Book Review: Pumpkin Heads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks
October 20, 2020
Okay, this graphic novel was adorable. Very much what any high schooler dreams of happening at a seasonal job.
The illustration was adorable and had a lot of good movement. Each square could be a stand alone illustration and the characters are absolutely adorable. Immense amounts of detail is poured into each scene leaving the reader feeling like they are really there with Deja and Josiah. Josiah describes the smells of the patch at one point and it transports you into the scene with him – able to smell the bonfire smoke, feel the cool breeze and taste the pumpkin flavored everything!
The story follows work friends Deja and Josiah on their last season of working at the local pumpkin patch. (For one, I wish my town had that cool of a pumpkin patch! It is large enough to have not one but two kettle corn stands, a corn maze and a smore pit.) It is their senior year and they have been working together since they were sophomores, so they have gotten to know each other well. The season ends on Halloween night and they have always gone out to Walgreens to buy half priced candy, after everyone has left, and spent the night reminiscing over the season. Deja wants to push this season to be different though. Josiah has been dreaming about a girl since he met her that first pumpkin season three years before, but has yet to speak to her. He is so taken by her that he gets nervous at the thought of speaking to her and Deja decides(for him) that tonight is the night: he is going to finally talk to her.
We follow Deja and Josiah through all the exciting things in the park and through all of the things they are going to miss about being there every September and October of their high school careers. We get to see a glimpse of how sweet their friendship has been throughout the years and how much they both have really enjoyed celebrating the season each year.
I highly recommend this sweet, quick read. It is easy to follow and smooth to swallow.
