Sugar Creek Gang Explained

Sugar Creek Gang
Author:Paul Hutchens
Cover Artist:Don Stewart
Country:United States
Language:English
Genre:Children's literature
Publisher:Moody Press
Pub Date:1940
Media Type:Print

Sugar Creek Gang is a series of 36 Christian-themed children's literature books written by Paul Hutchens.[1] The original series is set near Thorntown, Indiana, and named for the nearby Sugar Creek, based upon the formative years of Paul and his six brothers, and chronicles adventure situations told from a faith-based didactic perspective.[1] The first book, The Sugar Creek Gang, was published in 1940; the final installment, The Brown Box Mystery, appeared in 1970.[2] During the 1950s, Hutchens received oral and written feedback from his readers "that they practically grew up on Sugar Creek books as their main reading diet during juvenile days."[3] In 2001, Pauline Hutchens Wilson took over her father's books with the release of The Case of the Red Hot Possum as the first book in "The New Sugar Creek Gang" series.[4] [5]

Series description

According to Moody Publishing, the original series sold over three million print copies. The books are available in DVD, CD and audio versions.[6] [7] Radio dramatizations were produced by Northwestern College (now University of Northwestern) in St. Paul, Minnesota; these are broadcast daily as a segment of the afternoon Captain’s Club children's program on the Bible Broadcasting Network.[8]

In 2004, the stories were made into a series of movies, directed by Joy Chapman and Owen Smith.

The Gang

"The Sugar Creek Gang" consists of six boys, and later an additional member was introduced. All the characters are Christians. The group listing is:

Bill
  • Bill Collins is the narrator of the series. He has red hair and freckles, and is 10 years of age in the first book. Bill is one of two members of the gang to have no nickname. His best friend is Poetry, and he is a single child at first, but later has a little sister named Charlotte Ann. His father, Theodore Collins, is a farmer, but Bill wants to be a doctor when he grows up. He is a very good Christian.
    Poetry (Leslie Thompson)
  • Poetry is sometimes called "the barrel-shaped member of the gang" because he is very chubby. He always boasts about his detective abilities, and usually has a tent pitched in his backyard. His nickname is "Poetry", because he has memorized so many poems that he can quote one for almost any situation.
    Dragonfly (Roy Gilbert)
  • Dragonfly is the skinniest and most allergic member of the gang. He usually sees things that are not there at all, or are there before the rest of the gang does. He is nicknamed "Dragonfly" because dragonflies have big eyes. He is also superstitious, probably because his mother is.
    Little Jim (Jim Reynolds)
  • Little Jim is the youngest member of the gang, and he carries around a walking stick that he carved to look like a candy cane. He is a very good Christian, and also an excellent piano player.
    Circus (Daniel Brown)
  • Circus has a beautiful singing voice, and has five sisters! He is nicknamed "Circus" because he has amazing athletic abilities, and can't resist climbing a tree or doing a cartwheel. His dad used to drink and was not a Christian, but eventually became one and changed his ways early in the series.
    Big Jim
  • Big Jim is the leader of the gang, and is several years older than the rest of the gang. He grew up in another town, where he was in the Boy Scouts. He uses the skills he learned as a Scout to lead the gang well.
    Tom
  • Tom Till is the newest member of the gang and the second member (after Bill) to have no nickname. He also looks a lot like Bill (for example, he also has red hair). He has a mean brother named Bob, and also a very mean father (John Till), and a very sweet mother. He used to be in a mean gang of boys with his brother Bob, but later switched sides.
    Bob
  • Bob Till is Tom's mean older brother. He is not a Christian but Tom and the gang put out quite an effort to reach him. He often causes trouble for the gang.

    New Sugar Creek Gang

    "New Sugar Creek Gang" is a six-book series written by Pauline Hutchens Wilson,[4] [5] daughter of the original author, and Sandy Dengler. The "new gang" consists of five members: Bits, Tiny, Les, Lynn, and Mike.

