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Candy Smash (2013)

by Jacqueline Davies(Favorite Author)

3.37 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1299902448 (ISBN13: 9781299902442)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Harcourt Brace and Company

series

The Lemonade War

review 1: A return to format & form for the Lemonade series: yay, we're back to connecting the story to real-world lessons/skills/definitions! I would prefer a single overarching topic (like Business in book 1 and Law in book 2), rather than the two we have here (Poetry for Evan and Journalism for Jessie), but they both connect well to the story and can teach you a thing or two.It's Valentine's Day in the Lemonadeverse. Running a class newspaper, Jessie tried to delve into the mystery of "who likes who" because (1) she doesn't understand and therefore must do research and (2) she knows it will move papers! She learns important lessons about journalistic ethics, including protecting sources and copyright infringement. Meanwhile, the depth of Evan's love for Megan is such than he can ... moreonly express it in poetry, which the class happens to be learning about. Includes some poetry definitions I didn't know(!), interpretation of actual poems (I have always wanted a kids' book to do this; actually, I had an idea to write one, but I'm definitely not the right person, which is why I wanted the book in the first place; poetry was so mysterious to me as a kid; I'm a Jessie), and presents a cool technique for writing your own poetry. While the poetry definitions themselves don't relate to "lessons" Evan learns in the typical sense--his chapters are more about feelings--there is at least one example of the technique in the actual language of each chapter, and kids will have a fun time finding them.
review 2: The Treski siblings are at it again. Even though Evan loves his younger sister Jessie, she seems unable to respect his need for privacy or the social norms of fourth-grade life. When Valentine's candy appears unexpectedly (and anonymously) in everyone's desks, Jessie decides to solve the mystery while also surveying everyone on their crushes. While she gathers material for the newspaper articles she plans to write, she inadvertently wounds her brother and her best friend Megan. Evan, meanwhile, is experiencing unfamiliar and confusing feelings about a classmate and surprisingly enjoys writing poetry, neither of which he wants to be made public. But as Jessie singlemindedly strives toward her goal, what the two of them want clashes. This series continues to impress with its complicated characters, interesting family dynamics, and nifty terms defined at the start of each chapter. I also loved how Mrs. Overton, the class's teacher, shares poetry, even her own poem written about her ailing cat Langston, with the students. The book even includes appropriate-to-the-situation poems by E. E. Cummings, Sylvia Plath, Valerie Worth, Carl Sandburg, and Eleanor Farjean. I can't imagine anyone growing weary of these poems or the characters in this book. less

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