Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Lemons by Melissa D. Savage

How I Heard About It:  While at #NCTE last fall in Atlanta I spent some time chatting with a publishing rep about new and upcoming books.  She pulled this one out and handed me a copy.  I brought it back to my classroom and shared it with readers.  Several of my fourth graders read it during the school year, but I never got to it.  I put this at the top of my summer TBR pile of books that I brought home to read.  

What It Is About:  Lemonade Liberty Witt has just arrived in Willow Creek, California to live with her "estranged" grandfather.  She isn't thrilled about this new living arrangement and misses her mother terribly.  All she wants to do is go back to the city and live with her mother.  Since at the moment this isn't possible, she must make the best of living in this new town.  Lemonade learns this is the "Bigfoot" capital of the world.  What!  Soon after her arrival she meets Tobin Sky, who is the CEO of Bigfoot Detectives Inc.  He invites her to be his assistant in the search of the illusive creature.  Since Lemonade doesn't know anyone else, she decides to join him in his quest to be the one to find Bigfoot.  They spend their summer receiving calls from the local residents stating they have seen Bigfoot and/or clues that lead them to believe he is nearby.  Of course some of the calls, are prank calls from other kids in the neighborhood.  Lemonade meets residents who knew her mother and begins to know her mother better.  She also gets to know the real story behind what truly happened between her mother and grandfather.  Tobin also shares his family's story with her and Lemonade decides she wants to help him deal with the past to be able to move forward.  These two young people truly rely on each other to figure out their past, know their present, and figure out where they want to go in the future.  

What I Thought Of It:  Loved it!  As I saw once, this book was "unputdownable".  I loved everything about it.  I now know why my students who read it this past school year enjoyed it so much.  The character of Lemonade was sweet, strong, and full of life.  Her friendship with Tobin was awesome and I enjoyed reading about how these two friends came to know each other, helped each other, and changed each other for the better.  There were a few fun mysteries along the way that I didn't see coming and was quite surprised by several outcomes.  This is on my list of books to share with my group of fourth graders next year.  

Who Should Read It:  All fourth, fifth, and sixth graders will completely enjoy this story.  It is perfect for them.  The book could be used for a read aloud or read individually.  I'm thinking of using it as a read aloud.  There are so many elements of the story that I want to share with all my students.  Adult readers will also find this a strong and powerful middle-grade story.  I can't recommend it enough.  Get out there and read it.  You won't be disappointed.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  5+ STARS out of 5 Stars

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