The Lemonade Crime

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2011

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-16

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Chapters 9-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 9 Summary: “Bona Fide”

Scott approaches Jessie in the playground and tells her that his mother—an actual professional lawyer—will be acting as his lawyer. She tries to insist that the trial is “kids only,” but she knows that Scott has the right to be represented and feels that she has no choice but to allow Scott’s mother to be his lawyer. This makes her far more nervous about the trial happening after school. Jessie sets up the playground with jump ropes and frisbees to separate sections of the court and indicate where people should sit. David Kirkorian arrives in a graduation robe and looks very authentic wearing it and standing on a milk crate.

Chapter 10 Summary: “Trial by Jury”

As the trial begins, Evan is taken aback by the unusual sight of Jessie behaving as a confident leader. This is normal at home, but she is usually quiet and shy at school. Evan looks at Scott, looking characteristically nonchalant and confident and remembers an incident when they were younger when Scott started to lose a game of pick-up sticks that the two boys were betting on. Scott got his father to intervene, knowing he would stop the game as the boys were betting. Evan remembers the situation resentfully, reflecting that Scott always seems to get his way.

David Kirkorian calls the court to session.

Chapter 11 Summary: “Perjury”

Scott’s mother has not yet arrived. As the prosecution’s lawyer, Jessie begins the proceedings, calling Evan’s friend Jack to the stand. The court breaks out into yelling and chatter when Jack asks whether the day Jessie is referring to (September 5th) is the “day Scott stole the money” (92). David calls the court to order.

With Jessie’s prompting, Jack explains that Evan and Scott borrowed swimming shorts from him and that their regular shorts were left in Jack’s room while they swam. Jack confirms that Scott went back into the house alone for a significant time, returned to the pool area fully dressed, and left in a hurry.

Feeling confident, Jessie invites Evan to the stand. The proceedings take a turn when the audience starts to yell questions. David allows it and urges Jessie to answer the question: Where did Evan get the money from? It is revealed that Evan stole the money from Jessie’s lockbox. Megan (from the audience but allowed by David) asks Evan whether half of the money was hers. Humiliated, Evan confirms that it was. Jessie tries to say that she allowed him to take the money, but she knows that “she had just told a lie in a court. And everyone knew it” (102).

Chapter 12 Summary: “Sixth Amendment”

Jessie feels ashamed and humiliated. Meanwhile, Evan feels furious, particularly at Jessie, who forced him to reveal that he stole the money from her. Scott’s mother arrives but has to leave again for a work obligation. Megan steps forward from the audience, volunteering to be Scott’s lawyer. Scott agrees.

Chapters 9-12 Analysis

In trying to prove Scott’s guilt, Jessie intentionally hides the fact that Evan stole the money from her; this flies in the face of Jessie’s apparent goal of achieving transparency and fairness through the trial. Jessie and Evan allow their previous impressions of Scott—Jessie is infuriated when Scott breaks the rules at school, and Evan is irritated by Scott’s smugness and tendency to get his own way—to cloud their judgment. In trying to represent Scott as a villain, Jessie unintentionally vilifies herself and Evan. Jessie acts immorally in hiding pertinent information from the trial process, a hypocritical choice after she demands transparency and honesty from the other members of the court.

Megan is implicated in Jessie and Evan’s dishonesty because a portion of the money was hers. This is an important lesson for Jessie and Evan about telling the full truth; Megan is a close friend of Jessie’s, and Evan has romantic feelings for her. Megan’s condemnation of their actions affects both siblings, who feel ashamed and embarrassed. Jessie reflects, ashamed, that “she’d really made a mess of this” (100).

Previously, Jessie had felt “so confident” and “so sure of herself” (100). Initially, Jessie believes that she can shape the trial’s results, rather than accepting that, to reach a fair conclusion, she cannot control the trial. Chapter 11’s title: “Perjury,” meaning to “purposely tell a lie in a court of law after taking an oath to tell the truth and only the truth,” alludes to Jessie’s immoral choice, which is about to be revealed (91). Jessie has previously been praised by her classmates for her intelligence. It is implied that Jessie became overconfident and arrogant, believing she could use her superior intellect to bring Scott to justice. Jessie is punished for her dishonesty in attempting to reveal only parts of the truth; in this embarrassing turn of events, she is forced to learn humility.

As hinted at in previous chapters, Evan’s feelings for Megan are confirmed when he wonders: “[W]as the girl he was in love with about to destroy his one and only chance for revenge against his sworn enemy?” (108). The consequences of Jessie and Evan’s dishonesty are that Evan might lose Megan’s trust and affection, which builds suspense through the court case. Megan’s decision to volunteer to represent Scott aligns with her characterization as a voice of reason and fairness. She believes everyone, including Scott, has the right to a fair trial and volunteers to represent him to ensure this.