Customer Reviews

Make Lemonade

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When I first read this book several years ago, I was bowled over by its power. Since then, I have returned to LaVaughn's story several times. Each time, I experience the same sense of joy and awe at Wolff's ability to tell a story, and to create sympathy without judging.

LaVaughn is an inner city kid trying to make good by earning a college scholarship. Her hardworking, firm-but-loving mom supports her, but urges LaVaughn to put academics first. Jolly, a teenaged mom who has been roughly handled by life, requests a babysitter, and LaVaughn responds.

Wolff makes us question every stereotype we may hold: that teenaged moms brought their problems upon themselves, that people who are out of work are lazy, that every poor person is anxious to accept a handout. None of these preconceived notions is true for Jolly or the other characters in the novel. Yet, while painting every character with a sympathetic brush, Wolff does not release any of them from responsibility. Life works out best, she reminds us, for those that rise above the despair of a hard situation and do something to make it better.

Wolff's free verse style creates strong images of Jolly's life, both stark and joyful: the battered card where she scrawls her desperate plea for help, the filthy floor in her apartment, Jeremy's triumph at being toilet trained, the blooming of a lemon plant that represents the hopes of children despite the harshness of their lives.

The novel Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff is about a fourteen girl named LaVaughn who baby-sits for a sixteen-year old girl named Jolly. The book tells about what happens while she baby-sits, about the family and their hardships, and about how the job affects her whole life. The story takes place in LaVaughn's home city, a place where many of the people can barely afford the roof over their heads. The people living here are not in good shape; there are many gangs, drugs, crowded high schools, and low security. Most of the residents are poverty-stricken, single parents, pregnant teens, criminals, or unemployed. The main characters fit some of these descriptions. LaVaughn lives in tiny apartment with her single mother. She attends a crowded high school where there are many gangs, drugs, etc. LaVaughn's father died when he got in between a gang fight that he wasn't even a part of. Jolly a sixteen-year old, single mother of two also has her share of problems; she was left by the men who gave those babies to her, and she can't get a job that pays well enough to support her growing children. She hires LaVaughn to baby-sit after school for her daily. Though sometimes LaVaughn doesn't get her full pay, she gets the love and admiration of the two children Jilly and Jeremy, and the friendship of Jolly.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, because it was not "sugar coated," or glamorized. LaVaughn's life mirrors the plight of many of the people living in this country. I also liked the way that LaVaughn helps Jolly in her time of need, most people would make her pay right away, or they would leave. LaVaughn and her mother share a common relationship that many teens experience with their own parents, no matter if they are rich or poor. LaVaughn and her mother can get in fights or annoy each other, but LaVaughn obeys and respects her mom and they love each other. I also liked the drama and suspense incorporated into this book, it wasn't like a mystery, but the actions left you wanting to see what happened next. I liked how LaVaughn had goals set for herself; she had wanted to go to college since she was in fifth grade, and she started to baby-sit for Jolly in order to get her dream off of the ground and start to save money to pay for her education. One other thing I liked about the book was that LaVaughn was not perfect, and she had to resolve her problems herself, they didn't just magically go away. Some of the characters in this book were easy to relate to, and it was easy to see their points of view, and the hardships of the lives of people who live like this. I would recommend this book to mostly teenage girls who like to see how people's live are different or harder than their own. This book was great, you wont be able to put it down until you finish.

Virginia Euwer Wolff really hit a homerun with this book. Make Lemonade embodies and captures all of the qualities that a good book should have. It captures many aspects of teenage life, and dwells opon the misfortunes that some may stumble upon. Jolly is a seventeen year old girl who has had a hard life. Left with two children, after a slew of bad boyfriends, she is having a hard time raising her kids, and giving them just their basic needs. LaVaughn is a very smart 15 year old, and is looking for a job. She sees an advertisement at school for a wanted babysitter. In no time at all, LaVaughn is watching Jeremy, and Jilly, Jolly's children. LaVaughn shares a special bond witht hese children, and genuinely cares about them. Yet in life, things go wrong sometimes, and a lot of times there is then nothing that can be done to make it easier. Read Make Lmeonade, by Virginia Euwer Wolff for a look into the life, and heart of a little girl, with big dreams.

