Me and the Pumpkin Queen

Mildred, eleven, is not interested in boys or clothes. She prefers giant pumpkins, the kind her mama used to love, and she is an expert. Mildred knows to plant Howard Dill's Atlantic Giant seeds. She knows to hand-pollinate the blossoms. She knows to cull the weakest pumpkins, one at a time. Growing a giant pumpkin is a lot of work. Unfortunately, Aunt Arlene keeps interrupting Mildred's horticultural efforts with shopping trips and visits. Who cares about bras and earrings when the Pumpkin Show awaits?