“I’m ten now. I’m not a slave anymore. I’m free. Except from sugar.”
Sugar is part of the Louisiana Girls Trilogy
Sugar
Ten-year-old Sugar lives on the River Road sugar plantation along the banks of the Mississippi. Slavery is over, but laboring in the fields all day doesn’t make her feel very free. Thankfully, Sugar has a knack for finding her own fun, especially when she joins forces with forbidden friend Billy, the white plantation owner’s son.
Sugar has always yearned to learn more about the world, and she sees her chance when Chinese workers are brought in to help harvest the cane. The older River Road folks feel threatened, but Sugar is fascinated. As she befriends young Beau and elder Master Liu, they introduce her to the traditions of their culture, and she, in turn, shares the ways of plantation life. Sugar soon realizes that she must be the one to bridge the cultural gap and bring the community together. Here is a story of unlikely friendships and how they can change our lives forever.
Videos
Honors
2016
#1 Best-Selling Book of 2016
Best of Books
2016
The Magnolia Awards, Shortlist
The University of Southern Mississippi
2016
Sequoyah Children’s Award, Master List
Oklahoma Library Association
2016
Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award Master List
State Library of Louisiana
2015–2016
William Allen White Children’s Book Awards, Master List
Emporia State University
2015-2016
Volunteer State Book Award, Nominee
Tennessee Association of School Librarians
2014-2015
SCASL Children’s Book Award, Nominee
South Carolina Association of School Librarians
2014-2015
Black-Eyed Susan Master List
Maryland Association of School Librarians
2014
Jane Addams Book Award
Jane Addams Peace Association
2014
ALA Notable Children’s Books
American Library Association
2014
CCBC Choices
Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison
2014
The Best Children’s Books of the Year
Bank Street College of Education
2014
Audie Award, Finalist
The Audio Publishers Association
2013
VOYA Top Shelf
Voice of Youth Advocates
2013
Summer Kids’ Indie Next List
American Booksellers Association
2013
Best Middle-Grade Books to Make History Come Alive
Kirkus Reviews
Praise
Publishers Weekly
Booklist, Starred Review
Kirkus Review, Starred Review
Rethinking Schools
Press
2017
Reading into History: Interview with “Sugar” Author Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes
New-York Historical Society
2014
Award Winning Children’s Book Author Jewell Parker Rhodes Discusses Historical Fiction
Kid & The Wolf
Author Reading
First Chapter of Sugar
Order Sugar
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