The Horn Book Guide

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Hill, Melanie Heuiser

Giant Pumpkin Suite

440 pp. | Candlewick | September, 2017 | Trade ISBN 978-0-7636-9155-4 $16.99

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Rose's cello teacher advises easing up on practicing, so the overachiever reluctantly helps neighbor Mr. Pickering with a pumpkin-cultivation project. When an accident with Mr. Pickering's saw puts an end to Rose's cello-playing for the summer, she must deal with her grief. In an emotionally resonant story, Rose's earnest struggles with her precociousness and oddball tendencies keep her character from descending into twee quirkiness.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017