Stepping Stones
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-05 06:54:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Lucy Knisley
- ISBN：1984896849
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Jen is used to not getting what she wants。 So suddenly moving to the country and getting new stepsisters shouldn't be too much of a surprise。
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。
If learning new chores on Peapod Farm wasn't hard enough， then 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。
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。
If learning new chores on Peapod Farm wasn't hard enough， then 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。
Reviews
Anne
，
Stepping Stones is a graphic novel by Lucy Knisley， author of Something New and Kid Gloves - both of which I really enjoyed。 This book is her first for kids， though it feels more Middle Grade to me。 Once again， it has Lucy's bright， colorful artwork with expressive characters。 I love how she uses personal stories in her work。 In this book， the main character， Jen， has just had to leave the city and move to the country with her mom and her mom's boyfriend， Walter。 She doesn't want to help with al Stepping Stones is a graphic novel by Lucy Knisley， author of Something New and Kid Gloves - both of which I really enjoyed。 This book is her first for kids， though it feels more Middle Grade to me。 Once again， it has Lucy's bright， colorful artwork with expressive characters。 I love how she uses personal stories in her work。 In this book， the main character， Jen， has just had to leave the city and move to the country with her mom and her mom's boyfriend， Walter。 She doesn't want to help with all of the farm chores， like taking care of the chickens， or help sell items - and make change！ - at the farmer's market。 On the weekends， Walter's daughters Andy and Reese stay at the house too。 Will Jen be able to settle into her new life at the farm？At the end of the book， Lucy shares how the story was similar to her own childhood and includes photographs。 I love that she shares these things with the reader。 Could she please turn a story from my life into a cute graphic novel？！ 。。。more
Jansyn
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Cute and local kiddo fun。 Emotionally compelling。
Hao Chen
，
A quick， lighthearted story with great drawings。 I just really couldn’t stand Walter’s attitude and Jen’s mom’s indifference。 Liked it though！
Evelyn
，
A semi-autobiographical story about a young city girl trying to get used to a new life in the country and a new family dynamic。 The narrative is simple and easy to follow。 The art is extremely well done fits perfectly。 But the tone and feelings behind it all are what pull this story into prime comic territory。Jen is struggling to find her place in her new life。 But the new chores feel like an unjust and undeserved punishment。 Then， honest effort is met with failure and disappointment。 Then those A semi-autobiographical story about a young city girl trying to get used to a new life in the country and a new family dynamic。 The narrative is simple and easy to follow。 The art is extremely well done fits perfectly。 But the tone and feelings behind it all are what pull this story into prime comic territory。Jen is struggling to find her place in her new life。 But the new chores feel like an unjust and undeserved punishment。 Then， honest effort is met with failure and disappointment。 Then those failures are repeatedly brought up and compared to other's success。 And when she understandably gets upset， she gets called a drama queen for expressing her feelings。 The good news is that it does get better （probably not completely since there's going to be a sequel）， but Walter made me SO MAD I wanted to reach into the book and smack him。Either way， I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to the sequel。 。。。more
M
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2。5 stars -I'm having a hard time giving this book a rating。I feel like Kinsley really understands what it's like for children to feel like they are treated unfairly， their insecurities， and also their fears。 I felt like Jen was a very authentic character， and enjoyed getting to know her and boy OH boy did I empathize with her。 Even the step-sisters in this GN start to grow on you。The one thing that really bothers me about this GN are the adults。 The mother displays almost no compassion for Jen 2。5 stars -I'm having a hard time giving this book a rating。I feel like Kinsley really understands what it's like for children to feel like they are treated unfairly， their insecurities， and also their fears。 I felt like Jen was a very authentic character， and enjoyed getting to know her and boy OH boy did I empathize with her。 Even the step-sisters in this GN start to grow on you。The one thing that really bothers me about this GN are the adults。 The mother displays almost no compassion for Jen and the completely new life and circumstances she is facing。 And the mother's boyfriend？！ I couldn't believe how downright rude he was。 His behaviour is excused by the members of the family， and while in the end things seem to be "better，" as a reader you don't get to see that resolution。This is supposed to be a memoir of sorts， and I don't want to invalidate the authors feelings and work， but it just made me sad for Jen。 All in all， I enjoyed this but I wish I could have gotten to see Jen and her mother's boyfriend resolve their issues with one another。 。。。more
