The first time I read this book, I stole it from my brother, who was supposed to be reading it for his summer reading. I didn't care that I was younger than him—it was bigger than my books, so I wanted to read it. I ended up having to give it back until he finished it, but when he was finished, he didn't even have the chance to set it down.

It's been mine since.

(It's also one of my favorite book-to-movies because they left almost everything the same, something that rarely ever happens.)

For obvious reasons, I needed to make a dessert that you could really dig into. Literally. And I liked the idea of digging down into the dessert and finding new layers and new surprises. I guess you could say they're like little treasures.

Trifles are the best desserts for that.

I wanted to incorporate something that looked like sand. I thought graham crackers would be my best bet. I didn't want to just crumble dry graham crackers into the dessert though, so I added some melted butter to it.

In one of the flashbacks, a man named Sam "agreed to fix the leaky roof [of the schoolhouse] in exchange for six jars of spiced peaches" (109). The spiced peaches come back several more times in the story, so I had to incorporate them.

One of my favorite things to do is to fry peaches with brown sugar and cinnamon, so I really wanted to do that.

I decided to use a plain vanilla pudding because I really wanted the peaches and the graham crackers to stand out. That's also why I decided to use a butter pound cake.

Normally, I would make the pudding and the pound cake from scratch, but, after really thinking about the book, I don't think any of the adults at Camp Green Lake would bother spending that much time on anything other than forcing young boys to look for lost treasure.

They were strict and enforced a brutal schedule on the boys in the camp. They were also incredibly cheap—child labor? Four-minute showers? Not replacing all of the broken things in the Wreck Room? Cheap. (And abusive, obviously.) 

So I decided to use the cheapest ingredients I could find.

I bought the pound cake (2 loaves) from the bakery area of the Shoprite by me, and it was part of a manager's special.

I bought Royal Instant Pudding because it was 5 for $2, and, even though I only used three boxes, it's pudding. Of course I'm going to eat the other two boxes.

I got store-brand peaches in the really big cans because one big can is cheaper than two small cans.

And I somehow managed to get the graham crackers on sale.

Mom, Mr. Sir, and the Warden would be proud.

Vanilla Instant Pudding

-3 boxes  instant vanilla pudding

-6 c  cold milk

-2 tbsp  vanilla extract

1. Put all of the ingredients in a bowl, and whisk together for two minutes. (I added the vanilla because the pudding tasted sugar-free... it wasn't).
2. Store in the refrigerator until you're ready—it has to be at least 5 minutes.

Graham Cracker Crumble

-1 packet of graham crackers (I prefer cinnamon, but honey will work)

-2 tbsp  unsalted butter

1. Crush the graham crackers into very small pieces. I used my hands, but I have used a wooden mallet in the past. If you're going to use the mallet, stick the graham crackers in a Ziplock bag to prevent a mess. It's easier, to be honest.
2. Melt the butter, then add to the graham cracker crumbs.
3. Stir until they are completely combined.

Spiced Peaches

-2 (1 lb 13oz) cans of sliced yellow peaches

-1 c  light brown sugar, packed

-1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

-pinch of salt

1. Drain the peaches and rinse them with warm water.
2. Put the peaches and brown sugar in a medium-sized saucepan, and cook them over medium heat.
3. Stir frequently.
4. Once the brown sugar has completely melted down, add the cinnamon and salt.
5. Cook for another 20-30 minutes (it should be boiling), stirring frequently. This lets the peaches get soft, and lets the brown sugar create a thick syrup. 
6. Remove from the heat, and let cool.

To put this trifle together, you need something to put it in that will let you create the layers. I used a trifle dish, but I've also used leftover Chinese-takeout soup containers. You can even use a regular bowl or cup, which would hide the layers and make it fun for whoever you serve it to as they discover all of the different layers. It's really up to you.

First, I cut the pound cake into cubes. You're really only going to need 1 1/2 loaves, so you can save the last half for breakfast the next morning. Or you can cram it into the trifle. You can also make a mini trifle and give it to someone you like/ want to impress.

Next, I cover it in a layer of the pudding.

Then it's a layer of graham crackers.

You top that with a layer of peaches. I used a fork to scoop the peaches out, because, while the syrup is delicious, I didn't want it to make my pound cake or my graham crackers soggy.

Then it's another layer of pound cake, another layer of pudding, and a final layer of graham crackers.

You can either start shoveling it into your mouth immediately, or you can put it in the refrigerator and eat it later. Either way, you're going to dig it.

(I hope you aren't expecting me to apologize for all of the digging puns... because that's not going to happen.)