Project Mulberry

March 14, 2005
In this contemporary novel, Park (A Single Shard
) creates a Korean-American seventh-grader so lifelike she jumps off the page. Literally. Between chapters, protagonist Julia Song makes suggestions to the author about plot details and voices her complaints about the way her life is being directed ("Do you want my opinion? I am not happy with the way things are going here," Julia tells "Ms. Park," after chapter 3). Within the narrative, Julia is involved in a project for the Wiggle Club, an organization similar to 4-H. She partners up with her long-time friend Patrick, and they raise silkworms, hoping to produce enough thread for Julia to embroider a picture. The children's hunt for mulberry leaves (silkworms' sole source of food) leads them to Mr. Dixon, an elderly African-American who generously offers the leaves from his mulberry tree for their project. Besides celebrating intergenerational and interracial friendships, and presenting interesting details about the silkworm life cycle, the book introduces many issues relevant to budding adolescents. Self-conscious about her heritage, Julia feels that her project is "too Korean" ("I wanted a nice, normal, All-American, red-white-and-blue kind of project," she bemoans). She also suspects that her mother might be acting racist, by forbidding Julia to spend time with Mr. Dixon. Then there's the problem of extracting silk from the cocoons (in order to do so, the worms—which have become like pets—will have to be killed). Rather than manufacturing convenient solutions, the author—with Julia's periodic input—invents a realistic, bittersweet ending. Ages 9-13.

Starred review from May 1, 2005
Gr 4-7 -When Julia Song moves with her family to Plainfield, IL, where they are the only Korean family in town, she becomes good friends with her neighbor Patrick. They have joined the Wiggle (Work-Grow-Give-Live) Club, and they need a project for the state fair. Animal husbandry is their category of choice, but what can they raise in their suburban neighborhood? When Julia's mother suggests silkworms, Patrick is enthusiastic, but Julia is not. Raising silkworms is so Korean, and she wants a real American project. Still, she agrees to the idea. When she realizes that to get the silk, the worms must die, her anguish clearly indicates how much her attitude has changed. At the end of almost every chapter, Park and her young protagonist discuss the story inside the story: where the author's ideas came from, how the characters take on a life of their own, how questions raised in the book continue to percolate inside some readers' minds when it is finished. This lively interaction provides an interesting parallel to the silkworm project as it moves from idea to reality. Julia, a feisty seventh grader, concludes that it is important to know what you don't know, an insight that she has as she grapples with her mother's attitude toward blacks. Park appropriately leaves Julia wondering what's behind her mother's prejudices in certain situations. As the novel progresses, Patrick and Julia negotiate the ups and downs of their friendship, and Julia begins to show a gradual change in attitude toward her younger brother. This skillfully written tale will have wide appeal." -Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 15, 2005
Gr. 5-8. There are big issues in Park's latest novel--conservation, prejudice, patriotism, biology, and more. But the Newbery-winning writer never allows them to swamp the story; in fact, it's the compelling characters and their passionate differences and commitments that drive the plot. Julia Song doesn't want to do a silkworm project for the state fair. It's too Korean; she wants something American. But she becomes interested in caring for the eggs, the caterpillars, and the moths and then in sewing the silk thread. Kind, elderly Mr. Dixon donates the mulberry leaves the silkworms eat, but why is Mom against Julia spending time with him? Is it because he is black? The first-person narrative alternates with lively interchanges between Julia ("Me") and the author ("Ms. Park") about writing the story. The author's intrusion may distract some readers, but most children will be hooked by the funny, insightful conversations. There's no easy resolution, but the unforgettable family and friendship story, the quiet, almost unspoken racism, and the excitement of the science make this a great cross-curriculum title.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)