In the novel Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwe Wolff, is a terrific book that tells about a fourteen year old girl named LaVaughn who helps a teen mom get back on her feet. LaVaughn is a hardworking and an A student who is determined to get into a scholarship to a good college so she can get as far away as she can from this town and get a respectable job. Jolly is a teenage mother with two children who is barely making the money for her rent and is in desparate need of a baby sitter. LaVaughn, deciding she needs all the money she can get if not to recieve a scholarship to college willingly takes the sitting job. Soon after jolly gets layed off from her job and can't pay LaVaughn anymore. Read on and see how LaVaughn helps Jolly take control of her life once again.
Some aspects of the books that i enjoyed reading was how descriptive the writer was about Jolly's house. The author would go on about the cockraoches crawling all over the walls and the gunk stuck in between the floor panels that no one would dare touch and try to clean up. This was told in such great detail that while I was readng this book I had a complete picture of Jolly's house. Another aspect that I liked about the book was LaVaughn's perserverance. LaVaughn keeps above average grades, baby-sits, and on top of that helps her mother around the house. All while she is doing this she keeps a strong hold of things and never gives up. I, personaly think she is a very good role model. I also liked how real the hardships of Jolly and LaVaughn had to face. The author mentioned things like Jolly not having enough money for diapers anymore and how vermins were living in her house like there were suppose to be there. I liked this because if they didn't have problems to face then there would be no point to this book at all. On the other hand i also disliked how there needed to have at least one more element to have to overcome. Lastly I disliked LaVaughns mother's attitude towards Jolly. LaVaughn's mother thought that Jolly was an irrespnsible and clueless mother. I think she was being to quick to judge someone she doesn't even know. I would reccamend this book to children wholike short but heartfelt books on family ties.

I think that the book Make Lemonade byVirginia Euwer Wolff is an excellent book. Its a perfect example of how some people live their lives today. It had a lot of drama and it was so interesting that u could never tell what exactly was going to happen next.
The book's story was basically about Lavaughn's( a teenage girl) teen life. Her father died when she was a child so, her mother was an only parent for the majority of her life. Her mother was one of those control freak mothers who really only want the best for their child. She made sure Lavaughn was an A+ student and would be able to get a scholar ship to go to college to have a good life for the future.
Lavaughn was just entering ninth grade and needed something to do on her free time besides her homework. She found an ad on the school bulletin board for a job as a baby-sitter. She knew her mother wouldn't particularly go for. She still insisteded and convinced her mother in letting her take the job. After all she would have extra money for college. Lavaughn not only enters a job, but an environment and situation she's never been in or had to deal with before. Jolly her boss or the mother of the kids Lavaughn baby-sits for, lives on the worst side of town in a dirty broken down two bedroom apartment. She never graduated high school and the father of her kids took off. She had a factory job and never graduated high school. As the story goes on Jolly's life seems to be getting worse and when you think the most horrible things may occur, some things get turned around. While Lavaughn's grades are dropping and her mother always seems to be angry with her, throughout the book, she learns more important things. How real life is on your own and making the best decisions and taking the best opportunities. In the END..............your just going to have to read the book and find out for yourself.
I strongly recommend this book to people who like stories that teach a lesson and have a certain sense of reality to them.

PLOT SUMMARY: LaVaughn, a high school student gets a job babysitting after school to earn money for her college savings fund. She ends up babysitting for Jolly, a 17 year-old single mother of two, who has problems supporting herself and her two children. With no family to speak of, Jolly takes the advice of 14 year-old LaVaughn and enrolls in a class at her high school that provides daycare for single mothers while helping them to earn a high school diploma. Because Jolly refuses to get financial help from the govermnent, LaVaughn often babysits and cleans house for free and basically finds herself being a mother to both Jolly and her children.

JOLLY: Jolly is a 17 year-old mom who is, for the most part, illiterate. Having been fired from her last job for refusing her boss's sexual advances, she is having a hard time finding another job she is qualified to do. Helpless and alone, she meets 14 year-old LaVaughn, who is her lifeline. With the help of LaVaughn, Jolly struggles to get back on her feet.

LAVAUGHN: LaVaughn is the 14 year-old daughter of a single mother and is struggling to earn money for college. She takes a job babysitting for Jolly but is so compelled by Jolly's situation that she continues to help even when the money runs out and even spends part of her own money to clothe the children. She becomes so involved in the lives of Jolly and her two children that she almost loses sight of her own goals.

INFORMATION TO ENGLISH TEACHERS: This novel is a wonderful novel for the lower-level or average student. It is written on a level young adults can understand, and sadly enough, many students are able to relate to the problems Jolly faces as a teenage mother. A very short and easy read, students are not likely to lose interest.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS: Although I never faced problems such as Jolly or LaVaughn, I have seen numerous students who have. This book is an inspiration for both single teenage mothers as well as those who have never had to experience this aspect of growing up.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. This is the moral of the reader-involving and well written novel Make Lemonade, by Virginia Euwer Wolff. Helping a teen mother get her life back on track, a 14-year-old finds many great life lessons awaiting her.

When LaVaughn takes a babysitting job to earn money for college, she has no idea how much impact she will have upon the lives of a 17-year-old and her children. Taking care of Jolly's kids, Jeremy and Jilly, soon turns into much more than an after school job. LaVaughn helps Jolly, Jeremy, and Jilly through simple issues such as buying shoes or making beds. She also helps with more complicated problems. For example, Jolly is fired from her job at a factory. LaVaughn tries to help Jolly manage and find a new job. From this, LaVaughn learns how tough it is for a teen mother to pay for basic necessities. She experiences several meaningful life lessons.

