Project Mulberry
Julia Song and her friend Patrick would love to win a blue ribbon, maybe even two, at the state fair. They've always done projects together, and they work well as a team. This time, though, they're having trouble coming up with just the right plan. Then Julia's mother offers a suggestion: They can raise silkworms, as she did when she was a girl in Korea.
Patrick thinks it'...more
Patrick thinks it'...more
ebook, 240 pages
Published
April 18th 2005
by Clarion Books
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I’m currently reading the book “Project Mulberry” by Linda Sue Park. Julia and her friend, Patrick are intending to make something absolutely awesome for their partner project... but right now their minds have gone blank. Until the day Julia asked her mom for suggestions, her mom gave the idea of growing silkworms and making some thread. But Julia thought it was FAR to Korean. Still she decides to be loyal and tell Patrick. I like this book because the characters are so interesting, funny, and s...more
Jul 29, 2009
mitchell Dwyer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
older elementary students; kids dealing with asian-ness
Shelves:
reviewed
Why I really, really like this book:
1.
Julia, a Korean-American seventh-grader, deals with a lot of issues common to Asians growing up in the United States. I immediately identified with some of her insecurities.
2.
Patrick, Julia's best friend, becomes her friend mainly because he's not put off by the smell of kim chee. I love how a simple thing like this can break through some of Julia's hangups and lead to a real friendship. When you're that age, sometimes little things like that do lead to th...more
1.
Julia, a Korean-American seventh-grader, deals with a lot of issues common to Asians growing up in the United States. I immediately identified with some of her insecurities.
2.
Patrick, Julia's best friend, becomes her friend mainly because he's not put off by the smell of kim chee. I love how a simple thing like this can break through some of Julia's hangups and lead to a real friendship. When you're that age, sometimes little things like that do lead to th...more
Some books have strong character development, and Project Mulberry is one of those books. As the silkwork project progresses, Julia goes from hating the worms, to loving them. She also goes from being uncomfortable with her Korean heritage to embracing it. I especially enjoyed the "conversations" between Julia and the author after most chapters. This was a writing technique that I had never seen before.
I found the relationship between Julia and Patrick to be realistic. Sometimes they would fight...more
I found the relationship between Julia and Patrick to be realistic. Sometimes they would fight...more
Linda Sue Park reminds me of Lowis Lowry as a writer. You always get a well-crafted, unique story with characters' that have distinct voices and a tight plot. She's also such a sophisticated writer, I don't think readers always get what she's doing. Take the metafictional narrative that occurs between the author and the protagonist in this story. On the outset, it is a story about a girl and her best friend doing a project about silkworms for a state fair competition. Themes abound regarding fri...more
Project Mulberry, by Linda Park, is a story told from the perspective of the main character named Julia Song, who is Korean-American. Julia is in seventh grade, and through the series of events that take place, she is forced to confront her ethnicity and come to terms with who she is. Julia gets help along the way from her mother, her best friend Patrick, and her annoying brother Kenny. Julia and Patrick want to enter a project in the state fair, through their schools Wiggle Club. Julia wants to...more
Project Mulberry Julia Song has been a best friend with Patrick ever since she moved to town. They do homework together, study for test, and our both in the Wiggle Club. The club is starting to work on projects that they can enter in to the state fair. When Julia’s mom suggests a project on silk worms Julia thinks it is too Korean, but Patrick loves the idea. Julia is against the silk worm idea because her family is the only Korean family in the town and has previous experiences with prejudice a...more
SO this wasn't my favorite. The actual plot of the story was interesting. I did read plenty of bad reviews on amazon for it and was a bit skeptical but one lady and her daughter seemed to blow it way out of proportion.
