Middle Grade Review: Sugar Shack

* Book 3 in the Peapod Farm trilogy * 

Winter is here. There are a lot of chores that need doing around the farm, especially bringing in wood for the fireplace. There's so much wood to bring in. Luckily Jen has her half-sisters at times to help her. Jen still isn't sure of her place within the family. There are moments of happiness and sharp moments that make her heart ache. Will she ever get things right?

My Thoughts: This was such a fun trilogy and I'm sad that the trilogy has ended. I would have read so many of these stories. I love the moments on the farm. Winter is such fun. I loved the moments in the snow - like snow living. I used to love spending time playing in the snow as a kid. We don't get too much snow now anymore. The syrup part was cute. I love that they tapped the trees the old fashioned way and that they had a party when they had enough. The families started this trilogy fractured and getting used to each other blended well by the end. 

Why I Read This: I loved the first two books in the trilogy

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended trilogy for your school and public library

 Hand this to: readers who love drama and the outdoors

** I interviewed Lucy a few months ago, check out our conversation here. 

Author Interview: Lucy Knisley

 

I'm super excited today to be chatting with Lucy Knisley. 

I love her Peapod Farm graphic novel trilogy.

The next (and last) book in the trilogy comes out next week!

And while it's the heat of summer, I'm ready to read about the snow.

Let's get chatting:

I love this trilogy. As the creator, is it sad saying goodbye to the characters? 

I'm not sure I'll ever really say goodbye to these characters! There's always a possibility I will return to Peapod Farm, but I do feel like I'm leaving them in a good place. Stepping Stones was about finding your footing in a new situation, Apple Crush was about figuring out how to navigate a new stage of friendship, and Sugar Shack is really about settling in to yourself. I think Jen, Andy and Reese have run the gauntlet of adolescence and step-sisterhood in a way that makes me feel like I did right by them, at least for now.

I can't wait to read Sugar Shack. 

Have you lived on a farm? What's the best part?

Yes! Just like Jen, I moved to the country with my mom when my parents split up. I'd been born and raised in the city up until then, so it was a big change. We didn't have a huge farm, but we had chickens for eggs, and we grew flowers and vegetables and sold them at the farmer's market. I also grew up working on larger farms in the area, milking cows and mucking manure and knocking bugs off organic produce. Obviously, there were parts I preferred over others. The best part of all was learning about where my food comes from-- the people that grow it and the land that produces it. Fresh food is delicious, and taking part in the making of it makes it even tastier! 

 

Do you have a favorite season? Favorite food(s) with that season?

I love summer-- best produce. Cherries and peaches and tomatoes and corn! But there are wonderful parts of farm life in every season. I tried to showcase those in the Peapod trilogy through the changing seasons-- even in the wintertime, when almost nothing grows, farming still continues and there's hard work and delicious treats.  

I do love all the berries of the summer. And the apples of the fall.

Do you have a favorite comic/graphic novel from childhood? 

I didn't grow up with the abundance of kids comics that we have now! But I was lucky enough to come up at the height of Calvin and Hobbes. Those were always my favorites. 

 Calvin and Hobbes are fun; I loved reading the comics from the newspapers. There were so many great ones. 

What's the best part about creating graphic novels?

I love it when a reader finds something in my books that I'd forgotten or that I'd done unintentionally, and tells me about it! Connecting with readers through my work-- making them feel less alone, or creating a kinship or appreciation for something, is my absolute favorite thing. I also like the part when I'm inking, because it's when I get to listen to an audiobook and watch the lines flow out without a lot of thought--writing and penciling takes a lot of focus and problem-solving, but inking is the part that, for me, let's me just enjoy drawing without a lot of concentration.

That does sound relaxing. 

Anything you'd like to share that I didn't ask?

Nope! I hope this book brings you coziness and makes you crave pancakes!