Make Lemonade is a book so well written that it feels as if the reader is drawn inside the story, laughing with two toddlers or crying with a teenage mother. Wolff uses the vocabulary of an inner city teenage girl to help the reader participate in the story. For example, the author uses phrases such as, "If you're that short...and somebody's told you there'd be a lemon plant and all you see is wrinkly, stickery dirt, no wonder you'd be mad." Also, Wolff sometimes writes as if LaVaughn is talking to the reader. The feeling you get during these times is similar to a feeling you get while watching a 3-D movie. The reader is able to get involved with the characters.

Overall, this book is one of few that can be fun to read and can make you think at the same time. While reading it, the reader feels as if he/she is right there with LaVaughn, living as she lives. During the book, there are many lessons to learn, whether you are experiencing a 3-year-old's point of view or trying to avoid welfare. Make Lemonade is a book that will leave readers running to the library for a sequel.

LaVaughn, the narrator, has one major goal-- to go to college. Her mother says that not one person in their inner city apartment building has gone to college. To make money for this dream, LaVaughn finds a job babysitting two young children. She realizes that she has taken on more than she bargained for, in dealing with the wellbeing of their teenaged mother. Jolly can barely afford to pay, but LaVaughn senses her despair. She is determined to get Jolly back on the right track, even if she doesn't get anything out of it. The way the book is laid out is startling at first, but it is accurate to the way we think and talk. LaVaughn's way of thinking is catching, and you will find yourself just as wrapped up in Jolly's children as she is.

i just finished this book, and i was compelled to write a review immediately because it was that good.

this is quite possibly the best novel written in verse i have ever come across. there is a clarity in the story that is strikingly beautiful, the kind of clarity that will make the story fall into you. it will make you remember it, or maybe it will remember you.

please don't pass this one by. it is a must read.

let lavaughn's determination be your determination. let jolly's success be your success. let yourself fall in love with jeremy and jilly. because this story will let you.

this story made me want a lemon tree. it made me want to make things grow. it made me want to spend a bright, sunny summer afternoon drinking fresh lemonade with thoughts of beautiful things in my mind. it made me wish the world was beautiful, but it made me realize that, in a way, it is.

Before I begin my review, I would first like to say a word or two to the author. Ahem. Ms. Virginia Euwer Wolff allow me to thank you for writing such a wonderful book. I've read many many young adult books in my day, but your book is one of the first to move beyond the text in the millions of ways that it did. You've penned a book that is as carefully written as it is fantastic. So, Ms. Euwer, why on earth did you give it the namby-pamby title "Make Lemonade"? I've never read a title that made me want to avoid a book more. Something called "Make Lemonade" sounds like a more sentimental version of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books. Your other books, like "True Believer", have somewhat bland titles, but at least they don't actively scare away the intelligent teens that wouldn't step foot near a book with the overly optimistic title that this one has. To sum up, great book, hate the title.

In "Make Lemonade" we have a story about self-discovery and self-recovery. LaVaughn is fourteen years old and is going to go to college someday. She knows this fact better than she knows anything else. Of course, that means she needs money, and so she answers an ad for a babysitter. The woman (if you can call her that) advertising is Jolly, a seventeen year-old single mother of a two year-old and a baby. As LaVaughn and Jolly get to know one another, the younger girl begins to see clearly the cracks and fissures in Jolly's madcap desperate life. As the two grow closer LaVaughn has to try to simultaneously help Jolly out while maintaining her own integrity and dealing with the guilt and enabling issues of being her employer's only friend.

The book is just as much about the trials of being poor in America today as it is about two girls trying to learn how to create a life of self-sustainability. LaVaughn isn't exactly from the suburbs herself, so she understands the world Jolly is coming from. Even so, she has to figure out to what extent she's holding Jolly back from taking the necessary steps to ensure a better life for herself and her kids. If Jolly's so poor, should LaVaughn give her back all the babysitting money she's earned? Is LaVaughn helping Jolly live in denial if she's merely offering help? Is it wrong that LaVaughn is taking the money of a desperate woman so that she herself can go to college and escape the viscious cycle of poverty? The book moves from practical situations and motions to philosophical ponderings about the nature of existence itself. Written entirely in free verse in a series of sixty-six poems (of a sort) we learn more about the characters and their lives through this unique medium than we could have ever hoped to with prose. Wolff is an accomplished writer, her stories capturing the honesty of the hardships that come with poverty. You won't find any miracles or sudden changes in human behavior in this book unless they come through good hard work. This book can make you simultaneously love and resent Jolly, just as LaVaughn loves and resents her herself. For a book that the author says came out of a dirty highchair, this goes on my list as possibly one of the strongest teen books to have ever been written. Better than "Speak". Better than "Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack". Better, perhaps, than even "The Chocolate War".

With the exception of its ludicrously optimistic title, this book is without flaw. A heartwrenching and exceedingly honest tale, it never bores or cheats. If you want to find an honesty that is at once heart-wrenching and ultimately triumphant, read "Make Lemonade". In our day and age, it should be assigned alongside "Nickel and Dimed" all the live long day.