November Book Club: The Lemonade War

Our November meeting of the Ashburn Kids Book Club will be Thursday, November 5, 7-8 p.m. We will be discussing the book, "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies. This is a very lively book about two siblings, Evan and Jessie. Evan is ten years old and going into fourth grade. Jessie is eight years old and will be in the second grade. The two usually get along well with each other and their natural talents are very complementary---Jessie is more academically inclined while Evan is better at people skills. Everything changes when a letter arrives from their school. It says that Jessie is going to skip third grade entirely and will be together with Evan in the same fourth grade class. Evan views this turn of events as a total disaster! He is sure everyone will think he is really dumb when compared to his younger grade-skipping sister. Evan rejects Jessie who is left feeling bewildered, hurt, and angry. Soon the two are locked in a battle---a battle to see who can sell the most lemonade from their competing lemonade stands by the end of the summer! The author's portrayal of family dynamics rings true and keeps the reader pulled into the action and drama. I'm sure our book club readers are going to enjoy this book! There is also a great website for this book: http://www.lemonadewar.com/

October Book Club: Mallory vs. Max

Our October meeting of the Ashburn Kids Book Club will be on Thursday, October 1, 7-8 p.m. The book we will be featuring is "Mallory vs. Max" by Laurie Friedman. This book is part of the very popular series of books (12 so far) featuring almost-nine-years-old, Mallory McDonald, her older brother, Max, her cat, Cheeseburger, and her best friend, Mary Ann. In this book, Mallory is facing a dilemma--her parents have decided that her brother Max is old enough and responsible enough to get a dog of his own. This worries Mallory who fears the new puppy will take away all the attention from herself and her cat, Cheeseburger. Mallory presents very logical reasons why getting a dog is NOT a good idea--Dogs eat a lot. Dogs drink a lot. Dogs dig a lot. Dogs bark a lot. Dogs poop a lot, etc. But no one is persuaded by her arguments and soon there is a new young puppy joining the family. Everyone has some adjusting to do, especially Mallory who finally realizes that Champ the dog isn't so bad after all. The cartoon-like illustrations by Tamara Schmitz add to the fun. This is a fast-paced easy chapter book that kids are sure to enjoy and, more importantly, relate to.