This is one of the many books I read for the Cybils awards, and one I enjoyed very much.
Here's the dust-jacket blurb:
Fact: One week ago two hundred and eight dollars disappeared from the pocket of Evan Treski's shorts.
Fact: Evan and Jessie had worked extremely hard over the summer to earn that money--mixing lemonade, hauling it all over town, standing in the hot summer sun for every nickel of business.
Fact: Scott Spencer just bought something very, very expensive.
Accusation: Scott Spencer stands accused of the crime of stealing the lemonade money. Class 4-O hereby calls him to stand trial before a judge, witnesses, and a jury of his peers.
Will the truth come out in court? And if it does, will justice prevail?
The Lemonade Crime is a sequel to The Lemonade War, but you can enjoy it as a stand-alone. This is classic middle grade, as far as I'm concerned. Evan and his younger and precocious sister Jessie (they are in the same 4th grade class because Jessie skipped a grade), are strong characters who are hugely motivated to solve this mystery. Each chapter begins with a legal term and explanation (e.g. "Accused: a person who has been charged with a crime or who is on trial for a crime), and Jessie transforms herself into a believable prosecutor. The plot moves swiftly and, although the guilty party is never really in doubt, what keeps one's interest is what is going to become of him. I think this short novel would really appeal to the classic middle grade age group of 3rd through 5th grade.
If you want to study how to write third person with dual point of views (Evan and Jessie's), this would be a very good novel to study.
For more information about author Jacqueline Davies, you can go to her website HERE
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Whitney Messenger. For other participants, please see my blog roll under the wonderful MMGM badge (of honor.)
