The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco

There is a lot going on in The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco.  I was going to argue that there is too much going on for a children’s book until I realized that it is a true story! Wow!  The story starts out by discussing two best friends, Traci and Marilyn, and their wonderful teacher Miss Cynthia Wichelman.  The action picks up when Marilyn is diagnosed with leukemia.  In support of Marilyn, all of the students in her class shave their heads along with her.  We then find out that Miss Cynthia Wichelman also has cancer.  The two girls and their teacher form an after school club called “The Lemonade Club” and support each other through these troubled times.  In the end, Marilyn and Traci are flower girls in Miss Wichelmans’ wedding and Miss Wichelman goes back to school to be a doctor.   This is a just a glimpse into this story, there is a lot more going on as well!  This story had a definite plot and there were two or three different climaxes throughout.  I would say that in the actual story we don’t get a lot of character development, but the afterward tells us that this was a true story and gives us information about what the girls did with their lives.  Traci, who is Patricia Polacco’s daughter, becomes a doctor  and Marilyn becomes a teacher.  We can infer growth from this additional information.  Despite the somewhat dismal topic discussed in the book, I would say the mood is definitely hopeful and uplifting.  The illustrations were done in pencil and marker and complimented the story well.  I was personally inspired by Miss Wichelman ( I even wrote down a few notes about her classroom) and I hope to someday inspire students the same way she does. 
            Hmmm…where to begin!  There are so many ways this long book could be used in a classroom.  First, it could be used to address the painful subject of cancer.  Most children will have some knowledge of cancer and probably will know someone who has had it.  I would address this topic by allowing kids to write and share about their experiences as well as offering some biological information about what cancer is.   This book could also be used with a text set on bullying or friendship.  Students could make a list or draw ways that friendship helped Marilyn and   Miss Wichelman beat cancer.  I think this is important with younger children because often their definition of friendship is limited to playing and niceness.    Lastly, I would definitely want to talk to my students about how this is a true story and how the experiences of the girls when they were younger influenced what they chose to do with their lives. 
Year Published: 2007