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blogginboutbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fun middle grade read about a girl with unique, interesting hobbies—keeping bees, growing pumpkins, helping her friend tend to llamas, etc. Billie's daily doings are intriguing, and the challenges she has because of them make her an intriguing narrator. Her friend and family problems keep her relatable. Although this is a fast read, there's a lot going on in this slim novel. It's engaging, fun, and touching. THE PUMPKIN WAR is a classic, timeless tale that will appeal to readers of all ages. I enjoyed it.
thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This MG book was all about forgiveness and it pulled me in right away. I’m competitive just like Billie and girl can hold a grudge against her BFF Sam. It takes her learning from her grandpa’s mistakes with his son, her father, as well as a near death experience for her to realize winning isn’t everything. I also like learning about various cultures such as Native American, Polish and Irish.
readingwithmygoldens's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Random House Children's books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.
I was so impressed with The Pumpkin War by Cathleen Young. The main character, twelve year old Billie, is fiercely competitive, spunky and extremely intelligent. She so badly wants to win the annual pumpkin race that is held every Fall. Sam, her best friend, beat her the year before and it is her mission to stop that from happening again. From the very first chapter, there are important themes discussed regarding diversity, sibling angst and winning and losing. Right away, I was hooked. This is a great book for kids!
Another thing I really liked about this book was how much education it provided. What a fun way to learn about growing pumpkins from a science perspective as well as different things about nature. The characters are also extremely lovable, but they provide teaching moments for kids. I think this would be a great parent/child read as well.
I'd recommend this to any kid who likes the outdoors, bugs/gardening, science/nature and just reading a really fun story. I would highly recommend this and definitely plan on buying this for my niece who LOVES to read.
I was so impressed with The Pumpkin War by Cathleen Young. The main character, twelve year old Billie, is fiercely competitive, spunky and extremely intelligent. She so badly wants to win the annual pumpkin race that is held every Fall. Sam, her best friend, beat her the year before and it is her mission to stop that from happening again. From the very first chapter, there are important themes discussed regarding diversity, sibling angst and winning and losing. Right away, I was hooked. This is a great book for kids!
Another thing I really liked about this book was how much education it provided. What a fun way to learn about growing pumpkins from a science perspective as well as different things about nature. The characters are also extremely lovable, but they provide teaching moments for kids. I think this would be a great parent/child read as well.
I'd recommend this to any kid who likes the outdoors, bugs/gardening, science/nature and just reading a really fun story. I would highly recommend this and definitely plan on buying this for my niece who LOVES to read.
bookwormben's review against another edition
4.0
A nice, quaint little read about friendship, family, and forgiveness.
The simplicity is what gives this book it's charm. I really enjoyed this debut novel from Cathleen Young and I look forward to see what else she has in store for the world of readers.
The simplicity is what gives this book it's charm. I really enjoyed this debut novel from Cathleen Young and I look forward to see what else she has in store for the world of readers.
thenextgenlib's review against another edition
4.0
This MG book was all about forgiveness and it pulled me in right away. I’m competitive just like Billie and girl can hold a grudge against her BFF Sam. It takes her learning from her grandpa’s mistakes with his son, her father, as well as a near death experience for her to realize winning isn’t everything. I also like learning about various cultures such as Native American, Polish and Irish.
thepolybrary's review against another edition
5.0
~*Check out all my reviews over on The Bent Bookworm!*~
The Pumpkin War (due out on May 21, 2019) is a story of friendship and family, of getting back to the earth and enjoying the small things in life – and all this in a beautiful setting, with writing that seems just perfect for a middle grade audience! I was quite impressed. Usually books that try to take on this scope of feelings and events end up falling flat in one way or another, but this one is just right. I feel like Goldilocks, dancing around with glee after finding the three bears’ house and baby bear’s “just-right” porridge.
Billie is 12 years old, the oldest of three siblings. Their dad is Irish and their mom is Ojibwe, and they live on a Canadian island. Billie is fiercely competitive in all ways, and ESPECIALLY when it comes to growing monster pumpkins! She has been in an almost year-long standoff with the boy who used to be her best friend, since she is convinced he knocked her out of last year’s pumpkin race on purpose.
