Published by Philomel Books (2007)
The Lemonade Club is not your ordinary children's book; it tackles the tough topic of cancer. The story follows two 5th grade girls who are best friends, Traci and Marilyn. They love their teacher, Miss Welchelman and her inspirational story of making lemons into lemonade. Marilyn eventually becomes ill with Leukemia and undergoes chemotherapy. Traci remains by her side, along with Miss Welcheman. When Marilyn returns to school, embarrassed by her lack of hair, she finds out that the rest of the class shaves their heads in camaraderie, even Miss Welchelman. As everyone's hair starts to grow again, Traci and Marilyn notice that Miss Welchelman's hair does not grow back. She tells the girls that she has breast cancer. The girls rally around her and remind her of the dreams and hope that she gave to the girls as their teacher. At the end of the story, 5 years later and cancer-free, Miss Welchelman gets married with Traci and Marilyn at her side. It is truly a story of hope and courage. It is based off of a true story as Traci is Patricia Polacco's daughter.I would highly recommend this book to any classroom that has a student with cancer. It is appropriate for an older audience. Even as an adult, I found the storyline tough to handle. It's probably because everyone knows someone who has dealt with cancer. This makes the story hit home to many and really touch at one's heart. It is an excellent book to teach students how to show empathy and compassion.
The illustrations are classic Patricia Polacco. The characters appear quite realistic with the pencil drawings. The characters' faces are filled with emotions and feelings, giving you a better look at how the characters are feeling. This piece of literature gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". Patricia Polacco has put a "sweet" spin on a "sour" subject!
Polacco, P. (2007). The Lemonade Club. New York: Philomel Books.
