Great Middle Grade Reads discussion
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The Lemonade War
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BOTM for JUNE is The Lemonade War
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So, I am apparently terrible at impulse control when it comes to reading books. When this book was announced, I put my name on the list for it at my local library. My turn came up 3 days ago and I thought, "that's okay. I will just read a chapter or 2 a day until June gets here, then I'll finish it." It was a good plan.It lasted for 2 chapters.
This was such a fun book to read. I loved the close relationship that Evan and Jessie have with each other. Even when they were at war with each other, it was easy to see that neither one really wanted to hurt the other - they were both just letting their own pride get in the way. Not only that but Evan is suddenly faced with all of his feelings of inadequacy with respect to their education when he finds out that not only will Jessie be in the same grade as him for the next school year - which he knew about - to being in the SAME CLASS with her - which he was definitely NOT prepared for.
After some words are exchanged in the heat of the moment, the two of them are at odds, though Jessie has no idea why. I definitely liked how Jessie kept trying to do things that she thought would fix the problem, but her actions only ended up making things worse because she didn't really understand the problem. Jessie loves her brother and doesn't think he's stupid at all, nor does she ever entertain the idea that HE could think that about himself when compared to her, so she is at a complete loss as to why Evan would say he hates her.
Finally, I definitely liked how the two of them did finally talk to each other and work out the problem just so that they wouldn't have to worry their mom with their issue. While I felt bad that the kids felt like they couldn't share their disagreement with their mom, I could empathize with not wanting to add to her burden.
Now, having finished the book, I definitely still have some ire reserved for Scott, and I NEED to read the next book because OMG that ending! Though I could see what was going to happen before it happened, I was still mad at Scott for doing it. So, now I need to know whether or not Evan and Jessie are able to get the money back from Scott, and I really hope that Scott will realize how much of a bully he's been to everyone. The Lemonade Crime here I come!
I loved this book! I already read the second book of it which is The lemonade crime and it was also great:)
Jennifer summed up everything so well I don't have to find the words to say how much I enjoyed this book. In addition to that, I'd add that I also love the fact this book incorporates maths and demonstrates how it is used in the business world. The concepts might be over the heads of its audience, but it is simple enough to show them one application of math in the real world.
I'm still waiting for my copy at the library. Sounds like this book will be worth the wait!
Gia wrote: "I'm still waiting for my copy at the library. Sounds like this book will be worth the wait!"It is definitely worth the wait, Gia. :) I have read this book many times to my children in the summer when they were young and they loved it.
Justine wrote: "Jennifer summed up everything so well I don't have to find the words to say how much I enjoyed this book. In addition to that, I'd add that I also love the fact this book incorporates maths and dem..."I wasn't very good at math in school and I wished the school library had books like this where I could see the math and not try to imagine it in my head.
Jennifer wrote: "So, I am apparently terrible at impulse control when it comes to reading books. When this book was announced, I put my name on the list for it at my local library. My turn came up 3 days ago and I ..."I love your review!!! I had no idea there was another book. I must see if my library has it. :)
Janice wrote: "I love your review!!! I had no idea there was another book. I must see if my library has it. :)"There are apparently 5 books in the series:
1) The Lemonade War
2) The Lemonade Crime
3) The Bell Bandit
4) The Candy Smash
5) The Magic Trap
Happy reading!
Jennifer wrote: "Janice wrote: "I love your review!!! I had no idea there was another book. I must see if my library has it. :)"There are apparently 5 books in the series:
1) The Lemonade War
2) The Lemonade Cri..."
Wow!!! I had no idea there were so many. :)
Mod
I finally finished reading this book! I guess that makes me a late bloomer, lol! It was worth the wait though. Not being super good at math myself as a kid, I could relate to Evan and his struggle to learn the practical math skills he needed for his lemonade stand in the real world. It was fun when he had his big a-ha! moment in finally seeing the long division on paper when he drew it all out. This book had some suspense, too, like when Jessie and Evan took risks with each others' things and when the officer came up to Evan. Like Jennifer, I too loved how Evan and Jessie are such great friends even though in this book they are in a tiff. I agree: it was wonderful how they worked it all out in the end. I'm glad I read this book and I wouldn't have ever known about it without this group, so thank you!
Mod
I'm glad you got there - I haven't found a copy, I'm afraid.
Don't worry about late readings. we leave the BOTM threads open for over a year, and even then the threads are still in the archives and can be added to.
I finally had the chance to read The Lemonade Crime, which picks up just a few days after the end of The Lemonade War. It deals with the missing money, which both Jessie and Evan believe Scott stole.As with The Lemonade War, each chapter began with a vocabulary word, and all of these words dealt with the justice system. I have to give Jessie props for coming up with the idea of putting Scott on trial for stealing the money, and I have to admit that I definitely did not see that ending coming.
I think the best part of this book is that it reminds us that people are not always black and white. As much as Scott was an antagonist in the first book - and this one, too, for that matter - what happens in this book reminds us that we don't always know what is going on in a person's life, and learning more about a person may change how we view that person.
This book was relatively short, with only about 130 pages of the actual story and the rest being promotional information for other books, including the first chapter of book 3, The Bell Bandit. I didn't read that chapter, though, since I don't know when I'll be able to read the whole thing.
Jemima wrote: "Gia wrote: "I finally finished reading this book! I guess that makes me a late bloomer, lol! ..."I'm glad you got there - I haven't found a copy, I'm afraid.
Don't worry about late readings. we ..."
Oh good, Jemima, thanks for telling me that. Good to know. Bummer you couldn't find a copy. I can't always find copies of books either.
Jennifer, that's so true about learning about people and what may be going on with them. It can change everything. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the second book in the series.
Great Middle Grade Reads
Books mentioned in this topic
The Lemonade Crime (other topics)The Lemonade War (other topics)
The Bell Bandit (other topics)
The Lemonade War (other topics)
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