Kathryn
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3。5。 it was cute and lighthearted， but i could not stand the dad。 after reading the author's note in the back， you find out that this was modeled after the author's own experiences but i feel like i wouldn't have been so turned off if i had known that from the start。 3。5。 it was cute and lighthearted， but i could not stand the dad。 after reading the author's note in the back， you find out that this was modeled after the author's own experiences but i feel like i wouldn't have been so turned off if i had known that from the start。 。。。more
Kelley
，
3。5 stars。 Stepping Stones is a great elementary-age graphic novel that follows the main character who moves to a farm and learns what day to day life on a farm is like。 The book also explores the more complicated topics of divorce， blended families， and dealing with a difficult adult。 I would recommend this book to elementary aged graphic novel fans， fans of Lucy Knisley， and kids adjusting to gaining a step family。
Beth Wells
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Fantastic graphic novel。。。gentle but realistic look at city v。 farm， blended families， dyscalculia！ My elementary readers will love this one！🎉😁
Akchara Mukunthu
，
This book was an enjoyable read。 It was such a page-turner。 I will definitely recommend this book。
Addy
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It was so super good because I could relate to the story！It made me feel understood。
ansee ꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱♡
，
Would've been a 4 star read if Walter got any character development。 :） Would've been a 4 star read if Walter got any character development。 :） 。。。more
Dana
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An absolute joy of a graphic novel。 What a beautiful look into a young girls life as she is uplifted from the city into a new farm life with a step dad and two new step sisters。 Loved it！
Kay Doas
，
BOTH
Lauren
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CAWPILE Rating: 8。29Characters: 9/10Atmosphere: 9/10Writing: 9/10Plot: 6/10Intrigue: 7/10Logic: 8/10Enjoyment: 10/10Overall the character of Jen was what made this graphic novel a stellar read。 I feel like in such a short graphic novel Jen grew so much。 The story starts off with her moving to the country from NYC with her divorced mom， who has a new boyfriend。 Throughout the story Jen learns how to cope with new "family，" new responsibilities on a farm， and an overall new way of living life。 I r CAWPILE Rating: 8。29Characters: 9/10Atmosphere: 9/10Writing: 9/10Plot: 6/10Intrigue: 7/10Logic: 8/10Enjoyment: 10/10Overall the character of Jen was what made this graphic novel a stellar read。 I feel like in such a short graphic novel Jen grew so much。 The story starts off with her moving to the country from NYC with her divorced mom， who has a new boyfriend。 Throughout the story Jen learns how to cope with new "family，" new responsibilities on a farm， and an overall new way of living life。 I really appreciate this story for everything it brings to the table and I am so glad I bought it randomly from the book fair。 。。。more
Morgan
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Great graphic novel was late elementary & middle schoolers。 Stepping stones is the story of Jen， a young girl who is forced to move from the city to a farm。 Through her art， raising chickens， working at the farmer's market， and growing to accept her future stepsisters， Jen learns to accept situations she can't change and stand up for herself when needed。 Fun read， great art， and a promising start to this graphic novel series。 Great graphic novel was late elementary & middle schoolers。 Stepping stones is the story of Jen， a young girl who is forced to move from the city to a farm。 Through her art， raising chickens， working at the farmer's market， and growing to accept her future stepsisters， Jen learns to accept situations she can't change and stand up for herself when needed。 Fun read， great art， and a promising start to this graphic novel series。 。。。more
Erin
，
There’s a lot to like about this book， but unfortunately I couldn’t get past how much I disliked the stepdad。 He’s pretty awful to Jen， and even when people call him on his bad behavior he never apologizes or even admits he’s being insensitive。 I know it’s not unusual for kids to be caught in situations like this but I would have liked to see a little resolution on that storyline。 Even when the main character advocated for herself the stepdad continued to be a bully and a jerk。 And everyone in t There’s a lot to like about this book， but unfortunately I couldn’t get past how much I disliked the stepdad。 He’s pretty awful to Jen， and even when people call him on his bad behavior he never apologizes or even admits he’s being insensitive。 I know it’s not unusual for kids to be caught in situations like this but I would have liked to see a little resolution on that storyline。 Even when the main character advocated for herself the stepdad continued to be a bully and a jerk。 And everyone in the story made excuses for his bad behavior。 。。。more
Juli Anna
