Project Mulberry

I purchased this book due to the fact that I would be attending a conference at which Ms. Park is speaking (I like to get an idea of the presentors background). I knew that Ms. Park is talented, but never did I expect to enjoy it so very very much. As an author I found the entries between the chapters to be facinating. What a great idea. And the story itself was amazing as well. I can not say enough about the whole package other than READ IT! Can't wait to meet you Ms. Park! Julia (not Julia Song, but still Julia)

Julia and Patrick have to do a project for the Wiggle club. Wiggle is the pet name for the WGGL (work grow give live) club, an extra curricular organization similar to 4H. The two kids partner up to do a project that can go to the state fair as both an animal husbandry and domestic arts entry. When Julia's mother suggests raising silkworms, Patrick is excited because such a project was unheard of. Julia is anxious because it is too Korean. Linda Sue Park meets all expectations as an author and writes a wonderfully entertaining story. Park does a great job in staying focused on the life of one girl, yet touching on tangents of other issues. Julia Song is a well-developed character that grows beyond her personal limitations to understand herself, hermother, little brother, and friend. In the character of Julie, readers experience the life of a young girl who learns to reconcile being Korean and American. It is refreshing to read about an experience with a world that in many ways is not Black and White. In less drastic, yet by no means less dramatic ways, one is confronted with the issue of animal husbandry and cruelty. Julie learns that to get the silk, she must kill the pupae, which she has grown to love. Unlike other popular examples of Asian American literature, Project Mulberry is not riddled with flashbacks; it stays in one single narrative that is direct and still charming. Project Mulberry is a good read for third to fifth grade students.

After making the big commitment - buying a book - I turn eagerly to the reviews like a kid whose eyes ask "Have I made the right choice?" Not every book OR can opener will wear a Seal of Approval, nor will each & every review hit the mark. I appreciate reviewers who edit themselves, who are concise, cogent, and have an ear for the sound of words as well as an eye for spell-checker goofs. (I would like to write that way myself!) Linda Sue Park tells the story of "Project Mulberry" and then inserts a lively conversation between the author and "Jules" running parallel like a service road. In a subtle way, encouragement for hopeful writers is found embroidered into the fabric of this 'parallel' story, and more answers are found in the "Author's Notes" - - a section that appeals to this reviewer. Although kids may not dwell for long on some of Park's themes, such thoughts do occupy some of the territory in young brains: racism, for instance, and being an outsider. (Perhaps expansion is more of a problem with old brains.) Julia and Patrick are neighbors who team up on school & club projects. Right now they are trying to come up with a sure-fire prize-winner project in "Animal Husbandry." Julia is the daughter of Korean immigrants and her mother suggests raising silkworms, a project that could then be expanded to "Needlework". That idea is a problem for Jules who wants to be seen as a genuine American. Many adult readers hope for 'just one more' book to make some young adults (who get younger each year) itch to get back to reading - - Parks' book is described by an A.L.A. reviewer as "a great cross-curriculum title." It is also rich with many 'too-true' family episodes, as well as humor & facts that will be remembered with relish. Reviewer mcHAIKU is eager to share "PROJECT MULBERRY" with neighbor YAs during the isolation our next big snow will bring.

Do you ever have an argument with your best friend? In Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Parks, Julia Song gets in a fight with her friend Patrick over worms. But these aren't just any worms. They are silkworms. Julia and Patrick are creating a silkworm project for the state fair. Along the way, the run into some problems, like where to find mulberry trees in Plainfield. Since Julia is a take charge kind of girl, she also interupts the story to argue with the book's author about the way the story is going. Project Mulberry is a fun book about friendship and being Korean in America. Julia also learns about prejudice and finds out that younger brothers don't always act like pests. Once you read the book, you may be tempted to raise your own silkworms. I know I was.

This was the first Linda Sue Park book I've read, and it was exceptional! It was so interesting I couldn't put it down, and I really learned a lot while reading this book. I totally understood Julia. She fights with her best friend, she fights with her little brother, she thinks her mom is racist...all the while she is supposed to focus on raising silkworms for this WIGGLE project. How will it all turn out? Also recommended: The Golden Hour, Magyk, The Nobodies, Dark Hills Divide, Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, and anything by Meg Cabot.