I loved the depiction of rural life in Canada. Billie not only takes care of her pumpkins, but also bees. Bees! Also there is more about fishing, and gardening, and the traditions of the Ojibwe. It was just so…homey. Down to earth. I loved it, and I think middle-school-me would have loved it as well. Also, adult-me loved her parents! Their differences in background were lightly touched on, and Billie obviously embraces both sides of her heritage. She even finds out about some “family secrets” part way through the book (nothing adult level), and has a part in reconciling her dad with his past. Also, Billlie’s youngest sibling is born near the beginning of the book and the struggles of adding a new baby to family life are also portrayed – Billie’s mom and dad aren’t perfect, and I totally sympathized with them.
Billie struggles all summer long to come to terms with what happened with Sam in the last race. Despite his efforts, she’s not quite willing to forgive him. Will she let a mistake ruin their friendship? Is being first more important? I thoroughly enjoyed the way this played out, and also the fact that the author didn’t make her competitive nature a bad thing (as happens so often when it is a girl character being competitive).
5/5 stars. This book will be going on my shelf!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
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The Pumpkin War (due out on May 21, 2019) is a story of friendship and family, of getting back to the earth and enjoying the small things in life – and all this in a beautiful setting, with writing that seems just perfect for a middle grade audience! I was quite impressed. Usually books that try to take on this scope of feelings and events end up falling flat in one way or another, but this one is just right. I feel like Goldilocks, dancing around with glee after finding the three bears’ house and baby bear’s “just-right” porridge.
Billie is 12 years old, the oldest of three siblings. Their dad is Irish and their mom is Ojibwe, and they live on a Canadian island. Billie is fiercely competitive in all ways, and ESPECIALLY when it comes to growing monster pumpkins! She has been in an almost year-long standoff with the boy who used to be her best friend, since she is convinced he knocked her out of last year’s pumpkin race on purpose.
I loved the depiction of rural life in Canada. Billie not only takes care of her pumpkins, but also bees. Bees! Also there is more about fishing, and gardening, and the traditions of the Ojibwe. It was just so…homey. Down to earth. I loved it, and I think middle-school-me would have loved it as well. Also, adult-me loved her parents! Their differences in background were lightly touched on, and Billie obviously embraces both sides of her heritage. She even finds out about some “family secrets” part way through the book (nothing adult level), and has a part in reconciling her dad with his past. Also, Billlie’s youngest sibling is born near the beginning of the book and the struggles of adding a new baby to family life are also portrayed – Billie’s mom and dad aren’t perfect, and I totally sympathized with them.
Billie struggles all summer long to come to terms with what happened with Sam in the last race. Despite his efforts, she’s not quite willing to forgive him. Will she let a mistake ruin their friendship? Is being first more important? I thoroughly enjoyed the way this played out, and also the fact that the author didn’t make her competitive nature a bad thing (as happens so often when it is a girl character being competitive).
5/5 stars. This book will be going on my shelf!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Blog | Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram |
jesstele's review against another edition
3.0
Disappointed in the ending of this one. There were parts I really liked (especially the setting) but overall it just didn’t feel funny or suspenseful or magical enough to earn more than 3 stars.
mrskatiefitz's review against another edition
2.0
This middle grade novel started out promising. The writing is strong, and the characters are likable, and I was pleased to note that it was short. (I often lament the absence of strong, slim novels these days as compared with what was published decades ago, and I got my hopes up.) Unfortunately, the plot quickly becomes bogged down by too many storylines. Though the title and cover suggest that the pumpkin race is at the heart of the story, this is just one of several disparate threads running through the book that never seem to come together. There is just so much going on - references to Ojibwe language and culture (which some reviews have identified as inaccurate), the arrival of a mysterious estranged Irish grandfather, a feud between protagonist Billie and her best friend Sam, beekeeping, pumpkin growing, and more. Far from being the compact and focused novel I was hoping for, this book would have needed to be twice as long to even begin to properly handle everything it tried to take on.