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Knisely's style is well suited to MG graphic novels: clear and playful illustrations paired with a voice that ranges deftly between candid and tongue-in-cheek。 For this reason， I enjoyed this much better than her memoirs！ The light fictionalization of her childhood experiences also felt like a positive broadening of her perspective。 The characters （kids and grown-ups both） are delightfully complex and emotionally resonant。 I hope to see more stories in this genre from her！ I will say that I had Knisely's style is well suited to MG graphic novels: clear and playful illustrations paired with a voice that ranges deftly between candid and tongue-in-cheek。 For this reason， I enjoyed this much better than her memoirs！ The light fictionalization of her childhood experiences also felt like a positive broadening of her perspective。 The characters （kids and grown-ups both） are delightfully complex and emotionally resonant。 I hope to see more stories in this genre from her！ I will say that I had a hard time tamping down my frustration at Jen's family's obliviousness to her personal struggles and at her lack of agency in her situation。 But as an intentionally childless grown-up， I think I'm just particularly sensitive to kids' general lack of say in their lives and to parents' selfishness。 。。。more
Allison
，
Another in the middle school graphic memoir category。 Truth is， I never tire of them。 This one is unique in that it takes place on a farm and deals with divorce and the blending of families。 I could acutely feel the stresses and challenges of the blending of her family with another。
Theresa
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I really enjoyed the story and the graphics in this book。 I can't wait for the next in the series。 I really enjoyed the story and the graphics in this book。 I can't wait for the next in the series。 。。。more
Liv
，
Age rating: 8-12Stepping Stones is about the blending of two families。 Jen struggles to get along with her mom’s new boyfriend and her “part-time sisters” while adjusting to life on a farm。
ani
，
really cute middle grade about a city girl in the farm。
Julie Ottosen
，
3。5
Harriet G
，
I adore every one of Lucy's books。 This one was particularly poignant （and intermittently triggering- I'm a child of divorce and had to deal with my share of "Walters"） and pleasing。 I wish it was twice as long- I just wanted to stay in that world a little longer。 Like her other books， she managed to convey the joys and frustrations of being human， sprinkling just the right dose of kindness and humor over it all。 Thank you so much， Lucy。 I adore every one of Lucy's books。 This one was particularly poignant （and intermittently triggering- I'm a child of divorce and had to deal with my share of "Walters"） and pleasing。 I wish it was twice as long- I just wanted to stay in that world a little longer。 Like her other books， she managed to convey the joys and frustrations of being human， sprinkling just the right dose of kindness and humor over it all。 Thank you so much， Lucy。 。。。more
Megs
，
The toxic behavior of the father/ stepdad was never really called out。 Many of the characters seemed to even excuse/justify the behavior and the end of the story never lead to any growth on his part。 Also， the main character- Jen's- mother decided to switch to farm life saying it is what she wanted for her daughter。 In reality， that is what the mother herself wanted for herself （which is fine）， not what Jen wanted。 The toxic behavior of the father/ stepdad was never really called out。 Many of the characters seemed to even excuse/justify the behavior and the end of the story never lead to any growth on his part。 Also， the main character- Jen's- mother decided to switch to farm life saying it is what she wanted for her daughter。 In reality， that is what the mother herself wanted for herself （which is fine）， not what Jen wanted。 。。。more
Karina Blackburn
，
I really enjoyed this book。 It was so nice to see Jen adjust to living on the farm and grow closer to her part-time sisters， and the illustrations are so nice--I love Lucy Knisley's work and occasionally find myself scrolling through her Instragram comics。That being said， I really wish that there was some resolution to the emotional abuse subplot。 Throughout the book， we see Walter （Jen's mother's boyfriend） belittle Jen and disregard her feelings， to the point that Jen openly weeps and lashes o I really enjoyed this book。 It was so nice to see Jen adjust to living on the farm and grow closer to her part-time sisters， and the illustrations are so nice--I love Lucy Knisley's work and occasionally find myself scrolling through her Instragram comics。That being said， I really wish that there was some resolution to the emotional abuse subplot。 Throughout the book， we see Walter （Jen's mother's boyfriend） belittle Jen and disregard her feelings， to the point that Jen openly weeps and lashes out。 Jen's mother does little to mediate， often taking Walter's side or making excuses for him （as his daughters often do until the end）。 Reading the author's note， I know that this story is basically a memoir and Knisley states that *her* "Walter" was "annoying and beloved to his dying day"。 However， there isn't any indication in this book that Walter would become beloved to Jen--he never even apologizes to her， not even the weird dad apology where they don't say "sorry" but do something sweet because actions speak louder than words。This part of the plot was the only hitch to me， but I still loved the book， as evidenced by my four-star rating。 It's ultimately a sweet and down-to-earth story， because no matter how I feel about some things， not everything in life can go the way you would like and this book illustrates that well。 I would still definitely recommend it to children （and anyone else who was interested）， but just be sure to remind them that their feelings are always valid and that it is okay for them to speak out about things that upset them or make them uncomfortable。 。。。more
