Our whole class will be reading The Lemonade War. The author, Jacqueline Davies, is visiting our school in November to teach us how to become better writers. Read the summary about The Lemonade War and then respond to one of the questions below.
Summary of The Lemonade War:
Siblings Evan and Jessie Treski used to be best friends, but when Jessie skips two grades to Evan’s fourth-grade class, their relationship goes from friendly to competitive. Inspired by one of their former favorite activities, selling lemonade together on hot summer days, Jessie challenges Evan to a war: who can make the most money selling lemonade and the winner takes all the profits. The story is interspersed with business terms and concepts like partnership, competition, location, profit margin, etc., but focuses just as much on the siblings’ relationships with each other and with other neighborhood kids. Employing creative business strategies, their friends in the neighborhood, and some underhanded tactics, Jessie and Evan battle it out, making more money than they ever had before. But when the drive to win at all costs leaves both of them with next to nothing, they learn that when you compete against those you love, nobody wins. Though they feel they wasted the final days of summer in pointless competition, Evan and Jessie learn that the value of money is nothing compared to family, friendship, and true business savvy.
Wow, there are so many great lessons to be learned for this book. Please respond to one of these Questions….
1. In the book Jessie skips third grade and goes straight to fourth grade. Skipping grades causes problems between her and her brother and makes the other kids in her neighborhood think she is strange. Do you think skipping a grade or two is a good thing or a bad thing and why? How would you feel being in class where everyone is one or two years older than you? If there was a much younger student in your class, what would you think about them?
2. Both Evan and Jessie earned more than $100 selling lemonade. Evan wants to spend his money on an iPod; Jessie wants to donate hers to charity. What would you do if you had $100? Spend it, save it, give it away? What would you spend it on or to whom would you give it away?
3. When Jessie is upset, reading Charlotte’s Web makes her feel better. Evan plays basketball with his friends to lift his spirits. Is there something you like to do that makes you feel better when you need to take your mind off of your problems? How does it help you? Is it relaxing – like taking a nap or reading – or does it take energy, like playing sports or doing a craft?
