Giant Pumpkin Suite by Melanie Heuiser Hill

My fellow reader for MYRA nominations was surprised that I wasn't voting for this book for our nomination voting window this year. I had to admit that this book wasn't on my radar. She thought it would be right up my alley.  She was right; I loved it.  It came out in 2017 and I somehow missed it. 

The story begins with a 12-year-old twins Thomas and Rose who help their elderly neighbor who has fallen down the stairs in his basement and is seriously injured. What Mr. Pickering is most worried about is the one pumpkin plant that he has just planted. He entrusts this plant to the twins with directions for its caretaking. Turns out that is a seed for a special giant pumpkin that was willed to Mr. Pickering and he plans on growing a record-breaking pumpkin. Because of his accident, Thomas and Rose and the entire neighborhood get involved over the summer to make sure that this pumpkin plant is well taken care of. Meanwhile, Rose who is practicing for a big cello audition finds herself derailed over the summer and takes an unexpected break from playing her cello. The summer becomes a growing season for her as well as the pumpkin. 

I adored the community and family focus of this book. They truly support and help each other out across generations. It is set in Minneapolis and ends up later at the great Minnesota get-together State Fair. I also spent one evening asking "Alexa" to play lots of the cello music mentioned in the book. I highly recommend doing this when you read this book. Even though this book is longer than average...I didn't want to leave this neighborhood. I give this a 4 out of 4 rating.  I really liked it!

Age Range: 9 - 12 years
Grade Level: 4 - 7
Reading Level: 5.0
Hardcover: 448 pages

Publisher: Candlewick (September 12, 2017)

A Village of Scoundrels by Margi Preus

This is such a memorable title and when I realized it was written by Margi Preus, I requested an advanced reader copy. It will be released in a few weeks on February 25th and I have my order in for this title.  Even though there are a plethora of World War II books right now and I almost feel saturated, I needed to read this one since I really love how this author can surprise me.  This is the time to be writing these stories since many of the persons from this era are now quite elderly and it is our last chance to get their first-person accounts. Preus includes lots of photos and additional information about the characters at the end of the book along with pronunciations of the French names and places. 

The story is about a French town that was united in taking in Jewish refugees and helping them escape or hide in plain sight. This book focuses on teenagers who smuggled, forged documents, delivered messages to the resistance, and escorted Jews to safety. The town was a neutral zone at the beginning of the war but eventually, the German soldiers begin to arrive with names seeking out the illegals and their safety is no longer firm. What remains firm is the conviction that what was happening to the Jews was wrong and that they would break laws and risk lives to give them protection.

Despite the heavy sounding description of the plot, Preus tells this story with levity, love, and youthful hopefulness. I think messages of doing what is right when it is difficult,  not sanctioned, or even illegal are important reminders for all of us.  

I give this book a 4 star out of 4 star rating. I really liked it. 

• Age Range: 10 - 14 years
• Grade Level: 5 - 9
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Amulet Books (February 25, 2020)