Project Mulberry

Reader reviewed by Claire

I read this book because it was a Rebecca Caudill nominee (that is a book contest in Illinois, for kids in grades 4-8) and thought it was very good. The plot was interesting, that their project was to grow silkworms with her best friend. One comment about it was that I was able to easily predict what happens, and it was pretty short. But overall, read this if you would like to learn some interesting stuff about silkworms!

Reader reviewed by KATELYN

 

How many books do you know that are entertaining and give you information? Well, Project Mulberry does. It is about a girl that comes to America from Korea. She makes a friend named Patrick. They do a project with silk worms. First they had a problem then they solve it. They fight about should or shouldn't they kill the worms.

Reader reviewed by librariane

Julia is a Korean American who wishes she didnt stand out so much even her house smells Korean because of the kimchee. Her friend Patrick doesnt seem to notice this issue, and loves getting a bite of kimchee every time he comes over, so when he suggests they do a silkworm project for the WIGGLE club (like 4-H), he doesnt see Julias secret resistance to something so Korean. Eventually, Julia does get excited (and decides friendship is more important, so she sacrifices her dislike of the project) and is eager to see these worms through to the end. The biggest twist comes when Patrick reveals hes got a worm phobia, and didnt really want to do the project, either, but thought it would help overcome the fear.

There are a couple of side stories: the two collect state quarters and are having difficulty finding Connecticut, Julia wonders if her mom is a racist when they discover the only person in town with mulberry leaves is a black man and learning about organic versu s commercial products. Overall its not a bad book, and I was a little worried she would end it with the two friends FINALLY finding their quarters (gagcheesy!), but she ties that storyline up nicely with Julia and her little brother. It is interesting to see the different relationships in the book, and the character development is goodJulia grows the right amount after the lessons she learns.

The other bit about this book is after each chapter is a bit of interview between Julia and Linda Sue Park. I must admit, I only read the first one and then skipped the restI found them annoying. Its a nice idea to know whats going on inside the authors head, but this execution interrupts the story a little too much.