[BOOK REVIEW] The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco

Title: The Lemonade Club

Author: Patricia Polacco

Genre: Disabilities / Friendship / School
 
Year Published: 2007

Year Read: 2010

Publisher:  Philomel

Source:  Library

Content Rating: Ages 5+ (Themes of Cancer)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository

 

Patricia Polacco is truly one amazing author!  She has written books like “Mr. Lincoln’s Way” which discusses racism, “Thank you Mr. Falker,” which discusses dyslexia and “Babushka’s Doll” which discusses patience and all of these books are truly inspirational!  This time, Patricia Polacco has written a book about cancer called “The Lemonade Club” and it is about how Traci and her teacher Miss Wichelman try to help Marilyn through her cancer.  “The Lemonade Club” is clearly one of Patricia Polacco’s most mesmerizing books ever created!

Oh man! Patricia Polacco can write about any issue and bring it to the audience in a sophisticated and engaging way! Patricia Polacco has most certainly done an excellent job at writing this book as it is both inspiring and dramatic at the same time!  Never would I have thought that Patricia Polacco would talk about the concerns of cancer in such a realistic way and I always felt sorry for Marilyn as she had to go through so many struggles to get through her cancer and I loved the way that Traci and Miss Wichelman stayed by Marilyn’s side through her hour of need since it showed true friends Traci and Miss Wichelman really are.  What really amazed me about this book was that Traci, Marilyn and Miss Wichelman were real life figures in Patricia Polacco’s life as Traci is her daughter and Marilyn was Traci’s best friend who was actually affected by cancer.  I always loved the way that Patricia Polacco based her works on her real life and that is what is truly inspiring about her books!  Patricia Polacco’s illustrations are just as beautiful and realistic in this book as ever before!  Patricia Polacco makes her characters extremely realistic and my favorite images in this book were of Miss Wichelman herself as she is seen smiling throughout each image which greatly embraces her kind character.

Overall, “The Lemonade Club” is truly a remarkable book about dealing with cancer that many children who have also gone through cancer treatments will greatly appreciate! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the topic of cancer might frighten small children.