The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies

The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies is about Evan and Jessie, siblings who are just a year apart in age and who used to be one grade apart in school... until this coming school year when Jessie will be skipping 3rd grade and joining Evan's class!  These two typically get along really well, but Evan is struggling with how this fall will turn out, knowing Jessie is so smart and believing himself to be just average.  As a result, he starts pulling away from Jessie and even picking fights with her!  Jessie is worried about this fall, too, but until Evan started acting strangely, thought he would be there to help her make friends and work her way through some of her social issues.  Now, it is the last few days of summer and the two are in an all out war - a lemonade war!  Usually, Evan and Jessie hold lemonade stands together, Evan being the charismatic salesman and Jessie taking care of the planning and money.  Now, however, they've made a deal - whoever can make $100 (or, whoever makes the most money) before the end of summer gets ALL the money from both stands!  To find out how everything turns out for Evan and Jessie, read The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies.

This was a great book!  I found myself wishing I could host my own lemonade stand!  I really liked the way the author let the reader in on each character's insecurities, but hid their feelings from one another.  I could relate to both characters, which made it hard for me to "root" for either side to win... but in a good way.  This is the first book in a series, and I will definitely be reading the rest.  I recommend this book to anyone who has siblings and has ever felt nervous or insecure about school and/or friends.