Review by Booklist Review
Identical twins Lister and Lester are so busy competing with each other that they have no time to play with their younger brother, Liam. When they open competing lemonade stands, Liam offers to help but is rebuffed by both as useless. Liam busies himself showing how hard he can work at odd jobs around the neighborhood. While the twins spend all of their earnings on gimmicks to outdo the other, Liam saves his money and opens Liam's Apple Avenue, where he sells delicious juice and eventually puts the twins out of business. They apologize to Liam, negotiate a deal, and all ends well with the boys working, playing, and, yes, sometimes competing with one another. The straightforward text is enhanced by colorful, energetic cartoon-style illustrations, never as over the top as the siblings' projects themselves. Many readers will find much to appreciate in this unique take on sibling rivalry and competitiveness, and recognize the new twist on the old adage, If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. --Enos, Randall Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Liam's older twin brothers Lister and Lester never have time to play with him. Instead, they are always too busy competing with each other. When Lester opens a lemonade stand, Lister does, too, and neither one will hire Liam, who wants only to help. Determined to prove how hard-working he is, Liam takes odd jobs in the neighborhood, earning mostly cash-and apples from an elderly neighbor. As Lister and Lester continue trying to upstage each other, their respective lemonade stands become more and more outrageous. Meanwhile, Liam uses his profits, including Mrs. Redmond's apples, to open a juice stand of his own, which proves even more successful than his brothers' efforts. After losing all of their money, the twins ultimately beg him to hire them, and in exchange for seven hours a week of playtime, Liam agrees. Thus the siblings find a balance among work, play, and friendly competition. Characters are drawn with wide, owlish eyes and a variety of skin tones; bold black lines, bright colors, and a clean, graphic style make the cartoon illustrations appealing. VERDICT While this title is not a first purchase, budding entrepreneurs and readers with rivalrous siblings are bound to find it entertaining.-Lauren Strohecker, McKinley-- -Elementary School, Elkins Park, PA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When Liam's twin older brothers, who have no time for him, open rival lemonade stands, he opens one of his own that crushes their business. When they come to him chastened, Liam agrees to hire them in exchange for some brotherly attention. The story is too calculated to pack an emotional punch, but the cartoony art captures the mounting absurdity. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Spurned by his hypercompetitive big brothers, little Liam trumps their business plan.Identical twins Lister and Lester are constantly trying to outdo each other, leaving Liam, who only wants to play, on the outs. So when they set up rival lemonade stands, borrow money from their parents to market their drinks, and reject his offer to help, off he goes to do odd jobs on his own and save his earnings (which include, from one neighbor, baskets of apples). Then, when he judges the twins' businesses have peaked, he opens "Liam's Apple Avenue," selling apple juice with some secret added spices. In no time, his scoffing sibs are out of business, in debt, and applying to him for jobs. After a brisk round of bargaining, he hires themas employees and as playmatesand "sometimes," Wilson concludes, "they competed." Holinaty's illustration for this final tweak is just a generic view of the three brothers' faces, so visually at least the episode ends with more of a thud than a zing. Refreshingly, though, along with plenty of variation in hair and skin color in group scenes, the popeyed central trio in the cartoon illustrations is a warm, medium brown. Hard work, thrift, and ingenuity add up to success not only in business, but social relations too. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
