Family guy Lincoln Peirce brings comic 'Big Nate' to town

"I think those are pretty vivid years for a lot of us. It seems as if every day you either experience some triumph or some crushing humiliation almost on a daily basis. I can’t think of other times in your life when that is true.

"So when I started the comic strip I thought, 'I’m going to make this kid a sixth-grader because that is just such a vivid time and I hopefully will never run out of ideas.'"

Although young readers may recognize "Big Nate" from the new chapter books Pierce has released, his daily comic was never intended just for young audiences.

"'Big Nate' offers comedy for all ages," John Glynn, Peirce's editorial director, said, adding that is one thing that he really enjoys about Peirce's work.

"It's a funny comic that resonates with parents and grandparents, too," Glynn said. "My 9-year-old son devours the books, and we started to read it in our newspaper together. It was a great way to share content that we both enjoy."

Sarah Sanders Petersen is an intern for the Deseret News where she writes for Mormon Times and other feature articles. She attends Brigham Young University and is studying communications.