CHARACTER COUNTS: Lemons

Lemons
By Melissa Savage
Crown Books for Young Readers, 2017. Fiction.

After her mother dies in 1975, Lemonade Liberty Witt is sent to live with the grandfather she's never met in Willow Creek, California - Bigfoot Capital of the World. She's sure that she'll be able to move back to San Francisco to live with her fourth-grade teacher Miss Cotton soon, and so Lem doesn't try to make friends in her new, weird town. Not even with Tobin, her neighbor and the president and founder of Bigfoot Detectives Inc. As Lem reluctantly begins hunting for Bigfoot she finds a family and learns that everyone loses people they love but that shouldn't keep you from making lemonade out of the lemons.

There are a lot of "found family" books in middle grade fiction and a lot of great books to help kids understand grief. What obviously sets this book apart is the Bigfoot hunting - and I really loved it. This book is a tearjerker - no doubt - but it is also humorous enough at parts to still appeal to children. LEMONS exists in a fun world where realism, historical fiction, and fantasy all merge and Melissa Savage deftly handles the difficulty of writing in three genres at once. Lemonade and Tobin are two characters who feel like real children dealing with real, difficult trials (so they are both sometimes frustrating and self-centered) but they are interesting people who overcome a lot - a great model for young readers. This is a humorous and heartwarming read for Bigfoot believers and deniers.

Comments

Review: Faker

Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit

Review: The Frindle Files

Frindle Files By Andrew Clements New York: Random House, 2024. Fiction. 198 pages. In 1996 Andrew Clements wrote a story about a kid who invented the word “frindle” (another word for “pen.”) The Frindle Files is the sequel that takes place many years later. Josh is a student in Mr. N’s class. He and his friends can’t stand the fact that Mr. N makes them all write their homework down on paper with a “blue or black pen” and “neatness counts.” Josh is a computer geek and loves to do all his homework on the computer. In the midst of trying to find a way to make Mr. N accept the students' desire to do homework online, Josh comes across some information about Mr. N that links him to the word “frindle.” Now Josh and his best friend must decide what to do with the information and if they are willing to stand up to Mr. N’s antiquated way of doing homework. Kids who love the original book will highly enjoy this new edition. It is a continuation to the story in that it shows what ha

Review: Puggleton Park

Puggleton Park Written by Deanna Kizis Illustrated by Hannah Peck New York: Penguin Workshop, 2024. Intermediate. 144 pages. "It is a truth everyone knows that all dogs need a forever home..." Poor Penelope the pug used to have a home, but after chasing a dreadful squirrel and straying too far, she is now lost in Puggleton Park in London. Although it's quite a lovely park, Penelope found herself alone and soggy from a night full of rain. Luckily, she is taken in by the good-hearted Lady Diggleton, who vows to help the pug find her Lady. But, not before we meet some charming characters and get into some little dog problems. This book is such a fun Regency-era read for young readers. With many similarities to Jane Austen, readers will feel transported to a time of fancy dresses, grand balls, and refined manners. Penelope is a very amiable pug that will capture everyone's heart. This is definitely a slightly more challenging Intermediate book. There are some pictur

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog