30 pages • 1 hour read
Jacqueline DaviesThe Lemonade Crime
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2011A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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BetaChapters 5-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 5 Summary: “Accused”
Jessie and Megan arrive at school late because Megan was slow getting ready. Jessie immediately marches to where Scott is in the line. Scott mocks her: “The end of the line is back there. […] Isn’t that the rule?” (39). However, Jessie clarifies that she is not cutting in but instead serving him a warrant for his arrest. As soon as Scott touches the paper containing the details of his arrest, Jessie declares that he has been served. The paper, which Jessie reads aloud as the class listens, articulates that Scott is accused of stealing $208 from Evan and that he will be tried by a jury of his peers on the coming Friday. Scott objects and confronts Evan; Evan confirms that he suspects Scott of stealing his money. If found guilty, Jessie explains, Scott will have to give his Xbox to Evan. Scott insists that he is innocent and stipulates that if he is found innocent, Jessie and Evan will have to admit that they told lies about him at Monday Morning Meeting. Jessie agrees and writes up a new document—Agreement of Atonement Following the Trial of Scott Spencer—outlining the obligations of each child depending on a guilty or innocent verdict. Jessie, Evan, and Scott each sign the paper.
Chapter 6 Summary: “Impartial”
Jessie writes class members’ roles in the court case on index cards and distributes them at recess. Scott is the defendant. Jessie is Evan’s lawyer. Evan is the plaintiff, the victim of the crime. He thinks that Jessie’s idea is a little crazy but also recognizes it as a typically Jessie thing to do and hopes that he can get a free Xbox out of it. Other class members are allocated as jury members (comprised of half girls and half boys) or audience members.
Scott is given the option of choosing one of the audience members to be his lawyer but opts to represent himself, claiming that he does not want to be represented by a girl (all of the boys are witnesses or on the jury). Controversially, Jessie chooses David Kirkorian to be the judge, explaining that he is the only truly impartial class member—friends with neither Evan nor Scott.
Evan is upset when he gets in trouble for failing to locate a missing jump rope—he is Equipment Manager that week. Exacerbating his frustration at a day growing progressively worse, all his friends—even Adam, his closest friend—are going to Scott’s house to play on his new Xbox. This leaves Evan feeling betrayed and excluded.
Chapter 7 Summary: “Due Diligence”
Megan helps Jessie to write and decorate cards for the trial the following day, including instructions for David Kirkorian on what to say when the trial begins, if audience members interrupt, and how to swear in witnesses. They also design a courtroom map and name tags for students indicating their role in the trial. Megan suggests that it’s not fair that Scott does not have a lawyer. Drawing on a previous math exercise, she illustrates that the sides of the court are not symmetrical because Jessie accompanies Evan in the trial, but Scott has no one. An annoyed Jessie is pleased when Megan leaves.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Defense”
Evan is shooting hoops when Megan rides by on her bike. He is nervous about the trial the following day. Megan stops to shoot a hoop as Evan watches her. Megan declines Evan’s offer to play Horse (a basketball game involving shooting baskets); she is on her way to Scott’s house to play on his new Xbox. Furious, Evan ignores hers when she asserts that he probably wants to try out the Xbox, too.
Chapters 5-8 Analysis
Jessie believes her interest in fairness to be one of her defining characteristics. This is evident in her stipulation that the jury must be equally composed of boys and girls: “The jury, as Jessie explained to everyone, had to be fifty-fifty” (49). Jessie’s interest in fairness fuels her desire to bring Scott to justice for (allegedly) stealing from Evan. However, it is evident to the reader that Jessie may not be as fair as she believes herself to be. She allocates herself as Evan’s lawyer, a clear advantage seeing Jessie knows most about the legal process. On the other hand, Scott is given a choice of one of the audience members, which contains none of his friends and no one with specialized knowledge of the legal proceedings.
Megan points out that this puts Evan at an unfair advantage “It isn’t fair if Evan has a lawyer and Scott doesn’t. And you know it, Jessie. You know it better than anyone else. You’re—the Queen of fair” (68). Jessie’s irritation—she was “glad to see Megan go” (69)—illustrates that Megan’s accusations have affected Jessie. Unusually, Jessie doesn’t respond with her characteristic self-confidence and self-assurance. Instead, she is irritated by the accusation that she is being unfair, which leads the reader to suspect that Jessie sees the logic in Megan’s argument and may realize that the trial is not completely fair but is influenced by her desire to see Scott found guilty. The reader begins to doubt Jessie’s ability to approach the trial with the necessary impartiality, and Megan is established as a voice of genuine reason and fairness.
Evan’s romantic feelings for Megan are further implied in these chapters. Evan silently prays, “Please let it fall, please let it fall” (74), hoping he will throw the basketball through the hoop as she watches. When Megan takes the ball to have a turn, Evan’s physical attraction to Megan is evident in his absorption in watching her: “Evan watched as Megan handled the ball, watched the way her ponytail bounced back and forth, and her bracelets danced up and down her arm” (75).
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By Jacqueline Davies
