The Lemonade Crime (The Lemonade War Series) [Hardcover]

Jacqueline Davies (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2011 | Age Range: 9 and up | Series: The Lemonade War Series | Lexile Measure: 670L (What's this?)

Following the laws of our legal system, Evan and Jessie’s fourth grade class concocts a courtroom on the playground, putting Scott Spencer, alleged thief, on trial. They create a legitimate courtroom—with a judge, witnesses, a jury of their peers—and surprising consequences. 

As she explores the difficulties of fairness, Jacqueline Davies once again reveals how good she is at understanding the complex emotions of children this age.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The realistic depiction of the children’s emotions and ways of expressing them will resonate with readers. Great for discussion, this involving and, at times, riveting chapter book has something to say and a deceptively simple way of saying it."—Booklist, starred review

"Short chapters, realistic dialogue and social dynamics, humor, and suspense will keep even reluctant readers turning pages to the satisfying conclusion."—School Library Journal

About the Author

Jacqueline Davies is the talented author of two novels, as well as picture books. Jacqueline lives in Needham, Massachusetts, with her husband and three children.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (May 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547279671
• ISBN-13: 978-0547279671
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #462,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jacqueline Davies is the talented author of both novels and picture books. Jacqueline lives in Needham, Massachusetts, with her three children.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars best book ever June 4, 2012

By fifth grader

Format:Kindle Edition

when my friends told me that the lemonade war was a great book i decided that i had to read it. i borrowed it from school thinking that it wouldnt be such a good book and it would be a slow book. i started the book i loved it. i finished the book within an hour without stopping to do anything. it was the best book ever. when i heard the mrs. davis wrote another book in the series the lemonade crime (this book) i needed to read it right away. i came running home that day and got onto my kindle. i didnt care what price it was but i needed too buy this book. i bought it right away before even starting my homework. i read it so fast and i even skipped dinner. it was the best book ever. i red both of these books over about 30 times. i even bought the lemonadde war myself for the rest of my family to read. i would love <3 for mrs. davis to continue writing these books. in this book i give a lot of crewdit to evan and even more credit for jesse for helping her brother. if you are debayting on wheather ti read this book or not the answer should be an absoulute yes!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An educational morality tale--but still fun March 23, 2011

By P. Mann VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This book is the sequel to The Lemonade War, which I have not read. As a stand-alone book, though, "The Lemonade Crime" works perfectly well.

The story involves an apparent theft of $208 from Evan, a fourth grader. He and his sister, a precocious Jessie, who is now in the same grade as Evan, believe that the money, profits from lemonade sales, was stolen by a classmate, Scott. Evan had the money when he, Scott, and some other boys were at a pool party. While Evan was in the pool, Scott went into the house and had ample opportunity to take the money from Evan's shorts. Other circumstances point at Scott's guilt.

All of this is back story. When the book begins, Scott has announced that he has a new Xbox 20/20, a cutting-edge video game system that causes everyone in the class to salivate--except for Evan and Jessie, both of whom believe that Scott bought the game with the stolen money. Thus, Jessie arrives one day with a summons she has written after reading a book about the law, and, when Scott touches it, even in disgust, she tells him that he has been served and now must appear at a trial, which Jessie arranges, using her classmates as judge, jury, counsel, and witnesses. Things at trial, however, don't go entirely as planned.

There is a great deal to like in this book. The characters are all flawed, for instance, and in ways that probably will help young readers see themselves in the story. These are not major flaws, but Jessie's brilliance, Evan's status as victim, and even Scott's status as villain are all mitigated. In short, the characters seem more real for their flaws. This point might make it a little bit harder for some children since there is no perfect character, but it does add to the story's realism. Another nice feature is that each chapter begins with a key word or phrase and its definition. For example, chapter one is "Fraud," and chapter two is "Revenge." (I did have some quibbles about the definition for the chapter titled "Hearsay." The definition erroneously states that hearsay is "not allowed as evidence in a court of law." In fact, a great deal of hearsay is admissible, as any law student who is taking evidence class can vouch.) Moreover, there is a nice theme of Yom Kippur and the idea of atonement/forgiveness running through the story.

I think children will enjoy this book, at least those who can be convinced to open it. The ultimate message might be a bit hard to grasp at first, but I think the resolution will stick in readers' memories for a while as they work it through and try to decide whether they like it. This is also a good book for parents to read with their children, for it will serve as a catalyst for discussions of issues such as fairness, friendship, and forgiveness.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to the Legal System (for children) July 4, 2011

By J. Dassaro VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This was my 10 year old daughter's first introduction to the author (Davies). As a student of law and ethics, I was delighted to find the Lemonade Crime functionally serves as a child's introduction to the American legal system (don't laugh) and does so in a meaningful and uncomplicated way. Each chapter defines a "legal" term used in the story and introduces children to terms such as fraud and defense, and the meaning and application of those terms within the story. As one other reviewer noted, "This book would be a useful tool for a teacher of young children to use in the classroom if they were doing a unit on government/legal system/courts." (N. Webster).

However, I believe that my daughter would have enjoyed this book more had she first read The Lemonade War (as noted by other reviewers) because this book picks up where the first one left off. Regardless, she read through the entire book in about two days and was able to describe to me in detail the plot and terms used in the book. Simply fantastic.