Poetry, Drama, Film & Response
Bibliography
Wolff, Virginia Euwer. 1993. MAKE LEMONADE. New York : Henry Holt and Company, Inc. ISBN 0805022287.
Plot Summary
LaVaughn wants to move out of her neighborhood and go to college. When LaVaughn applies for a babysitting job she does not realize at first that her employer, Jolly, is a teenager like herself. Jolly has two babies and needs someone to babysit so she can go to work. Things get complicated when Jolly loses her job but, she still needs LaVaughn's help.
Critical Analysis
This verse novel is perfect for all reluctant readers. The author, Wolff, uses words with such clear imagery that she does not need a large amount of words to get her point across. For example, "Here's how it is at Jolly's house: The plates are pasted together with noodles, and these rooms smell like last week's garbage and there isn't a place I can put my book to study for school except places where something else already is." With all the specific examples the reader can fill in other details without having to read about them.
Wolff carefully avoids cultural stereotypes and pop trends in her description of the setting of this book. The girls clearly live in a poor area in modern times but Wolff has given a certain dateless quality to the setting that keeps this book from being dated. Booklist agrees, "Rooted not in a particular culture, but in a community of poverty, the story offers a penetrating view of the conditions that foster our ignorance, destroy our self-esteem, and challenge our strength."
One of the strengths of this book is it's allusion to the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." The saying is never stated however and, this lets the reader in on the fun. The turning point in the novel is alluding to this saying when Jolly says, "They always say, 'You should have known you was getting a lemon'." During this turning point Jolly is relating a story of how an old woman got cheated out of her orange and was given a lemon instead. The characterization of the two main characters is so clear that you can feel the anger vibrating off Jolly as she relates the story of the woman who got cheated; at the same time the reader can empathize with LaVaughn and feel proud of Jolly for realizing she is being cheated just like the old woman.
Wolff carefully avoids cultural stereotypes and pop trends in her description of the setting of this book. The girls clearly live in a poor area in modern times but Wolff has given a certain dateless quality to the setting that keeps this book from being dated. Booklist agrees, "Rooted not in a particular culture, but in a community of poverty, the story offers a penetrating view of the conditions that foster our ignorance, destroy our self-esteem, and challenge our strength."
One of the strengths of this book is it's allusion to the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." The saying is never stated however and, this lets the reader in on the fun. The turning point in the novel is alluding to this saying when Jolly says, "They always say, 'You should have known you was getting a lemon'." During this turning point Jolly is relating a story of how an old woman got cheated out of her orange and was given a lemon instead. The characterization of the two main characters is so clear that you can feel the anger vibrating off Jolly as she relates the story of the woman who got cheated; at the same time the reader can empathize with LaVaughn and feel proud of Jolly for realizing she is being cheated just like the old woman.
Awards
Golden Kite Award for Fiction
ALA Best Books for Young Adults
ALA Notable Book for Children
ALA Recommended Book for Reluctant Readers
Parent's Choice Award Winner
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