A 2007/2008 Sunshine State Young Reader Award nominee
Project Mulberry
by Linda Sue Park
690 Lexile
(a teacher's guide and resource for lesson plans)

Other books in Lamarque's Media Center by Linda Sue Park:   The firekeeper's son The firekeeper's son [videorecording] The kite fighters Project Mulberry [sound recording] Seesaw girl A single shard A single shard [sound recording] When my name was Keoko When my name was Keoko - sound recording Related materials in Lamarque Media Center: Silkworm moths by Dina Drits Families of Korea [DVD] 29 minutes Chi-Hoon : a Korean girl by patricia McMahon Cooking the Korean way by Okwha Chung & Judy Monroe The green frogs : a Korean folktale Korean-American heritage [video] 25 min. The rabbit and the dragon king : based on a Korean tale The rabbit's tail : a story from Korea

     Seventh graders Julia and Patrick need a winning science fair project. Julia’s mom suggests they raise silkworms, but Julia initially dislikes the idea because it is too closely linked to her Korean culture. Eventually she agrees and the project begins.
     Along the way, Julia learns to value her friendship with Patrick and to be proud of her heritage. Between the chapters, the author creates conversations with herself and Julia in which the teenager unsuccessfully tries to convince Park to bend the plot her way.
     Realistic, contemporary characters and a fast-paced plot combine to make this a winning page-turner.

Related web sites:

• Author's website
• Remember to use the Elementary School Online Resources (especially Grolier Online and Kids InfoBits) provided by Sarasota County Schools to research raising silkworms and Korea. Also use their CultureGrams for great overview of Korea.

YOUR COMMENTS:
Any Lamarque students who have read the book are invited to leave their comments below. Remember net safety -- never post your full name on the Internet, even a school Internet site. Just sign your comment with your first name and your teacher's name.