There is no animal cruelty. But the book seemed like an excuse to drop some racism in. Racism between asians and blacks doesn't seem to be common, although it is understandable (everyone seems to be racist against blacks...)it seems to be a weird book to touch on racism in so be wa...more
There is no animal cruelty. But the book seemed like an excuse to drop some racism in. Racism between asians and blacks doesn't seem to be common, although it is understandable (everyone seems to be racist against blacks...)it seems to be a weird book to touch on racism in so be wa...more
Julia Song hates being Korean. She hates kimchee, Korean pickled cabbage made with garlic, green onions, and hot red peppers. She hates the taste of kimchee, she hates the sight of kimchee, and most of all, Julia hates the smell of kimchee and the way it permeates the house almost immediately after it’s made or a jar of it is opened. Julia and her best friend Patrick have joined the Wiggle Club (Work-Grow-Give-Live!), which is like 4-H. They want to pick the perfect project and win at the state...more
Oct 16, 2011
528_Kristin
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
1-asian-pacific-islander
Summary: Julia is a typical American child who lives in Plainfield, Illinois. Her family is Korean, and she sometimes has a hard time with that. She wants to blend in and be more “American”. Her best friend Patrick lives across the street. Together they join the Wiggle Club, an environmental club. They need to do an animal husbandry project, but can’t decide on what to do. Julia’s mom suggested raising silk worms like her mother used to do in Korea.
Patrick is thrilled with the idea, but Julia i...more
Patrick is thrilled with the idea, but Julia i...more
The book is very relatable for kids interested in animals. Linda was very smart by adding the dialogue between her and one of the characters. It added some extra history to the creation of the book. I think the book was most exciting in the mid-beginning and towards the end, but even those parts weren't that interesting. The only reason that I rated the book with three stars is because it wasn't the greatest compared to other books I have read. I feel there was no real exciting moments the made...more
Julia is a Korean American who wishes she didn’t stand out so much— even her house smells Korean because of the kimchee. Her friend Patrick doesn’t seem to notice this issue, and loves getting a bite of kimchee every time he comes over, so when he suggests they do a silkworm project for the WIGGLE club (like 4-H), he doesn’t see Julia’s secret resistance to something so Korean. Eventually, Julia does get excited (and decides friendship is more important, so she sacrifices her dislike of the proj...more
I really enjoyed this one. it was a good middle school read.
a couple of things, Julia is supposed to be in 7th grade, and I didn't really get that impression. I thought 5th grade tops. but that isn't super integral to the story, so it doesn't matter much. the author/character intermissions. they jarred the flow of the story for me. some of the questions/answers/background information was neat, but it totally made things skip for me.
julia song is a korean-american kid living in white bread americ...more
a couple of things, Julia is supposed to be in 7th grade, and I didn't really get that impression. I thought 5th grade tops. but that isn't super integral to the story, so it doesn't matter much. the author/character intermissions. they jarred the flow of the story for me. some of the questions/answers/background information was neat, but it totally made things skip for me.
julia song is a korean-american kid living in white bread americ...more
Jun 02, 2010
Tricia
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobook,
children-s-chapter
Many years ago, my sister worked at a drama department at a state university in the southwest. Somehow they ended up on the crew for a Paul McCartney concert in the big arena (in the dressing room, perhaps? I forget that part). Apparently the contract specified that no meat could be sold in the concession stands during the concert, since Linda McCartney was a vegetarian vocal animal rights advocate. My sister wanted to point out that many silkworms had to be boiled in their cocoons to make the s...more
Summary
This book is about a girl named Julia Song. Julia is Korean and her best friend is Patrick. Patrick and her have always been friends and done school work together. When needing their next project idea, they listen to Julia's mom about raising silkworms. Julia is hesitant at first but in the end, ends up really liking them.
Julia battles her emotions throughout the book. She does not know how to react to her mother not wanting her to go to a complete stranger's house to pick leaves off h...more
This book is about a girl named Julia Song. Julia is Korean and her best friend is Patrick. Patrick and her have always been friends and done school work together. When needing their next project idea, they listen to Julia's mom about raising silkworms. Julia is hesitant at first but in the end, ends up really liking them.
