The Peach Pit

March 1, 2022
In this second book in the series following 2021's When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie, the Peach family tackles turning a run-down historic mansion into a B&B. It's the end of the summer, and the Peaches--Lucy, 12; Freddy, 10; Herb, 8; and their father--are back home in Duluth after their summer adventure running a pie food truck. They are looking forward to getting back to their routines, but Great Aunt Lucinda has other plans. She's decided to move into a retirement home and offers to give her rather dilapidated mansion to the Peaches to fix up, live in, and run as a B&B. With reactions running the gamut from excitement (Lucy and Freddy) to apprehension (Herb thinks the mansion is haunted) to doubt (Dad is not a handy person), the family eventually accepts the challenge. What follows is a series of remodeling challenges and disasters as Dad loses heart on a regular basis and each of the children faces their own fears and limitations. But gradually the Peaches find their stride. Told in third-person narration from a different child's viewpoint in each chapter, the story is deliciously plotted and includes a lovely multigenerational aspect as Herb creates a job for himself helping out at Great Aunt Lucinda's retirement home. Interspersed with black-and-white drawings from Freddy's art-ideas notebook and some recipes, the story is by turns poignant, humorous, and empowering. Characters read as default White. Heartwarming, lively, and sprinkled with poignant truths. (Fiction. 8-12)

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April 2, 2022

Gr 3-7-This title follows the Peach family siblings-Lucy, Freddy, and Herb-and their dad on a second adventure. After an exciting summer selling pies in a food truck, the Peaches return home to Duluth, MN, to be gifted a mansion from their Great Aunt Lucinda. The one condition is that the family transform the house into a bed-and-breakfast by Thanksgiving. What ensues is a hilarious and heartwarming series of events as the family works to make the request a reality. The story is told in third person, altering between viewpoints of each sibling. Freddy's black-and-white drawings, sketches, recipes, and lists of renovation projects are sprinkled throughout and add humor and personality. While this is a sequel to When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie, the book stands well on its own. All main characters read as white. VERDICT Hand to fans of the Vanderbeekers and other quirky family stories. A strong purchase for library collections.-Katharine Gatcomb

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