Melanie Heuiser Hill

An entertaining and refreshing read from start to finish. Rose is a twelve-year-old prodigy who is already in high school and is stresses with her upcoming Bach Cello Suites Competition. However, she still wants to enjoy the things a normal twelve-year-old would and that soon is about to change the day she is given a simple task with her twin brother, Thomas, to complete over the summer: take a pumpkin seed and plant the seed to grow a pumpkin. Rose discovers the importance of family and friendship, and how with enough time and care, these relationships can grow to be stronger and beautiful. I absolutely love Rose's development throughout the book and how the theme of community is so carefully developed for all the characters. I would definitely recommend this book, especially for a math class. Even though music is heavily spoken throughout the book, Rose has a fascination for numbers that can be beneficial to introduce in a middle school math class.… (more)

Giant Pumpkin Suite is a wonderful book about a girl, Rose, who is discovering herself and growing out of her childhood. I gave this book a 5 star rating because it's emotional, and there are great themes of family, friends, and the importance of enjoying your childhood. This is a great story for middle school students because they are also going through changes in their life, and its important for them to see a good peer- role model who works through personal and emotional situations that they, themselves may be struggling with.… (more)