Julia battles her emotions throughout the book. She does not know how to react to her mother not wanting her to go to a complete stranger's house to pick leaves off h...more
Julia and her best friend Patrick are looking for a project for Wiggle Club (Work-Grow-Give-Live) and they hope to enter it in the state fair. But, after examining multiple possibilities, they’re still at a loss. Finally, Julia’s mother suggests that they try raising silkworms. Patrick thinks this is a great idea, but Julia feels it’s too Korean. She won’t come straight out and tell Patrick that she doesn’t want to do the project, though, so that makes for a lot of tension between them. Eventual...more
Oct 16, 2011
Crista
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
asian-pacific-islander
Set in the Chicago suburb of Plainfield, this small town USA story is about a girl named Julia and her best friend Patrick as they complete a project for their WGGL (Work, Grow, Give, Live) group. While completing their project they learn valuable life lessons about survival, racism, family traditions. The reader also gets a close up look into the writing process as the main character converses with the author between the chapters.
This is a very clever story that threads together so much history...more
This is a very clever story that threads together so much history...more
Jan 26, 2011
L11Beverly Kennett
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mc_lit,
realistic-fiction
I really enjoyed reading this book! It was on the list for my 4th grade daughter to read for her school's Battle of the Books contest, so we read it aloud together. The story revovles around two friends who want to enter a project in the state fair together. The main character, Julie, is from Korea and when her friend thinks of a project they can do that can be entered in two categories at the fair, Julie doesn't want the project to be too Korean, but can't admit it to her friend. The way the pr...more
Mar 29, 2012
Cheryl in CC NV
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Cheryl in CC NV by:
Tween Reader
Well this one just hit all of my buttons - *plus* it's got lots of great aspects for other readers - so, yeah, I have to give the ultimate five-star rating.
It explores a friendship between a boy and a girl at the age when they generally don't want to be seen associating together. It has the inter-chapter meta-textual conversations between the main character and the author. It includes two different kinds of families, so we and the characters can compare & contrast between the large and the s...more
It explores a friendship between a boy and a girl at the age when they generally don't want to be seen associating together. It has the inter-chapter meta-textual conversations between the main character and the author. It includes two different kinds of families, so we and the characters can compare & contrast between the large and the s...more
7th grade Korean student, Julia Song and her friend Patrick want to develop an award-winning project for the state fair. Her mother suggests that they raise silkworms as she did at one time, but Julia wants to do something more "American." As the story progresses she and Patrick expand their boundaries to include an elderly Black man who allows them to harvest leaves from his mulberry tree to feed the worms. She discovers that her mother is prejudiced against Black people and she finds out that...more
This book is the kind of book adults love to assign kids to read. It covers topics of racism, ecological farming practices, ambitious science/home ec projects, not to mention sibling relationships and working through conflict with friends. As I mentioned in a previous review, the childhood books I prefer are ones that don't tackle tough adult issues but provide a place of wonder and escape. This book features Julia, a 7th grade Korean-American girl who likes to call her brother "snot-brain" and...more
May 01, 2011
Neil Schleifer
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adolescent-lit
This was an interesting YAL book in a number of ways. First, it handles a bunch of social issues: assimilation, bigotry, ecology. Layered into the mix is a hint of teen romance and sibling rivalry. Finally, and the most interesting conceit, is that Ms. Park has an "interview" with her lead character at the end of nearly every chapter about the process of writing. While it's certainly fun and interesting to see the writer's process, I must admit that at times this gimmick stops the flow of action...more
"Project Mulberry" is a book about two best friends who do an agricultural project together on silkworms. This may have been nominated for a 2009 Caudill award, but some things made it boring for me. I thought that the characters were not described very well. You don't really get any personality from them throughout most of the story.This made it harder to connect to the characters and less realistic. On the contrary, the overall plot was well told and it had a good message.Also, I liked that ev...more
