The Lemonade Club

Polacco, Patricia. The Lemonade Club. Illustrated by Patricia Polacco. Philomel Books, 2007.

The Lemonade Club is a contemporary realistic fiction picture book written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco. Polacco tells the touching story of two best friends named Traci and Marilyn and their beloved fifth grade teacher Miss Wichelman. Marilyn suddenly discovers that she has leukemia. Through this battle with cancer Traci, Miss Wichelman and Marilyn become very close. The three become even closer when Miss Wichelman reveals that she too has cancer. Their fifth grade class is very supportive and at a heartwarming welcome back party they all take off their hats, exposing shaven heads just like Marilyn’s!

Deeply moving illustrations emphasize that Polacco doesn’t shy away from the realities of chemotherapy or cancer. A combination of pencil and watercolor highlight the emotion in the character’s faces, while little detail in the background of the pictures place further importance on the characters. Polacco’s choices in words combined with her illustrations address childhood leukemia in a very gentle yet powerful and uplifting manner.

The story is told from a third person narrator, which allows the story to be told in a unique fashion. It allows the reader to view the story in a natural and relatable way versus if the story were told in Marilyn’s voice.

Though this book is intended for third grade readers and above, Polacco tells a truly remarkable story of struggle, challenge, and overcoming unbeatable odds in a way that is appropriate for all ages.