Gr 3-5-Evan Treski and his younger sister, Jessie, get along well in many ways. They play together, and their natural talents are complementary. Jessie is a whiz in math and other school subjects, but "feelings were her weakest subject." Evan is competent in the social arena, but he is not such a good student. Their relationship changes the summer between Evan's third and fourth grades, when a letter arrives announcing what the boy sees as total disaster for him. He and his bright, skipping-third-grade sister will be in the same class. Thus begins the Lemonade War over which child can make the most money during the last week before school. The story is highly readable and engaging, filled with real-life problems that relate to math, getting along with siblings and friends, dealing with pride, and determining right from wrong. It even gives a glimpse into the marketing world. Each chapter begins with a marketing term, defined, but implemented as only competing children can. The result is a funny, fresh, and plausible novel with likable characters, and is suitable for reluctant readers.-Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

At the tail end of summer, Evan discovers that his younger sister, Jessie, who has just skipped third grade, will be not just in his grade, but in his fourth-grade classroom. Normally buddies, they find themselves at odds over trifles and increasingly determined to earn more money than the other before school starts. Lemonade stands, entrepreneurial schemes, and dirty tricks find their way into the competition before Evan and Jessie fess up to the concerns that are really worrying them. Each chapter begins with a business-oriented definition such as underselling: pricing the same goods for less than the competition, and the book ends with a poster entitled Ten Tips for Turning Lemons Into Loot. However, the basics of economics take a backseat to Evan and Jessie's realizations about themselves and their relationship. Davies, author of Where the Ground Meets the Sky (2002), does a good job of showing the siblings' strengths, flaws, and points of view in this engaging chapter book. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2007 Booklist