Maple syrup, family secrets, and a winter that might just change everything.
Sugar Shack is the final installment in the Peapod Farm middle-grade graphic novel series, from New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Lucy Knisley. The story centers on Jen, a city kid still finding her footing after moving to a farm with her new blended family. As winter sets in, Jen feels increasingly isolated when her stepsister, Andy, who is preparing for her bat mitzvah, pointedly calls another sibling her “real” sister. Jen experiences these feelings of exclusion while working through her life of farm chores, the communal ritual of making maple sugar, and a local school dance. The narrative gently guides readers alongside Jen as she discovers a deeper understanding of belonging and learns that family is built on more than just biology.
Sugar Shack is an excellent choice for engaging students who are learning English or may be reluctant readers. Its graphic novel format is a powerful scaffold for comprehension. Knisley’s full-color illustrations and expressive character art help visual learners follow Jen’s emotional journey, conveying nuance that might be missed in text alone. The sentence structure is kept simple and direct, making the story easy to follow. Crucially for English learners, idiomatic language is rare, and new vocabulary, such as farm-life terms like “sap” and “spile,” is always contextualized visually. Praised by Kirkus Reviews as “understated and full of heart,” the book cleverly connects sophisticated themes of family and belonging with an accessible format, making it a valuable addition to any classroom library seeking to build both reading confidence and empathy.
