BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSJulia Song is a Korean American seventh-grader in Plainfield, Illinois, who has spent years trying to blend in and distance herself from anything that marks her as different. When she and her best friend Patrick join the Wiggle Club, a farming and agriculture club, and sign up to raise silkworms for their project, Julia is quietly horrified. The idea came from her mother, who raised silkworms as a girl in Korea, and to Julia it feels like the opposite of the all-American project she wanted. Between chapters, the book has an unusual feature: short conversations between Julia and the author, Linda Sue Park, where the two discuss the writing of the story itself. As the project takes shape, Julia must navigate her own complicated feelings about her heritage, her friendship with Patrick, and a new neighbor named Mr. Dixon, whose mulberry tree is the only one in town and who turns out to be full of surprises.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Project Mulberry
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Project Mulberry. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a girl's friend call out "Eww! What's that smell?" upon entering her house?
✓ Answer
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park
When Julia lived in Chicago, her friend Sarah came over and was grossed out by the smell of kimchee. The same thing happened later with two other friends, leaving Julia embarrassed about her family's food.
- First half
In what book does a girl describe the eggs in her tank as looking first like periods, then like commas?
✓ Answer
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park
For days the silkworm eggs look like tiny black periods. On day fifteen, Kenny is the first to notice they've changed into curled-up commas. Patrick films the moment with the borrowed camcorder.
- First half
In what book does a mom explode at her daughter for staying two hours at a friendly stranger's house?
✓ Answer
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park
Julia's mom uses her quiet extra-extra-angry voice and sets a strict twenty-minute rule for visits. Julia wonders if her mom would be this angry if Mr. Dixon were white, and the question won't leave her head.
- Second half
In what book does a farmer rotate cows, chickens, and sheep through one pasture?
✓ Answer
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park
Mr. Maxwell explains his rotation system to the Wiggle Club kids. Cows fertilize, chickens eat the maggots and aerate, then sheep eat the weeds, and the field never has to sit empty.
- Second half
In what book does a boy storm into the house because he secretly has a worm phobia?
✓ Answer
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park
Patrick yells at Julia when she tries to make him hold a caterpillar, then storms inside. He finally confesses that he has scoleciphobia, fear of worms, and that he chose this experiment hoping it would cure him.
- Near the end
In what book do kids find caterpillars have webbed their egg cartons shut?
✓ Answer
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park
When Julia goes to check on the caterpillars, the egg cartons won't open because the worms have glued them shut with webbing. They are in there making the hammock-like attachments for their cocoons.
