Maisie Ferris and her father stick out in their little town of Galesburg. Everyone else seems to be content with following the rules but the Ferris's are different. While everyone is reading the bible, Maisie's family is reading magazines. While everyone else is growing ordinary corn, Maisie's family was making popcorn. Maisie's father, determined to be a entrepreneur, heads to England to show off his popcorn. It's a big hit with everyone and they find themselves in the castle making popcorn for the queen. Once Maisie returns with her exciting stories, people finally realize thinking outside the box isn't so bad. This story teaches that it's okay to be different and to never give up. ( )

"Popcorn at the palace," tells the story of a girl named Maisie from Illinois in 1837. Despite her towns disapproval, Maisie and her family grow popcorn kernels, and promote their business of popped popcorn. When a man from England shows up in Illinois, Maisie gets the idea of sharing her family's creation with the Queen of England. When they arrive in England, the queen is so impressed with popcorn, and she orders popcorn to be sent back to England. Before she leaves, Maisie is presented with a doll from the Queen herself.

The author did a good job with including dialogue in the text.It flowed well, and it made the story seem more personable. The dialogue also helped readers to connect more personally with characters.This book could be a good introduction to writing narratives with dialogue. Overall, the book was good. ( )

Maisie Ferris, daughter of Olmsted Ferris, grew up in small town Galesburg, Illinois where most of the town were strict religious people who frowned upon anything that was too different. Maisie's family was definitely different, they didn't just read the bible, they read the latest books and magazines. They also didn't just plant corn or raise hogs, Olmsted Ferris was imaginative and did not just stick to the ordinary. Maisie didn't just stick to the ordinary either, she liked reading about the royal family in England and making her own dolls. One day, Maisie's father decided to grow lots of corn to make popcorn and try to sell it in England, where they had never had popcorn. The townspeople of Galesburg though that Olmsted was crazy and said it would never work. Maisie and her father traveled all the way to England in the hopes of selling the popcorn, and also meeting the queen. Olmsted's popcorn caught on quickly with the English and soon enough even Prince Albert wanted a taste as well! The king and queen loved the popcorn and Queen Elizabeth even gave Maisie a beautiful doll. Olmsted and Maisie returned to Illinois to grow more popcorn.
I loved this story, it is imaginitive and crative. It shows children to not be afraid to think differently and try new things, even if everyone around you doesn't think it will work. ( )

This book hits various parts of history like the pioneers and the English. This book is about a family who has magical corn, which is popcorn. By being able to make popcorn, the family gets to visit the Queen of England. I would recommend this book to 2nd-4th graders due to the history aspect of it. I would teach this book after learning about the pioneers because it explains about their lifestyle and what it was all about. ( )

This book would be great for first through third graders. This picture book teaches about the pioneers and a little bit of history based on real events. The illustrations have a ton of detail. The images look as if they are real life. This story helps readers to focus on a child's life and teaches us to never give up and just follow your dreams. ( )