Monday, April 25, 2011

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday -- The Lemonade Crime

Hope nobody ate too much chocolate yesterday and that you spent time with family.  I'm always happy when both boys are home.  Now let's get to today's review:




The Lemonade Crime by Jacqueline Davies (Houghton Mifflin, April 2011, for ages 8 to 12).

This engaging sequel to The Lemonade War was inspired by questions fans asked Davies after the first book.  What about Scott Spencer?  Did he or didn't he steal the $208 that Evan and Jessie earned from selling lemonade?  Note that it's probably best to read The Lemonade War first, although Davies is careful to restate the core of that story without overwhelming the reader with information.

It's now September and the start of 4th grade.  Because Jessie has skipped a grade, she and her older brother Evan are in the same class.  Evan has a lot of friends but Jessie is quiet and mostly stays by herself at recess.

Until Scott Spencer starts bragging about the new XBox 20/20 that he bought with his own money.

Jessie is furious. She's convinced he stole that money from Evan when they were swimming in the summer. Jessie plunges into research with her usual dedication. Evan wishes she would just forget the whole thing.  But Jessie serves Scott with a hand-lettered warrant for his arrest, and arranges a "trial" after school one Friday.

The definitions of legal terms such as circumstantial evidence, eyewitness, and due diligence are given in brief chapter headings, but the reader will learn more by reading the story and seeing it all unfold.  Fascinating stuff for kids who like whodunits or detective stories, this book also explores sibling relationships and the importance of telling the truth.  In addition, the ending may surprise you!   This book should appeal to fans of Andrew Clements or Barbara O'Connor.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Whitney Messenger.  Go see what she's up to here.

Other regulars:

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Sherrie Petersen at Write About Now
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Ben Langhinrichs at My Comfy Chair
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Ally Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy

What marvelous middle grade novels have YOU read this month?

13 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing. I hadn't heard about this series. And sadly, I don't have a new middle grade book to recommend. I've been reading mostly YA this month.

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  2. I didn't realize there was a sequel to The Lemonade War! I just picked up School of Fear. I've eyed it in the bookstore before, but now that it's in paperback I thought it was time it give it a read :)

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  3. Looking forward to reading and sharing both!

    And would you believe not enough chocolate?

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  4. This looks like a perfect series for my girls. I'll have to go get it.

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  5. I bought this one, but I have to read the first one first. Did that even make any sense? :-)

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  6. Hi Natalie. I read a lot of YA too. Any reading is good. At least you're still reading and promoting books!

    Sherrie, School of Fear looks interesting to me too. Thanks for the recommendation.

    Hi Brooke. Hope your girls enjoy it.

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  7. Thanks, Deb. And really?? Not enough chocolate? Come over and eat some of mine, would ya? aha ha.

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  8. Hi Shannon! Thanks for stopping by. Yes, it makes perfect sense and you should definitely read the first one first. At least it's out in paper!

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  9. I love this blog hop. Helps me find great new blogs! Hi! New follower.
    This sounds like an interesting read. Thanks!

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  10. I haven't read either of these, and I like both of the authors you used for comparison. Thanks for the review!

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  11. Hi TerryLynn. I just started reading Dogsled Dreams that I won from Natalie! So cool to have you visit my blog. Thanks.

    Myrna, thanks, and glad you like those other authors too. Everyone knows Andrew Clements but not enough people know Barbara O'Connor.

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  12. Thanks for this! My kids and I'll be reading THE LEMONADE WAR in a few weeks for a book club they attend. Also, thank you for your comment on my MMGM and blog follow. I'm thrilled to be part of it.

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  13. Hi Barbara and welcome to my blog! That's interesting that you and your kids are going to read The Lemonade War. Hope you like it. It's a painless way to learn about economics.

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