    Original series bibliography

    TitleOriginal TitleFirst PublishedNotes
    1The Swamp RobberThe Sugar Creek Gang1940
    2The Killer BearWe Killed A Bear1940
    3The Winter RescueFurther Adventures of the Sugar Creek Gang1940
    4The Lost CampersThe Sugar Creek Gang Goes Camping1941
    5The Chicago AdventureThe Sugar Creek Gang in Chicago1941
    6The Secret HideoutThe Sugar Creek Gang in School1942
    7The Mystery CaveMystery at Sugar Creek1943
    8Palm Tree ManhuntThe Sugar Creek Gang Flies to Cuba, On Palm Tree Island1944
    9One Stormy DayOne Stormy Day at Sugar Creek1946
    10The Mystery ThiefThe New Sugar Creek Mystery1946
    11Teacher TroubleShenanigans at Sugar Creek1947
    12Screams in the NightThe Sugar Creek Gang Goes North1947
    13The Indian CemeteryAdventure in an Indian Cemetery1947
    14The Treasure HuntThe Sugar Creek Gang Digs for Treasure1948
    15Thousand Dollar FishNorth Woods Manhunt1948
    16The Haunted HouseThe Haunted House at Sugar Creek1949
    17Lost in the BlizzardLost in a Sugar Creek Blizzard1950
    18On the Mexican BorderThe Sugar Creek Gang on the Mexican Border1950
    19The Green Tent MysteryThe Green Tent Mystery at Sugar Creek1950
    20The Bull Fighter10,000 Minutes at Sugar Creek1952
    21The Trapline ThiefTrap Line Thief at Sugar Creek1953
    22The Blue CowBlue Cow at Sugar Creek1953
    23The Watermelon MysteryWatermelon Mystery at Sugar Creek1955
    24The Tree House MysteryOld Stranger's Secret at Sugar Creek1957
    25The Timber WolfThe Sugar Creek Gang at Snow Goose Lodge1957
    26Western AdventureSugar Creek Gang Goes Western1957
    27The Killer CatWe Killed a Wildcat at Sugar Creek1958
    28Locked in the AtticDown a Sugar Creek Chimney1959
    29The Colorado KidnappingWild Horse Canyon Mystery1959
    30The Runaway RescueRunaway Rescue at Sugar Creek1960
    31The Cemetery VandalsThe Worm Turns at Sugar Creek1961
    32The Battle of the BeesSleeping Beauty at Sugar Creek1962
    33The Case of the Missing Calf1964
    34The Ghost DogHowling Dog in the Sugar Creek Swamp1968
    35The White Boat RescueWhite Boat Rescue at Sugar Creek1969
    36The Brown Box Mystery1970

    References

    1. Brett, Jennifer (14 November 2004). "Sunny films bring young talent to light", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, p. JJ1.
    2. Web site: The Sugar Creek Gang: The Books. 6 July 2010.
    3. Web site: Sugar Creek Books Help Raise Young America. November 29, 1957. Google News Archive. Spartanburg Herald-Journal. 8. 7 July 2010.
    4. Web site: Wilson, Pauline Hutchens [WorldCat Identities]]. WorldCat. worldcat.org. 8 July 2010.
    5. Web site: Juvenile Series and Sequels: Title: New Sugar Creek Gang, The - MCPL. July 8, 2010. Mid-Continent Public Library. mcpl.lib.mo.us. 8 July 2010.
    6. Book: Young, Hal. Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys. Melanie Young . 2010. Great Waters Press. 43. 9780984144303. 7 July 2010.
    7. Book: Cohen, Charles Lloyd. Religion and the culture of print in modern America. Paul S. Boyer . 2008. University of Wisconsin Press. 9780299225735. 7 July 2010.
    8. Web site: Captain's Club. Programs. Bible Broadcasting Network. August 13, 2021.

    External links

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