"Make Lemonade"

When I was in high school, I made my way through all the YA books both the public library and the school library had. Well, all the ones that sounded good, and I tried to read as many as I could. One of the books I picked up was a book written in poetry form (I think either blank verse or free verse, and because I'm such a terrible English major, I can't remember which is which--my deepest apologies) called True Believer. I remember feeling really affected by it because it was so unique in comparison to the kinds of things I had been reading before.

A year or two after reading it, I was browsing the school library's collection of YA books*, and I found a book called Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff. I found out that ML was the first of a trilogy that included True Believer, the second book in the series.

After I'd finished reading both in the series, I tried looking on the internet to see what the third one was called and instead found out that it had not yet been published. When I had to read True Believer again for my Lit for Adolescents class a few years ago, I looked again, my love for the series renewed**, and found out that the third book had not yet been published. I asked my professor if she knew anything about it, and she knew no more than I did.

After I got back from getting my hair cut earlier today, my roommate Prairie was sitting at the dining room table with my battered but loved used copy of True Believer. She had recently finished Make Lemonade and I suggested reading TB since she loved the first book so much. She commented on how much she loved the book so far.

"There's supposed to be a third one in the series," I said, rinsing off the saucepan I'd been washing and putting it into the dish drainer. "I don't think it's out yet, though."

"Really?" she said, turning the book over in her hands and inspecting the cover.

"I think so. Gimme a sec and I'll see if there's anything about it yet online. I don't even know what it's called..." I dried my hands and got on my laptop and did a google search.

I pulled up Virginia Euwer Wolff's website and clicked on the books link. Among the covers shown, I noticed one that looked pretty recent, a book called This Full House, and clicked on it.

As soon as I saw the name LaVaughn, I flipped out. "I think this is it! It has to be!"

I had to double check, just to be safe.*** It came out in 2009, and I didn't know until two years later. But no matter. Finally, after years and years, the trilogy is complete. I can't wait to read it.


*I think this is where I found it, because I don't recall the public library having it, but it could be the other way around. I can't remember for sure. I just know I read both books and they came from either library.

**Because reading it the second time made me love it even more.

***I'm not a big fan of the cover design. It makes me think of the covers for series like Pretty Little Liars, as seen here. It doesn't seem to fit the nature of the series, but ultimately it doesn't matter, because the story is what counts. You know?