from Oregon. Sunny was only six when they moved, though, so it's possible she doesn't really remember Oregon.
Trivia[]
- On the dedication page it says: "For Jean Feiwel who was there at the beginning and who is always there."
- Sunny and her friends once stayed up until 4 a.m. Betsy came in and stayed up with them and told them about a sleepover she had when she was their age, where she and her friends talked about boys they liked.
- There's a rock and tree exactly halfway between Sunny's house and school, she and Dawn once counted the steps.
- Sunny's grandparents used to just drop on by and not call.
- Betsy wants Sunny to wear her wedding dress when she's ready to get married.
- Jill is briefly mentioned.
- Sunny worries that Paul and Morgan will fall for each other after Betsy dies.
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|---|---|---|
| #1 Dawn | #2 Sunny | #3 Maggie | #4 Amalia | #5 Ducky | #6 Sunny, Diary Two | #7 Dawn, Diary Two | #8 Maggie, Diary Two | #9 Amalia, Diary Two | #10 Ducky, Diary Two | #11 Dawn, Diary Three | #12 Sunny, Diary Three | #13 Maggie, Diary Three | #14 Amalia, Diary Three | #15 Ducky, Diary Three | ||
| Other Series | ||
| Baby-Sitters Club | Super Special | Portrait Collection | Readers' Request | Mystery | Super Mystery | Baby-sitters Club: Friends Forever | Baby-Sitters Little Sister | California Diaries | The Kids in Ms. Colman's Class | ||