Lemons

Lemons (2017) is a middle grade fiction novel written by Melissa Savage. The novel blends magical realism, adventure, and realistic fiction with themes of Navigating Grief and Creating New Love From Old Loss. The protagonist, Lemonade Liberty Witt, also learns the importance of Names and Legacy. Lemonade moves to rural Willow Creek, known for its Bigfoot sightings, from bustling San Francisco following the death of her mother. In Willow Creek, she slowly connects with her estranged grandfather, as well as a local boy named Tobin Sky, and recovers her sense of adventure and resilience through Bigfoot investigations. Lemonade was named for the saying about making lemonade from lemons, and the novel traces her path back to this sentiment.

This guide refers to the 2017 Penguin Random House paperback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss the death of a family member, grief, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Plot Summary

Lemonade is 10 years old the summer she moves to Willow Creek to live with her grandfather, Charlie, following the death of her mother, Elizabeth.