Make Lemonade (Make Lemonade Trilogy #1) Book

This was a very powerful book for me. It's a novel told in a free verse style, and I wondered if that would bother me. I soon realized, though, that the verse style made the story more powerful. Even though it reads very easily as a novel, it allowed the author to place subtle emphasis on certain words and phrases. I loved it!

Make Lemonade is the story of 14-year-old LaVaughn who befriends Jolly, 17-year-old mother of two, when she answers Jolly's ad for a babysitter. It's easy for her to judge Jolly and the situation she got herself in, but when LaVaughn gets to know more about Jolly, she begins to understand that there is more to Jolly than she first realized.

While the story, as seen through LaVaughn's eyes, appears to be about Jolly and her transition into a person who "takes hold," the underlying story is all about LaVaughn. We see her change and develop as she comes to love and care for not just Jolly's children, but Jolly herself. The relationships she builds gives her new perspective and understanding into the world outside herself.

The story was beautifully told, and I'm eager to read the next book.