The Pumpkin War by Cathleen Young
A Book Review
An engaging read, The Pumpkin War tells the story of a headstrong and determined twelve year old girl who has a singular focus on winning. After she suspects that her best friend cheated to win the annual pumpkin race — in which each kid spends the summer growing their own gigantic pumpkin and then hollowing it out in the early fall so it can be used as a boat and paddled across the lake in a race — she refuses to let go of her anger and allows this anger to chip away at their long-standing and close-knit friendship. She focuses all her energy on winning the next race, and this focus on revenge makes her unwilling to consider that she may be in the wrong. All she can think about is winning the race this time around after such a hurtful defeat at the hands of her friend’s betrayal. Although she is angry, she slowly finds that her resentment is causing her more hurt than healing.
She learns about the drawbacks of being too focused on winning and that it isn’t always the most important thing in the world to win if winning makes you lose things that matter, like friendship. She realizes that she never gave her friend a chance to explain himself and she works through her own feelings of guilt for the mean way she has been treating him since he won the race at her expense — or at least that is what she has chosen to believe.
This is a fitting book for the fall season and also one that kids will enjoy. The narrator is growing into a new level of introspection and emotional understanding, which can help kids process their own emotions as they grow into adolescence and become aware of more complex layers in themselves and in their relationships. Kids can also learn a lot from the book as there are many references to Einstein, science, and farming. The narrator has a humorous side to her and she’s a relatable character that kids will be able to identify with. Not only is this book entertaining for kids but it can also help to teach them important lessons about competition, hard work (it takes persistence and patience to grow quality pumpkins), and the importance of friendship and family.
This is the October book in Noah’s Book Club (check out Noah Syndergaard’s social media for more information on his book club). He picked a children’s book this month to encourage kids to read and to express their own reactions to the book. I didn’t want to miss a month because I’ve been reading along with the club since it launched in February, so I read this one too. I recently re-read the entire Harry Potter series and enjoyed it just as much as I did when I was a kid, so I have no resistance to reading children’s books as an adult. Harry Potter was a major part of my childhood and adolescence, and reading this reminded me how much impact a book can have on a kid’s life. This is why it’s so important to encourage kids to read and to discover the enrichment that reading affords us. I also find it sweet and even endearing that such a big, tough, macho baseball player is reading children’s books and encouraging children to read. Kids are always trying to copy their role models so I’m sure this has encouraged many kids to pick up the book and hopefully foster a lifelong love of reading too.
Since he’s a pitcher on the New York Mets it’s likely that many of the kids who look up to him live in New York City, where there is not an abundance of nature or farms. This book takes place in a farm setting, which is the opposite of city life, so it’s a nice way for city kids to learn about a more rural lifestyle and all the hard work that goes into farming. I’ve lived in New York City my whole life and I love it but sadly there is not much nature here. Walking through Central Park or near the beach in Brooklyn has always been my favorite way to unwind from the hustle and bustle of the city. As a kid I was always intrigued to learn about what farm life is like and how much hard work and knowledge of nature is required for growing crops.
The book club is also a great way to encourage parents and kids to read together and to share their reactions and feelings about what they’ve read. This is a great book to give to your child, nieces/nephews, students, or any of the children in your life. The age range is 8–12 years old. The book is really enjoyable and also invites kids to think about their own relationships, how much hard work they put into their goals, and to examine their increasingly complex emotions as they mature into adolescence and beyond. There are a lot of great conversation starters in this book and it can open the floor for dialogue between parents and children, teachers and children, and maybe even encourage kids to start their own book club like their favorite baseball player.
