Make Lemonade

Make Lemonade

• Genre: Fiction; young adult realistic; novel in verse
• Originally Published: 1993
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 890L; grades 7-12
• Structure/Length: 66 chapters; approximately 200 pages; approximately 3 hours, 33 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: LaVaughn, a high school student, takes on a part-time job babysitting for Jolly, a single mother of two currently without employment who refuses welfare assistance. As LaVaughn becomes intimately involved in Jolly’s life, she grapples with complex issues such as injustice, teenage motherhood, and the pursuit of a better future. The novel explores resilience, friendship, and the challenges faced by marginalized communities.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Socioeconomic impacts on families; references to teenage motherhood; sexual assault; gun violence; death of a parent; characters who are unhoused 

Virginia Euwer Wolff, Author

• Bio: Born 1937; American author of young adult literature; known for her unique writing style, often employing verse; has received multiple awards for her contributions to young adult literature; addresses important social issues in her works, including socioeconomic impacts and teen pregnancy
• Other Works: The Mozart Season (1991); Bat 6 (1998); Probably Still Nick Swansen (1998); True Believer (2001); This Full House (2009);
• Awards: School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (1993); YALSA Best Book for Young Adults (1994)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Challenges Faced by Teen Mothers
• Coming of Age in the Inner City
• Redefining the Idea of Family

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Gain an increased understanding of the social and cultural contexts around socioeconomic levels that drive the protagonist’s decisions and conflicts.
• Discuss paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Challenges Faced by Teen Mothers, Coming of Age in the Inner City, and Redefining the Idea of Family.
• Plant and nurture a seed; reflect on the experience of growing a plant from a seed and make connections to the story’s symbolism based on textual details.
• Analyze and evaluate the plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the story’s use of first-person narration, the development of the theme of Redefining the Idea of Family, and other topics.