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Pumpkinheads
2019
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Working at a pumpkin patch every autumn, two seasonal best friends organize ultimate Halloween plans to celebrate their last working year together. By the award-winning author of Fangirl and the Eisner Award-winning illustrator of the Nameless City trilogy. Simultaneous and eBook. Illustrations. - (Baker & Taylor)

<p><b>A 2020 Tayshas Reading List Selection</b><br><b>A 2020 Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List Selection</b><br><br>In <i>Pumpkinheads</i>, beloved #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author Rainbow Rowell and Eisner Award–winning artist Faith Erin Hicks have teamed up to create this tender and hilarious story about two irresistible teens discovering what it means to leave behind a place—and a person—with no regrets.<br><br>Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends.<br><br>Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1.<br><br>But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye.<br><br>Josiah’s ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn’t ready to let him. She’s got a<i> plan</i>: What if—instead of moping and the usual slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut—they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he’s been mooning over for three years . . .<br><br>What if their last shift was an adventure?</p> - (McMillan Palgrave)

Author Biography

Rainbow Rowell is the award-winning, No. 1 New York Times–bestselling author of Eleanor & Park, Carry On, Wayward Son, and more. She made her comics debut as the writer of Marvel’s monthly Runaways series. Pumpkinheads is her first graphic novel. Rainbow lives and writes in Omaha, Nebraska, home of the world’s best pumpkin patches.

Faith Erin Hicks is a writer and artist living in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her previous works include the Nameless City trilogy, Friends with Boys, The Last of Us: American Dreams (with Neil Druckmann), Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong (with Prudence Shen), and the Eisner Award–winning The Adventures of Superhero Girl. She can be found online!

- (McMillan Palgrave)

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Booklist Reviews

It's Halloween, and after three years of manning the succotash hut together, it's the last night Josie and Deja will work at their beloved pumpkin patch. Tall, blond, Josie is dismayed that their lives will never be the same, while Black, chubby Deja is determined to make the most of their last day. Her mission? Get Josie to finally talk to his crush. What follows is a rapid-fire circuit of the pumpkin patch involving bribery, swapped shifts, missed connections, a snack-thieving kid, and Josie's rival for most-valuable pumpkin patch employee, not to mention a corn maze, petting zoo, and hayrack ride, where Josie finally gets his chance. Hick's cheerful, big-eyed cartoon figures are a great match for Rowell's playful, often awkward characters, and she draws the pumpkin-patch scenes with bustling activity, which adds to the lively atmosphere and fast-paced plot. Though readers might easily pick up on where the story's going and the quick-moving scenes don't allow much room for character development, this lighthearted, feel-good comic will find plenty of fans.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Rowell's one of the biggest names in YA; don't be surprised if readers who otherwise turn their nose up at comics seek this one out. Grades 8-11. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

PW Annex Reviews

For the last several years, high schoolers Deja and Josiah (Josie) have been best friends during autumn, working together at the Pumpkin Patch's Succotash Hut. On Halloween, the last day of their final year working at the Patch, outgoing Deja, a plus-size black girl who has dated many of the Patch's staffers—girls and boys alike—intends to make sure that responsible, quiet Josie, who is white, finally talks to his long-standing crush, a young woman who works at the Fudge Shoppe. A packed night at the Patch leads to the duo pursuing "Fudge Girl" through the grounds, reliving memories, averting catastrophes, eating all their favorite snacks, and savoring one last autumnal night together. Art by Hicks (Comics Will Break Your Heart) turns the sweetly witty dialogue by Rowell (Carry On) into a miniature autumn universe; precise, affectionate details (signage, costumes, endpaper maps) will coax readers to revel in the cozy atmosphere. The pacing is assured, driving along in short bursts that leave room for key scenes to stretch, but it's the primary characters' authentic friendship—built over several seasons working alongside one another—and the variously inclusive cast that really bring this funny last-day story home. Ages 14–up. (Aug.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly Annex.

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 7 Up—High school seniors Deja and Josiah ("Josie") are working their final shift at the world's corniest pumpkin patch. Josie already misses his days at the patch, while Deja is on a mission to experience as many things as possible on her last night, including eating plenty of Frito pie. Along the way, she wants to yank Josie out of his comfort zone and open up his world—no regrets allowed. The characters in this graphic novel are so expressive and authentic, it's impossible not to love them. The dialogue is cute, funny, and punny, and the speech bubbles are well placed. Adorably illustrated and titled chapter headings will heighten readers' anticipation of wacky moments. The palette is charmingly autumnal, and dynamic backgrounds, with vivid reds, oranges, yellows, and twilight purples and blues, convey the fall festival atmosphere. The panel layouts advance the action smoothly and evoke the feeling of young love and of breathlessly standing on the brink of change. VERDICT There's something for everyone in this joyful, tender book. Fans of Rowell and Hicks will gobble up this graphic novel like it's Frito pie, and after just one nibble, newcomers will do the same—and ask for seconds.—Kelley Gile, Cheshire Public Library, CT

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal.

Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews

Co-protagonists Deja and Josiah (Josie) have worked together for three autumns at Nebraska's Pumpkin Patch. Are they just seasonal friends, or could they become "friends for all seasons"? On their last night at work, Josie and Deja embark on a quest so that Josie, who is white, will finally meet a co-worker crush. Along the way, they meet female and male co-workers whom Deja, who is African American, has dated. Their quest teaches them lessons about seizing the day and realizing "You can't stay at the Patch forever." As Deja says, "It's about reaching for the things you want in life! It's about being the flipper, not the pinball!". This graphic novel structures one significant night during senior year into seventeen chapters with titles such as "Maized and Confused" and "Carpe Hayrack!" Readers see the delights of the Pumpkin Patch, such as the Tour de Pumpkin, the Twistiest Corn Maze in the Heartland, the Hayrack Ride, the Pony-Go-Round, the Succotash Hut, and a S'Mores Pit. This much-anticipated book is a successful collaboration of Rainbow Rowell, author of Eleanor & Park (St. Martin's Griffin, 2013), Fangirl (St. Martin's Griffin, 2013), and the Simon Snow series, with comics veteran Faith Erin Hicks, the author-artist of Friends with Boys (Square Fish Books, 2015) and Zombies Calling (SLG Publishing, 2012). The award-winning creators teamed up for the first graphic novel with text written by Rowell. Even readers who do not love Halloween, pumpkins, and Midwestern cultural icons as much as Deja and Josiah do will be pulled into this romantic, nostalgic, and wonderfully illustrated story. –Amy Cummins 4Q 5P J S G Copyright 2019 Voya Reviews.

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