Me and the Pumpkin Queen
4/5
()
About this ebook
Mildred's Guide to Growing a Giant Pumpkin
1. Get the right seeds. These days, no one grows a Pumpkin Show winner without Howard Dill's Atlantic Giant seeds.
2. Convince your dad that having a pumpkin patch in your backyard is a good idea.
3. Make sure that your dogs stay far, far away from your seedlings.
4. Don't let your busybody aunt interfere with your "pumpkin obsession," no matter how much she wishes you were interested in boys or clothes or anything other than pumpkins.
5. Find a best friend who can help out in a pinch.
6. Never, ever, ever give up.
Marlane Kennedy
Marlane Kennedy moved to Circleville, Ohio, at age eleven. She participated in many Pumpkin Show parades as a child, but never tried growing her own giant pumpkin. But after writing Me and the Pumpkin Queen, she planted her own Howard Dill's Atlantic Giant seed and grew a 250-pounder, pictured above, that took fifth prize in her local fair. Marlane Kennedy is also the author of The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes. She lives in Wooster, Ohio, with her husband and three children.
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Reviews for Me and the Pumpkin Queen
37 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To honor her Mom, eleven year old Mildred is determined to win the Circleville, Ohio, Pumpkin Show and fulfill a dream left undone by her mother's untimely death. However, with each passing season something goes inherently wrong and her dreams are dashed again and again. Aunt Arlene is more than a bit concerned about Mildred's apparent obsession with pumpkins and tries, in her overtly pushy way, to persuade her niece to pursue more feminine interests, such as make up and fancy clothing. Thankfully, Mildred's dad doesn't agree with Auntie Arlene and continues to support his daughter and her individual dreams. Knowing and understanding his only daughter in ways that only a father can, he is able to challenge Mildred to take her future into her own hands and follow her heart with unbridled passion. Thus allowing herself to grow into the incredible young woman her mother always knew she would one day become. Kennedy's attention to detail proves this to be a well researched novel that introduces readers to the relatively unknown competitions that require much more than good seeds and luck to produce a thousand pound champion. Well crafted and heartwarming, the characters could easily be members of your own family or next door neighbors. The narrative reads like a family tale told over a huge dinner, with lots of laughs, a few tears and the busy body aunt that always means well but just can't quite find the right way to express herself without appearing... well, pushy. This is a coming of age tale that will be enjoyed by all, despite their age. A magical journey that is more about Mildred's inner growth than that of her pumpkins. Chosen as a Junior Library Guild Selection, Marlane Kennedy's solo debut, Me and the Pumpkin Queen is a first place read.Happy Reading!RJ xx3Rs-Real Reader Reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A winning story that charmingly depicts one girl's sheer determination to achieve a goal and honor her late mother.
Mildred loves going to the Circleville Pumpkin Show every October to
look at the giant pumpkins. Her mother, who died when Mildred was 6, was Pumpkin Show Queen in the 11th grade and often mused that she should try growing a giant pumpkin. Since her mother's death, Mildred has grown pumpkins every year trying to nurture one for the contest. At age 11she so far hasn't successfully grown a qualified pumpkin but she has learned a lot about how to raise them. This year, after much anguish caring for this year's pumpkins and clashing with her Aunt Arlene about growing up, Mildred wins the contest with her first entry, one that weighs1,401 pounds. As Aunt Arlene observes, "I think by tending to those pumpkins, she was tending to her grief." Narrative nicely captures Mildred's healthy determination to achieve her goals. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved this book! It was selected as a SSYRA book for 2009-10 school year. Very quick to read, very sweet and humorous. Great book for kids!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Honestly, I bought this book because of the cover: I love Marla Frazee's artwork! Glad to find that I made a good choice!This was the perfect kick-off to my October Halloween reading. Now I'm in the mood for Autumn, pumpkin pie, apple cider, ghosts, and goblins and all that this time of year brings. Mildred is a likeable character. In fact, the whole cast was likeable. There were touching moments, humorous moments, and nothing ever got too saccharine or too ridiculous. I loved reading about giants pumpkins. I must confess that I checked to see if bigpumpkins.com and pumpkinshow.com were real websites. And I was tickled pink to see they were! The author did her research and it shows. But the story doesn't read like a how-to manual. I'm left thinking that it would be loads of fun to go to Circleville for the Pumpkin Show! And I would love to see a second book written to watch her and her best buddy Jacob grow up. And there could be stories about her father's veterinary practice. Heck, I'd even like to revisit Aunt Arlene. There are plenty of directions that the author could take if she wants to write a follow-up.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mildred, 11 years old, mother has died of cancer, close friend Jacob, determined to grow giant pumpkin, Aunt Arlene buys clothes, father is veterinarian, notes about how to grow giant pumpkin, 1401 pounds, Pumpkin Show in Circleville, Ohio
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To honor her Mom, eleven year old Mildred is determined to win the Circleville, Ohio, Pumpkin Show and fulfill a dream left undone by her mother's untimely death. However, with each passing season something goes inherently wrong and her dreams are dashed again and again. Aunt Arlene is more than a bit concerned about Mildred's apparent obsession with pumpkins and tries, in her overtly pushy way, to persuade her niece to pursue more feminine interests, such as make up and fancy clothing. Thankfully, Mildred's dad doesn't agree with Auntie Arlene and continues to support his daughter and her individual dreams. Knowing and understanding his only daughter in ways that only a father can, he is able to challenge Mildred to take her future into her own hands and follow her heart with unbridled passion. Thus allowing herself to grow into the incredible young woman her mother always knew she would one day become. Kennedy's attention to detail proves this to be a well researched novel that introduces readers to the relatively unknown competitions that require much more than good seeds and luck to produce a thousand pound champion. Well crafted and heartwarming, the characters could easily be members of your own family or next door neighbors. The narrative reads like a family tale told over a huge dinner, with lots of laughs, a few tears and the busy body aunt that always means well but just can't quite find the right way to express herself without appearing... well, pushy. This is a coming of age tale that will be enjoyed by all, despite their age. A magical journey that is more about Mildred's inner growth than that of her pumpkins. Chosen as a Junior Library Guild Selection, Marlane Kennedy's solo debut, Me and the Pumpkin Queen is a first place read.Happy Reading!RJ xx3Rs-Real Reader Reviews