"Make Lemonade"

Over the summer, I read "Make Lemonade" by Virginia Euwer Wolf. The story is about a girl named Verna Lavaughn and her Mother who both share the desire for Lavaughn to go to college but they don't have enough money to send her to college. In Lavaughn's attempt to make money, she applies for a babysitting advertisement she sees one day. When she meets Jolly (the mother who posted the ad) Lavaughn is appalled by how non-sanitary the home is, how the kids are unable to read and that Jolly is a seventeen year old high school drop out that cannot even spell. Lavaughn suddenly sees that she must do her best to help Jolly and her two kids (Jeremy and Jilly) at whatever costs. As the story goes on, Jolly starts to get help and the kids are starting to learn with the help of Lavaughn. The only problem is that Lavaughn is almost never paid and her Mother feels that she shouldn't be working for Jolly since the Mother feels it is a waste of time. The story continues as Lavaughn sets her main goal to fix Jolly's life.

I really liked the book but I wouldn't ever read it again or recommend the book to anyone. This book was like a normal summer school book that is supposed to teach you certain lessons. It wasn't something that I really enjoyed reading. I also felt that this book really teaches the lesson, that you should never do certain things just for money but for the greater good. There was also a theme to never give up since Jolly's life took a turn for the worst since she gave up earlier but with Lavaughn's help she begins to improve and save her family for the greater good. I also discovered that the symbol of the lemon seeds really showed that Jolly had given up over and over again but at the end her life blossomed into something that never could've happened without the help of Lavaughn. I think that this book is a clear tool to help see really important themes but I personally didn't find it interesting.