Project Mulberry

Julia and her friend Patrick are members of an after school club called WGGL (Wiggles). The club teaches students about farming and they are required to create a project. The best projects are selected to compete in the state fair in August. Patrick thinks he has a great idea - raising silkworm. Julia is a Korean American who's mother used to raise silkworms while growing up in Korea. Julia does not think the project is "American enough" and she struggles internally to tell Patrick that it is too Korean. As much as she doesn't want the project to come to fruition, it does.
Along the way, they meet with obstacles that teach them many lessons. Patience waiting for the silkworm eggs to arrive in the mail and waiting and watching for the silkworms to hatch and grow. Finding a mulberry tree to use its leaves for the food for the silkworms using their community resources, the befriend an African American man, Mr. Dixon, who lives along and has the only living Mulberry tree in their town. Julia's mother is not so sure about him, she seems to have some prior experience as a child with American soldiers ( some Afrrican American) as a child that jades her opinion of Mr. Dixon. A lesson in prejudice follows.
Lessons in the friendship between Julia and Patrick are learned as their friendship is tested. Working on group projects always requires skill in problem solving and negotiating and this situation is not any different.. Julia also learns many lessons in dealing with a younger sibling Kenneth who gets on her nerves all the time.
One unusual element to the author's writing is found between each chapter there is dialogue between the author and her character Julia. These conversations reveal how the author got her ideas for her writing and at times where the writing will lead next. The reader is also given many cultural and history lessons throughout the book.
This book is appropriate for grades 4-7l

Julia and her friend Patrick are members of an after school club called WGGL (Wiggles). The club teaches students about farming and they are required to create a project. The best projects are selected to compete in the state fair in August. Patrick thinks he has a great idea - raising silkworm. Julia is a Korean American who's mother used to raise silkworms while growing up in Korea. Julia does not think the project is "American enough" and she struggles internally to tell Patrick that it is too Korean. As much as she doesn't want the project to come to fruition, it does.
Along the way, they meet with obstacles that teach them many lessons. Patience waiting for the silkworm eggs to arrive in the mail and waiting and watching for the silkworms to hatch and grow. Finding a mulberry tree to use its leaves for the food for the silkworms using their community resources, the befriend an African American man, Mr. Dixon, who lives along and has the only living Mulberry tree in their town. Julia's mother is not so sure about him, she seems to have some prior experience as a child with American soldiers ( some Afrrican American) as a child that jades her opinion of Mr. Dixon. A lesson in prejudice follows.
Lessons in the friendship between Julia and Patrick are learned as their friendship is tested. Working on a group projects always requires skill in problem solving and negotiating and this situation is not any different.. Julia also learns many lessons in dealing with a younger sibling Kenneth who gets on her nerves all the time.
One unusual element to the author's writing is found between each chapter there is dialogue between the author and her character Julia. These conversations reveal how the author got her ideas for her writing and at times where the writing will lead next. The reader is also given many cultural and history lessons throughout the book.
This book is appropriate for grades 4-7l