SOPHIE WASHINGTON

A young girl faces a few hitches when she launches a lemonade business with friends.

National Lemonade Day is approaching, and Black sixth grader Sophie and her diverse group of friends are certain that they can earn some serious cash in their Houston school’s lemonade stand competition. With Sophie’s mom, a consultant for women entrepreneurs, volunteering to act as their mentor, and dentist dad helping them construct a whiz-bang lemonade stand, the friends decide to designate a portion of their expected profits to the local animal shelter. To maximize their fundraising potential, Sophie plans to wow customers with her grandmother’s lemonade recipes; Carly will bake cookies; fashionista Chloe will decorate the stand; Nathan will create a financial spreadsheet and get his dad to act as sponsor; and Sophie’s artistic little brother, Cole, will make posters. If only jokester Cole doesn’t get in the way of their success—and if only Sophie’s crush on popular Toby doesn’t make “class brainiac” Nathan feel unwelcome. In this chapter book, the 12th in author Ellis’ Sophie Washington series, messages of teamwork, empathy, and creative thinking are woven seamlessly into the story as Sophie and her friends pull together for a common goal. (Ellis also has her young cast model contingency planning: If they aren’t permitted to bring a few of the shelter dogs to the on-campus Lemonade Day in hopes of getting them adopted, they will encourage interest with a photo display.) Sophie’s struggle with sibling rivalry rings true (she appreciates Cole’s artistic talent but feels he is Mom’s favorite), and so does her reaction to others getting credit that she feels she deserves. Significantly, too, Sophie learns that character counts more than popularity as she sees Toby’s true colors, works through her discomfort in realizing that she has hurt Nathan’s feelings with a thoughtless remark, and makes an effort to put it right.

A fun mix of healthy messages and appealing tween characters in relatable situations.