Jess
，
A delightful story about dealing with change， blended families， and life on a small farm。
Sofía
，
I'm a huge Lucy Knisley fan and will read anything she puts out， so I was very happy that Stepping Stones was as lovely of a reading experience as all her other works。 It's a very sweet story and she does an amazing job of taking you right back to childhood， evoking the feelings of frustration and desperate anger/sadness that come with life changes you cannot control。 I can't wait for the next instalment！ I'm a huge Lucy Knisley fan and will read anything she puts out， so I was very happy that Stepping Stones was as lovely of a reading experience as all her other works。 It's a very sweet story and she does an amazing job of taking you right back to childhood， evoking the feelings of frustration and desperate anger/sadness that come with life changes you cannot control。 I can't wait for the next instalment！ 。。。more
Mathew
，
This is the first Knisley graphic novel I have read and I very much look forward to reading more。 Autobiographical in nature （with a lovely photo-rich overview at the end of the book）， Lucy tells the story of her time growing up and helping out on a farm with her mother and her new boyfriend who has children of his own。 Jen is more dragged-along than wanting to be a part of the new life away from the city and she struggles to come to terms with her parents' divorce and with Walter as a potential This is the first Knisley graphic novel I have read and I very much look forward to reading more。 Autobiographical in nature （with a lovely photo-rich overview at the end of the book）， Lucy tells the story of her time growing up and helping out on a farm with her mother and her new boyfriend who has children of his own。 Jen is more dragged-along than wanting to be a part of the new life away from the city and she struggles to come to terms with her parents' divorce and with Walter as a potential father。 And you can't blame her really， seen through the child's perspective， Walter and Jen's mother come across as pretty self-centred and rarely empathetic （Walter especially）。 It is only the slowly growing friendship between Walter's girls， Andy and Reese， that saves the family dynamic。 I loved the warm humour throughout and Knisley's artwork is just lovely but it was the author's own honesty and truth with regards to the struggles of having no control as a child of divorce as to where you go and who you have to live with that I really appreciated。 An excellent addition to any KS2 classroom with， perhaps， a focus on UKS2 since it's closer to the protagonist's age。 。。。more
Ashley
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The growing relationships between the sort of stepsisters is the heart of this story。 The character of the sort of stepfather is problematic。 From the acknowledgments， it seems the real-life counterpart was deep down a good guy， but like one reviewer mentioned on here， it’s not a great message for kids to just “put up” with someone calling your feelings dramatic and brushing them off。
Tara Ethridge
，
Another amazing graphic novel written that I know kids will love！ Jen has moved from the city to the country with her mom and her mom's boyfriend to run a farm。 Not only is she dealing with being away from her dad and having to work hard taking care of the farm， but the boyfriend's two kids come every weekend to stay。 Navigating all the drama of a bossy new roommate and an annoying adult figure in her mom's boyfriend， Jen struggles with lots of things。 I loved so much about this book: the pictur Another amazing graphic novel written that I know kids will love！ Jen has moved from the city to the country with her mom and her mom's boyfriend to run a farm。 Not only is she dealing with being away from her dad and having to work hard taking care of the farm， but the boyfriend's two kids come every weekend to stay。 Navigating all the drama of a bossy new roommate and an annoying adult figure in her mom's boyfriend， Jen struggles with lots of things。 I loved so much about this book: the pictures， the struggles， how Jen had trouble with math and how adults made her feel crummy about this， how drawing was always her thing， and about the end result of persevering through a difficult situation。 I was sad to see this book end， but then I saw Peapod Farm #1， which means another one will come！ Wonderful。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Stepping Stones
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Stepping Stones&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Stepping Stones&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0