
The Lemonade War features two protagonists in alternating chapters. The Treski siblings have been super close until this summer when a major event changes their lives. A letter arrives at soon-to-be 9-year-old Jessie and 10-year-old Evan’s house telling the brother and sister they are going to be in the same class in school next year. Jessie is skipping the third grade because of her advanced skills. While this is terrific news for Jessie, it is not so good news for her brother Evan. Evan struggles in school. He is super embarrassed that his little sister is going to ‘shine’ and cause everyone to think he is stupid. These balled-up emotions lead to war in the form of who can make the most money selling lemonade during the last few days of summer…
The Story
Jessie finds Evan with Scott getting ready to sell lemonade. She is upset that they don’t want her to help especially since Evan doesn’t even like Scott. [Plus setting up a lemonade stand is one of her favorite activities.] The boys tell Jessie she’s not allowed to help with the lemonade stand.
Jessie decides she can line up someone to sell lemonade with too. Jessie asks Megan Moriarty because Evan likes her. This means she is not one of the mean girls in 4th grade.
Pretty soon a misunderstanding arises… Evan sees his sister flaunting her success by waving a handful of bills at him. Jessie sees her brother when she is really busy and waves even though her hands are full hoping he will come over and offer to help. Evan hears Megan laughing and thinks she is gloating. Megan sees a two-year-old pull down his swim trunks and pee on the front lawn, so she lets out a loud laugh.
The tension between the siblings mounts. Readers sympathize. The story also includes many laugh-out-loud moments. Read The Lemonade War to see which sibling will win the battle.
Activities for The Lemonade War
The Lemonade War Unit Samples
Check out The Lemonade War Book Unit with the sampling of activities including:
- Vocabulary Practice for Chapters 1-2
- Comprehension Questions for Chapters 1-2
- Constructed Response Question – Mood
You can get the free book unit sample by clicking the button.
Figurative Language Sorting Activity

Save this fun Google Slides activity to add to your unit. The ice cubes contain 10 passages from The Lemonade War. Students sort the ice cubes into the correct cups by the types of figurative language the passages on the ice cubes contain.
The Audio Book
Due to the popularity of The Lemonade War, you’ll find dozens of videos on YouTube videos featuring people reading the book. I really like this version because the reader does a good job, and the text is displayed as he reads.
Lemonade Recipe
You can’t read The Lemonade War without making lemonade. This recipe is super easy.
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
5 cups cold water
1 1/2 cups sugar
Mix the lemon juice with the water and sugar in a large pitcher. Serve poured over ice and garnished with lemon slices.
On the Web
Check out this post written by the author: Teach Math, Business, and More with The Lemonade War.
Online Lemonade Stand Game from Hooda Math.
Lemonade Stand Game – Nick Jr.
The Great Lemonade War Contest
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) This foundation encourages students to set up lemonade stands to raise money for childhood cancer.
The Novel Study
See the product that inspired this post.

The Lemonade War Novel Study is a printable + digital novel study including vocabulary practice, comprehension questions, constructed response writing, and skill practice.
