Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy

Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy Parent Child Book Discussion Grades 4-5 October 2008

snacks: pumpkin muffins, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin candycorn-- anything pumpkin!
1. Thumbs up/down/eh-- Share favorite parts of the story.

2. What did you learn about growing pumpkins? (Did anyone go to the pumpkin show/ a pumpkin patch this year?)

3. Why is Jacob Mildred's best friend? What qualities do you look for in a friend?

4. How are Mildred and Aunt Arlene alike? How are they different?

5. Did you think Arlene was mean for making Mildred take the trip to West Virginia?
Have you ever had to do something you dreaded, only to find out that you liked it?

6. Why does Mildred ask about Grover Fernhart's farm after the tornado?

7. What are some of the reasons Aunt Arlene doesn't like Mildred growing pumpkins? Are they good reasons?

8. Mildred has to write about a person (that she's never met) that she admires. Who would you pick for this assignment and why?

9. In chapter 20, page 90, there is a beagle with a broken leg whose owners deserted her because they didn't want to pay the bill. What happens? Why is this an important part of the book?

10. What surprised you about the end of the book?

11. At the end, Aunt Arlene says that tending to pumpkins is how Mildred tended to her grief for her mother's passing. Have you ever lost a person or a pet close to you? Do you do anything special to remember them?
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Link to the Circleville Pumpkin show:
http://www.pumpkinshow.com
Check out the page with this year's winners!

Howard Dill's website
http://www.howarddill.com/
There are even directions on how to grow a pumpkin! Photos of Howard Dill and some world record pumpkins-- 1600 lbs+

Pumpkin facts and trivia:
http://www.pumpkin-patch.com/about.html