177 pages
"Mildred has always dreamed of growing a one-thousand-pound pumpkin to enter her town's Pumpkin Show. Her aunt Arlene thinks she's obsessed, but Mildred prefers to think of herself as focused. And growing giant pumpkins is way more interesting than boys or clothes or the other girly things Aunt Arlene wants her to like. She's been trying for four long growing seasons - ever since her mama died - and every one has ended in disaster. It's not easy, especially with dogs who don't realize how delicate seedlings are, and tornadoes that could destroy months of work, and most people thinking that an eleven-year-old doesn't stand a chance. But Daddy believes in Mildred, and so does her best friend, Jacob. Maybe this will finally be her year." -Back Cover
I picked this book up at the school book fair earlier this year. It's taken us several months to get through it, mostly because we were so involved with end of school stuff. I also think that it took a little while to finish because the girls weren't asking to read every night. We've read a lot of fantasy and this is a book about an ordinary girl and an ordinary life. It made me realize that we need to read more of this type of book because that's how life is and it's good to read about how people deal with adversity and every day situations. The magic and adventure is fun and exciting but that's not all books should be.
In the end, this is a story about how a young girl deals with the grief of losing her mother by trying to stay connected with her through growing pumpkins. She has an overbearing aunt who doesn't seem to understand why Mildred loves pumpkins so much when she should be doing the things that other girls her age are doing, but I love what her aunt does in the end. I got a little choked up. This is a good book for elementary-aged kids.
No comments:
Post a Comment