School Contest: The Great Lemonade War

Just in time for the release of the fourth installment of the Lemonade War series, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation are pleased to announce the continuation of their partnership. For the second consecutive year, Houghton Mifflin will team up with the Foundation dedicated to finding cures for all kids with cancer to challenge schools around the country to contribute to a cure. As part of The Great Lemonade War, as the contest is called, schools will compete against each other to determine who can raise the most money through their lemonade stand project or other events. The school that raises the most money will win a visit from author of the series Jacqueline Davies, with runner-up schools receiving Skype visits and classroom sets of books.

 While classrooms can begin registering now, the fundraising will begin on February 14 and span through April 26. Elementary and middle school students participating in the contest will read The Lemonade War, Ms. Davies’ first book about Evan and Jessie, and then run their own lemonade stands, with the proceeds going to the Foundation. The Foundation will provide schools with resources to help them along the way including a program guide, a personal fundraising page and access to a fundraising specialist on staff to help with additional guidance.

 In this fourth installment of the Lemonade War series, Jessie and Evan are at odds over the right to keep secrets. Just as The Lemonade War introduced readers to business, The Lemonade Crime taught children about justice, and The Bell Bandit brought readers to the heart of growing up, The Candy Smash (January 8, 2013; Houghton Mifflin Books for Children) explores the distinctive power of poetry and love—fourth grade style.

 As Mrs. Overton introduces the class to poetry, Evan discovers an unexpected talent, but the Poem of the Day soon becomes Jessie’s least favorite activity. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Jessie can’t figure out Evan’s sudden frustration when candy hearts start appearing on everyone’s desks. With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, these strange happenings have Jessie hot on the trail of a mystery with all the makings of a front page exclusive in her class newspaper. Much to Jessie’s dismay, she learns that publishing her story will not only upset Evan but embarrass her best friend Megan. Jessie struggles to understand what all the fuss is about—who cares about keeping secrets when there’s a juicy story and hours of hard work on the line? Poignant and funny, this fourth book in the Lemonade War series is a Valentine’s Day mystery full of sweet (and sour) surprises. 

 Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996—2004). In 2000, four-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope. To date, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501 (c)3 charity, has raised more than $55 million toward fulfilling Alex’s dream, funding over 250 pediatric cancer research projects nationally, www.AlexsLemonade.org.

 Jacqueline Davies is the author of several novels and picture books, including The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon. Ms. Davies lives in Needham, Massachusetts, with her family. To learn more about Jacqueline, her books, and the lemonade stand fundraiser, visit Jacqueline’s website at www.lemonadewar.com.