Reading Response; Summer reading; Make Lemonade

Over the summer I read Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff. This book is about a girl who needs money for college so she takes a babysitting job. She babysits these kids who have a seventeen year old mother who isn’t in school and has no job and the fathers of the kids have abandoned her. she was an orphan from the start so no family. LaVaughn loves these kids, and even though her mother is disgusted by the idea, starts working for this family for no pay. This book outlines the theme struggle very well.

LaVaughn feels connected to these kids, Jeremy and Jilly. Jeremy is a two year old, and LaVaughn feels the need to teach him why. Why you need to wait for the seeds to grow, why you need to help around the house, why Jolly needs to make sure he knows how to survive on his own. LaVaughn also felt a connection to Jolly. She is barely making it, struggling to even wash the dishes or make the bed. she cant pay for the kid’s meals or supply to clean the house.

Jolly is seventeen. she has two kids. no help. but yet she makes it through. I think that Jolly also connected to LaVaughn. Jolly was always jealous of her, but I think she really looked up to LaVaughn. Something in LaVaughn gave Jolly hope, that maybe her kids could be like LaVaughn one day. I think this is an example of how much struggle hurts, but when the feeling of desperation of hope is stronger, you can make it work. this book really made me think of how many people have it bad like Jolly, but still hope gives them a chance to make it through, even though jolly had to work hard to stay in school, and send Jeremy to school as well, she knew that she could always get there.

one of the signs of hope that I really respect is the lemon tree. Jeremy got seeds from his lemon, and planted them. He would water them every day, and watch and wait for them to come, but they never did. LaVaughn then gave him more seeds from another lemon, but after much waiting, the never came up either. “But you promised!” Jeremy would say, but they just wouldn’t come. Finally on the third try, something sprouted. Jeremy never gave up on the plant, and one day after much wait and pain, they came.

Another symbol that I really respect as well is the blind lady story. She got oranges, but bad boys switched them so she got lemons. So what did she do? She made lemonade. This shows, use what you have, even if it isn’t enough use it because it could slip away anytime, and you could have nothing at all.