Jan 28, 2013
Audra Rowell
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio,
kiddie-lit
I listened to Project Mulberry as I traveled back and forth to work all week long. It's the story of Julia, a Korean-American girl, and her best friend Patrick. They've just recently joined a science club and have to decide on a project. With help from Julia's mom, they decide to raise silkworms and use the thread in a project. Julia struggles with this project since it's not really American enough for her. There are a lot of great features of this book - character development and struggling wit...more
May 28, 2012
Deborah
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
juvenile-fiction,
realistic
Julia is Korean and not pleased about her heritage. When her mother suggests that Julia and her best friend Patrick raise silkworms to enter into the dual categories Animal Husbandry (raising animals) and Domestic Arts (using the silk to embroider), Julia is not happy. She tries to come up with excuses to not do the project but Patrick is so excited that Julia keeps her mouth shut. Soon Julia is enjoying the project just as much as Patrick, and comes to realize that her heritage isn't something...more
Julia is a Korean-American girl. She and her friend Kenney are trying to think of a project to complete for the state fair. Through various scenes, it is easy to see that Julia is embarrassed by her Korean culture and when Kenney suggests that they do their project on silkworms, she is afraid that it is too Korean. Yet, the most intriguing part of the story is how Julia reacts to her mother’s treatment of African-Americans. When Julia’s mother finds out that one of Julia’s teachers is African-Am...more
Pretty good. I really like that Julia is a very modern character who plays with boys and is into science, but that she's also interested in learning embroidery from her mom. The supporting characters filled their roles nicely. They were neither fully fleshed-out nor flat stereotypes. Conflicts are resolved realistically and pretty quickly, holding the reader's interest, and the reader will likely think for himself or herself as she's reading-- it's hard not to get involved in the story. The inse...more
This was one of the first audiobooks that I ever listened to and I can't believe that I didn't put it on Goodreads.
I really like Linda Sue Park's works and I was disappointed that I didn't care for this work very much. The main character, who is a middle school student, seems much younger and I think that middle grade readers will have a hard time connecting with her.
I did like that the main character and the author interacted throughout the story. It was an interesting way to show how the aut...more
I really like Linda Sue Park's works and I was disappointed that I didn't care for this work very much. The main character, who is a middle school student, seems much younger and I think that middle grade readers will have a hard time connecting with her.
I did like that the main character and the author interacted throughout the story. It was an interesting way to show how the aut...more
Oct 18, 2011
529_Gary
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
1-asian-pacific-islander
Julia and her friend Patrick work on a club project together. Once they decide on a project they have a few problems to solve get their project started. They decide to work on a project using silkworms. One major problem that they have is finding Mulberry leaves. The silkworms need Mulberry leaves to feed off of and for moisture. Once they find the leaves they are set to order their silkworms. In the end they are able to use some of the silk that the worms produced in an embroidered piece.
The b...more
The b...more
Nov 10, 2011
Elizabeth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
asian-pacific-islander
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park is the story of a Korean girl, Julia and her best friend Patrick. The two of them are in the Wiggles Club (similar to 4H) and need a project for competition. Julia’s mother tells the children about how she helped raise silk worms in Korea as a youngster. After much discussion, they decide to raise silk worms, even though Julia feels that she would prefer an American project and not a Korean one. Julia also adds a dimension to the project, by creating an embroid...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Author Interview | 2 | 7 | Jan 07, 2013 03:58am | |
| Korean-American L...: Why doesn't my mom like black people? | 1 | 9 | Dec 05, 2011 12:32pm |
Linda Sue Park is a Korean American author of children's fiction. Park published her first novel, Seesaw Girl, in 1999. To date, she has written six children’s novels and five picture books for younger readers. Park’s work achieved prominence when she received the prestigious 2002 Newbery Medal for her novel A Single Shard.
More about Linda Sue Park...
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