The Lemonade War, A Quick Book Summary
By Lily | Published 5 June 2023 | Goodreads Rating 3.90 | This post may contain affiliate links.
The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies is a children's book that tells the story of a brother and sister in a heated competition to see who can make the most money from their lemonade stand. Here's a summary of the book, along with some key themes and reasons why kids will love it.
The Lemonade War takes place during the last week of summer vacation when Evan and Jessie decide to set up a lemonade stand to see who can make the most money. Evan is confident that he'll be able to outsell Jessie and become the Lemonade King, but Jessie is determined to prove him wrong. The competition quickly turns into an all-out war, with Evan and Jessie using savvy marketing tips and hard work to try to come out on top.
As the days go by, Evan and Jessie learn about the basics of economics, including concepts like profit, loss, and supply and demand. They also encounter some unexpected challenges, like a lemonade crime and a sudden heat wave that makes their stand a very popular spot. In the midst of all this, the siblings start to realize that there are more important things than winning and that working together might be the key to their success.
The Plot: What the story’s about
The Lemonade War revolves around siblings Evan and Jessie, who usually have a pretty good relationship. However, an argument swells when they learn that they will be in the same fourth-grade classroom due to Jessie skipping a grade. Evan is upset because he's worried about being overshadowed by his little sister's academic prowess, while Jessie is nervous about fitting in socially.
To settle their differences, the siblings decide to have a lemonade stand competition to see who can make the most money. This all-out war between the siblings gives rise to various strategies, betrayals, and sabotage. As the siblings try to outdo one another, they eventually realize the importance of working together and combining their unique strengths.
The Main Characters: Who are they and what are they like?
Evan Treski: A fourth-grader who is outgoing and has a lot of friends. He's not great at academics but excels in sports and is known as the "Lemonade King" for his successful lemonade stands.
Jessie Treski: Evan's younger sister, who is going into third grade. She's a math whiz and has a keen understanding of business concepts, but struggles with social cues and understanding people's body language. Jessie also has a hard time making friends.
Evan's best friend Scott Spencer and Jessie's best friend Megan Moriarty also play a role in the story.
RELATED: Check out the book-themed activities for The Lemonade War to bring the story to life!
Key Themes: What lessons can be learned from the book
Sibling Rivalry and Teamwork: The book explores the complexities of sibling rivalry and how it can drive people to do awful things. Despite their sibling rivalry, Evan and Jessie eventually realize that they're stronger together than they are apart. They learn to communicate better, to listen to each other's ideas, and to support each other through both good times and bad.
Hard work and perseverance: Evan and Jessie both have to overcome challenges and setbacks throughout the book, from poor financial planning to unexpected weather conditions. But they keep going, and their efforts are eventually rewarded.
Understanding and Empathy: Jessie's struggles with social cues and making friends show the importance of understanding and empathizing with others' feelings and experiences.
Basics of Economics and Business: Through the lemonade stand competition, young readers can learn about the ups and downs of running a small business and the importance of strategy, planning, and marketing.
Why Kids Will Love It
The Lemonade War is a fun and engaging book that will appeal to kids for a number of reasons.
Engaging Story: The Lemonade War has an engaging plot that keeps young readers hooked. The rivalry between siblings is relatable, and the lemonade stand competition adds excitement and suspense to the story.
Relatable Characters: The sibling rivalry between Evan and Jessie is relatable to many young readers, who may have experienced similar competition with their own siblings or friends. The main characters are also well-developed with distinct strengths and weaknesses, making them feel like real people that kids can connect with.
Educational Value: The book's focus on a lemonade stand also makes it feel accessible and relevant to kids, who may have set up their own stands or sold lemonade at a school fair.
Emotional Depth: The story delves into the emotions and motivations of the characters, helping kids understand the importance of empathy and teamwork in overcoming challenges.
Book Reviews on Amazon
5 Star Book
My 8 yr old son loved this book. Good first business book for kids. - Gita
An easy, entertaining read!
Just the book I needed when my 9 YO hit a bit of a reading dry spell - she zoomed right through it and couldn’t put it down! It was an easy, engaging and fun read. Involves some sibling rivalry, some early economics, and a lot of humor and charm amongst other things. Would love to get my hands on the whole series! - A. Vargas
Great Book!
My Grandson loved this book. It was funny and he related the situations to some of the situations in his life. I had no trouble getting him to read this book. - Carolyn D.
Five Stars
My grade 3s and 4s love this book! Very entertaining and throws a little math into the fun! - Charlene P.
Exceptional middle grade novel!
I haven't read the entire series, but I'm very impressed with the quality of this first novel in the series. Kudos to the author for presenting a positive view of entrepreneurship, in an age when children are brought up on a diet of movies about the evil developer who wants to build a shopping mall on the wildlife preserve. That alone makes this book a stand out. The author skillfully weaves several sub-plots and themes into the story. When I teach this book, my students learn about "reading between the lines," skilful and well-paced exposition, fresh and imaginative metaphors, as well as neurodivergent children, learning disabilities, conflict resolution and first crushes. Terrific book, highly recommend. - impulsesleuthcat
Overall, The Lemonade War is a fun and engaging book that will appeal to young readers, especially those interested in business and entrepreneurship. With relatable characters and an engaging plot, this book is sure to be a hit with kids, making it a valuable addition to any school or home library.
RELATED: Build reading comprehension with free book study for The Lemonade War.
Fun Facts about the Book and Author
The Lemonade War is the first book in a series of four, which also includes The Candy Smash, The Bell Bandit, and The Lemonade Crime.
The Lemonade War was inspired by a game of basketball. Davies was watching a group of kids play basketball and noticed how they were using social cues and body language to communicate with each other. This led her to think about how those same skills could be applied to a lemonade stand business.
The series has won numerous awards, including the New York Public Library's Children's Books 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, the Nutmeg Award, and the Rhode Island Children's Book Award.
The Lemonade War has also been praised by the School Library Journal and Megan Moriarty, who called it "a mixture of humor, excitement, and life lessons."
The book has been translated into Chinese, Korean, French, Spanish and more.
Author Jacqueline Davies has written over 20 books for children and young adults, including novels, picture books, and nonfiction titles. She has been a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award and the Nutmeg Award, among others.
In addition to writing, Davies is also a teacher and a former freelance journalist.