Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Julie M. Prince for TeensReadToo.com
Mildred dreams big dreams in the shape of a pumpkin. This may seem strange to some people, and it especially does to her Aunt Arlene, who's convinced Mildred should start acting and dressing like girls her own age. It's not normal, according to Aunt Arlene, for 11-year-old girls to spend every single summer cultivating a tiny seed and trying to grow it into a giant pumpkin. Even if it is to win the Circleville Pumpkin Show's giant pumpkin contest.
But to Mildred, it makes perfect sense for her to try to make her mother's wish come true. The former Pumpkin Show Queen died when Mildred was only six, but Mildred still remembers how much she loved those huge pumpkins, and that she'd mentioned a desire to take home the prize for the largest pumpkin.
So, with the help of her veterinarian father and her best friend, Jacob, Mildred once again sets out on her pumpkin growing adventure, with her eye on the prize.
Librarians across the country are already selecting this book as a top choice for young students, and I can see why. The narrative voice is strong, and Mildred's control over her own world is enviable. Some challenges on her road to success bring the story home and have the reader rooting for the little girl with the big dreams.
Look for this genuinely sweet read on the shelves!
Mildred dreams big dreams in the shape of a pumpkin. This may seem strange to some people, and it especially does to her Aunt Arlene, who's convinced Mildred should start acting and dressing like girls her own age. It's not normal, according to Aunt Arlene, for 11-year-old girls to spend every single summer cultivating a tiny seed and trying to grow it into a giant pumpkin. Even if it is to win the Circleville Pumpkin Show's giant pumpkin contest.
But to Mildred, it makes perfect sense for her to try to make her mother's wish come true. The former Pumpkin Show Queen died when Mildred was only six, but Mildred still remembers how much she loved those huge pumpkins, and that she'd mentioned a desire to take home the prize for the largest pumpkin.
So, with the help of her veterinarian father and her best friend, Jacob, Mildred once again sets out on her pumpkin growing adventure, with her eye on the prize.
Librarians across the country are already selecting this book as a top choice for young students, and I can see why. The narrative voice is strong, and Mildred's control over her own world is enviable. Some challenges on her road to success bring the story home and have the reader rooting for the little girl with the big dreams.
Look for this genuinely sweet read on the shelves!
Mildred is a young girl who lives with her dad, she lost her mother to an illness and through her father's stories she learns that her mother was once the Circleville Show Pumpkin Queen in Ohio.
She dreams of being like her mother and entering in the Pumpkin Show, but not as a queen. She wants to win the giant pumpkin contest. Mildred tries and tries and is obsessed with growing that giant pumpkin. Many things interfere each year, hindering her best efforts; a dog, a tornado and other life troubles. Most people don't think she can grow a pumpkin let alone the biggest.
One day she goes with her father, a vet, to deliver a calf. She ask a farmer for a few tips, which he gives her, but she is soon discouraged when she sees the high-tech gadgets he uses to grow his pumpkin. But she never gives up.
Then there is her Aunt Arlene who is annoyed by little Mildred's over-determination with the pumpkin-growing project. Each year Mildred tries to grow a pumpkin but something always happens. Mildred's dad believes in her, and her best friend, Jacob, believes in her too.
You have to read Me and the Pumpkin Queen to see if she succeeds or accepts her loss graciously. One thing I will say there is a real Circleville Pumpkin Show, the best festival I have ever attended in my life, and they do have the largest pumpkin contest.
The festival sells everything pumpkin from candy, pies and taffy to fudge, soup and rolls. Good times and good stuff...and a great book you must read. It has an occasional hiccup but overall it is very informative, fun and by the end of the book you will want to grow your own giant pumpkin too!
She dreams of being like her mother and entering in the Pumpkin Show, but not as a queen. She wants to win the giant pumpkin contest. Mildred tries and tries and is obsessed with growing that giant pumpkin. Many things interfere each year, hindering her best efforts; a dog, a tornado and other life troubles. Most people don't think she can grow a pumpkin let alone the biggest.
One day she goes with her father, a vet, to deliver a calf. She ask a farmer for a few tips, which he gives her, but she is soon discouraged when she sees the high-tech gadgets he uses to grow his pumpkin. But she never gives up.
Then there is her Aunt Arlene who is annoyed by little Mildred's over-determination with the pumpkin-growing project. Each year Mildred tries to grow a pumpkin but something always happens. Mildred's dad believes in her, and her best friend, Jacob, believes in her too.
You have to read Me and the Pumpkin Queen to see if she succeeds or accepts her loss graciously. One thing I will say there is a real Circleville Pumpkin Show, the best festival I have ever attended in my life, and they do have the largest pumpkin contest.
The festival sells everything pumpkin from candy, pies and taffy to fudge, soup and rolls. Good times and good stuff...and a great book you must read. It has an occasional hiccup but overall it is very informative, fun and by the end of the book you will want to grow your own giant pumpkin too!
