Stepping Stones (Peapod Farm Series #1)

by Lucy Knisley

Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The first book in an acclaimed graphic novel series inspired by the author’s own childhood tells an amazing story of unlikely friends, sisters, and home.

“This candid, heartwarming look at a child grappling with major changes will resonate with fans of Raina Telgemeier and Svetlana Chmakova and anyone trying to find their place.”—School Library Journal, starred review

Jen did not want to leave the city. She did not want to move to a farm with her mom and her mom's new boyfriend, Walter. She did not want to leave her friends and her dad.

Most of all, Jen did not want to get new "sisters," Andy and Reese.

As if learning new chores on Peapod Farm wasn't hard enough, having to deal with perfect-at-everything Andy might be the last straw for Jen. Besides cleaning the chicken coop, trying to keep up with the customers at the local farmers' market, and missing her old life, Jen has to deal with her own insecurities about this new family . . . and where she fits in.

Look for the whole Peapod Farm series
STEPPING STONES • APPLE CRUSH • SUGAR SHACK

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781984896841
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/05/2020
Series:	Peapod Farm Series , #1
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	GN500L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Lucy Knisley is the critically acclaimed, award-winning, New York Times bestselling comics creator of Relish and Kid Gloves. She lives in Chicago with her partner and kiddo. She specializes in personal, confessional graphic novels and travelogues. Stepping Stones is Lucy's first graphic novel for kids. Find her online at @lucyknisley.

Editorial Reviews

It may be predictable, but the rural transplant premise still provides delight and relief, especially as rendered by Knisley, a comic artist with a creative spirit as fresh as the farm. At a moment when the world is craving, en masse, a return to a simpler time, Stepping Stones is especially seductive, but its appeal is perennial; children (and their parents) will return to it again and again, savoring the visual details that initially go unnoticed, reliving the wit and wonder.

The New York Times Book Review - Susan Dominus

“This candid, heartwarming look at a child grappling with major changes will resonate with fans of Raina Telgemeier and Svetlana Chmakova and anyone trying to find their place.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“A realistic and relatable story of tween growth.” —The Horn Book, starred review
 
“Knisley balances humor and deeply felt emotion to capture the particular unfairness of being a child at the mercy of parental decisions.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Painfully realistic, this is a strong addition to the middle-grade shelf.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“A quietly charming tale.” —Booklist
 
“Jen’s awkwardness, her struggles with math, and her grudging acceptance of her new life make her a relatable heroine that readers will root for.” —The Bulletin 

From the Publisher

2020-02-18
In her first graphic novel for kids, Knisley explores the struggles and joys of blending families.

Jen is not happy about the newest change to her life: She and her mother are moving from the city to the country, where her mom and her mom’s boyfriend, Walter, are starting a farm. This is her mom’s dream, but it’s certainly not Jen’s. Forced to help out at the farmers market, an uncertain Jen is left to independently run the till (without a calculator) even though she’s anxious about making change. Everything gets even worse when her new stepsisters arrive. While little Reese mostly stays out of the way, Andy is a confident know-it-all who completely gets on Jen’s nerves, just like Andy’s father, who ignores others’ feelings and commands space in a way that some readers may recognize as abusive. Knisley expertly renders the shame and frustration Jen feels at her lack of agency, balancing it with a positive shift in her relationship with her new siblings as they begin to reveal their own vulnerabilities. Although Jen’s stepsisters come around to see his behavior is hurtful, Walter is never held accountable. In her author’s note, Knisley references “My ‘Walter’ ” with some fondness and further explores the parallels between her own childhood and her semiautobiographical story. All characters seem white; the setting seems to be the 1990s.

Painfully realistic, this is a strong addition to the middle-grade shelf. (Graphic historical fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews