Pumpkin Heads

Bibliographic Information:  

• Title: Pumpkin Heads 
• Author: Rainbow Rowell  
• Publisher: First Second  
• Copyright Date: 2019 

Genre: Teen, Graphic Novel, Adventure  

Awards or Honors: None 

Reading Level: Young Teen  

Plot Summary: The story follows two teens who work at a pumpkin farm, Deja and Josiah. It’s their last night working together before they go to college. They decide to make their last night the best Halloween ever. Deja helps Josiah work up the courage to talk to his crush, Marcy, at the Fudge Shoppe. However, she isn’t there and has been sent to work elsewhere. Deja and Josiah decide to skip work to keep looking for Marcy. Along the way, they talk about college, get free samples of food, and run into Deja’s exes. They also get chased through a pumpkin field by a goat and help coworkers in trouble. Josiah finds Marcy. After talking with her, he realizes that the best part about working at the pumpkin patch was Deja, not Marcy. He tells Deja how he feels, and they kiss. They decide to give a relationship a try and walk out of the pumpkin patch on their last night holding hands.   

Author Background: Rainbow Rowell is a New York Times best-selling author. She has written books for both adults and teens. Some of her books include Attachments, Landlines, Eleanor & Park, and Fangirl. She also writes the Runaways comic for Marvel. Pumpkin Heads is her first graphic novel. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska. She spends time touring the country in 2020, going to book events in Washington D.C., Chicago, Portland, and Orlando. Rainbow is her given name (Rainbow Rowell, 2020).   

Critical Evaluation: Pumpkin Heads is an engaging graphic novel with wonderful illustrations and a good plot. The illustrations provide humor and have several subplots throughout the main story not mentioned in the text, such as a goat that escaped from the petting zoo. The pictures are also friendly and warm, and the reader will feel happy and positive after seeing the drawings. The images convey all the scenes and colors of fall. Often, the reader uses the illustration to understand a scene. The text is easy to read and is usually only a sentence or two. The plot moves forward every chapter, and scenes and locations change quickly. Younger teens will enjoy the graphic novel and understand the themes of romance, heartache, and finding people who care about you.   

Creative Use Library Program: I would make this book my book of the month for October for my teen book club. Many high school kids would be facing similar challenges of dealing with school, jobs, college, and moving on from friends. I think this could be a fun and wholesome book to show kids that change doesn’t have to be the end of the world, and there are always chances to get things right.   

Book Talk: Josiah and Deja are friends finishing their last night working at a pumpkin patch park before heading to college. Both are excited to leave but will miss each other. Josiah wants to spend his last night talking to his crush, Marcy, and Deja is determined to help him. Their last night working together takes them on an adventure filled with comedy, fun, and romance.   

Potential Challenge Issue: There are no challenges currently. Potential challenge issues could exist if someone challenged it based on one of the characters being bisexual. I would argue there are no inappropriate scenes, and showing characters that represent LGBTQ teens is important for everyone to see. Kids want to see a representation of themselves, and we as adults should try and provide that for them.   

Reason for Inclusion: I included this book because it was a positive graphic novel with a romantic element that might interest teens. I was first drawn to it after seeing the cover, and I thought it might be something young teens would be interested in. The book was also popular in my local library catalog. Many people had given it positive reviews. I thought the topic of high school and pumpkin patches made it worth reading and writing a review.   

About. (2020). Rainbow Rowell. Retrieved on November 22, 2020 from https://www.rainbowrowell.com/about  

Rowell, R. (2019). Pumpkin Heads. First Second Books.