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. A social worker drives Lemonade into town, and the first thing Lemonade sees is a Bigfoot statue, then a boy in a safari hat running through the woods. Lemonade’s grandfather is awkward at first, and he and Lemonade stare at one each other. Her red curls and green eyes remind Charlie of Elizabeth. Lemonade must get used to Charlie’s strange food, as well as a boy named Tobin who hangs out at Charlie’s place when his mother, Debbie, is at work. Willow Creek is known for its Bigfoot sightings because of the famous Patterson-Gimlin film depicting a full-image shot of Bigfoot. Tobin is a Bigfoot detective, and Charlie runs a Bigfoot souvenir shop. Tobin shows Lemonade his detective headquarters in Charlie’s garage, where he takes phone calls and keeps records. He makes Lemonade his assistant, and they get a call from Mrs. Dickerson, an elderly woman who often claims to have sightings in her backyard. Lemonade learns that Mrs. Dickerson taught her mother when she was a child and hears stories about her mother at that age. Mrs. Dickerson claims to have seen a Bigfoot peering into her window, which frightened her and caused her to drop her cookies. Dusting for fingerprints brings up nothing. Over dinner, Tobin tells Lemonade that she complains too much, and Lemonade feels like she no longer lives up to her name. She removes a photograph of Elizabeth as a child from Charlie’s wall and stashes it under her mattress. Lemonade dreams about her mom that night and is awoken by Tobin the next morning. At their headquarters, Tobin gets a call from local kids trying to prank him. When they call back, Lemonade yells at them. Tobin and Lemonade investigate a photograph of a bipedal form taken by a father and son, and Lemonade wonders if it is fake, which upsets Tobin. Charlie tells Lemonade that he once saw a Bigfoot face-to-face, which surprises her, and Tobin reminds Lemonade that they aren’t monsters.

Lemonade and Tobin wait for Charlie to come home with footage Tobin took. It turns out blurry, but Tobin decides it’s a good reason for a real expedition. Charlie takes the kids to Bluff Creek to look for evidence of Bigfoot. On the drive out, Charlie mentions that Lemonade is enrolled in school for the fall, which angers her. That night, Charlie tells Lemonade that after his wife died, the grief caused him and Elizabeth to fight. He regrets not being there throughout Lemonade’s life. The next day, Lemonade comes across a Bigfoot footprint, along with smaller footprints. Charlie creates a plaster mold of the prints, and Tobin confirms that it has a midtarsal break, implying it is non-human.

A month passes, and Lemonade settles into her new life. A professor takes the casts of the footprints in for testing, bringing attention to the kids’ efforts. When Lemonade visits Tobin’s house, she learns his dad disappeared after the Vietnam War: Tobin holds out hope that he is alive and will come back some day. The next day, Lemonade is invited to play with the kids who have been bullying Tobin. She decides to go through with it but stops to see Mrs. Dickerson first, who tells her about Charlie’s efforts to reconnect with the family and Lemonade. Mrs. Dickerson encourages Lemonade to be grateful for the time she had with her mother and for the new family she has in Tobin and Charlie. When Lemonade gets home, Tobin is angry at her for leaving the agency all day, and Charlie suggests that Lemonade bring Tobin the next time she plays with the other kids. When a man named Mr. Harold reports rocks thrown at him by a Bigfoot, Tobin and Lemonade camp out at his ranch overnight alone. They hear howling, and Tobin runs into the woods during a storm. Lemonade runs after him, and they both get lost in the rain until Mr. Harold finds them. Charlie and Debbie punish Tobin and Lemonade by banning them from the agency for a week, instead having them help at Charlie’s shop. Soon, a social worker comes to tell Lemonade that her teacher can adopt her. Lemonade doesn’t know what to do, but Charlie and Tobin both want her to stay. That night, Lemonade misses her mother bringing her warm milk when she couldn’t sleep. She opens the trunk and takes out her mother’s things, including an old stuffed rabbit. Charlie comes in and offers to heat up some milk, just like he used to do for Elizabeth; he tells Lemonade that the rabbit is named Rainbow.

Lemonade senses that Tobin is still angry at her, but they investigate a sighting by a classmate named Eliza. On the way, they stop at Mrs. Dickerson’s, who provides a Polaroid of an eye surrounded by reddish-brown fur. Eliza reports a Bigfoot coming out of the woods the night before and says her father almost shot it. Lemonade finds a fur sample, which is sent to the university. Lemonade and Tobin argue over Lemonade hanging out with Tobin’s bullies, and Tobin fires Lemonade. Lemonade later explodes at Charlie, telling him she wants to go back to San Francisco. Lemonade runs to Mrs. Dickerson’s, with Charlie chasing after her. Mrs. Dickerson reminds Lemonade that her grief and the grief of those around her can lead to anger and unusual behaviors. Charlie slips and falls, ending up in the hospital. Lemonade sees Charlie in his hospital bed and hugs him. She asks her mother to help him recover. The next day, Debbie takes care of the kids, and she and Lemonade talk about grief. Debbie believes that her husband is still alive somewhere. Later, Lemonade is relieved to find Charlie healing. Charlie tells Lemonade he loves her. Tobin rehires Lemonade, and they get a call from the professor telling them they have discovered an unidentified primate, which thrills them both. Charlie helps Lemonade learn to ride her new bike, and she celebrates with her new family.

As summer ends, Lemonade’s grief for her mother turns into gratitude. She decides to stay in Willow Creek. Lemonade invites Tobin to play with the neighborhood kids. He reluctantly agrees, and the day goes well. Soon after, they arrange an investigation with some of the neighborhood kids at Mr. Harold’s house. While in the woods, they hear howling and turn back. Mrs. Dickerson reports a stolen pumpkin and a mysterious structure in the woods behind her house. Within the structure, Tobin and Lemonade find newspapers and clothes, as well as a photo of Tobin. A scruffy-looking man appears, scaring the kids, but it is Tobin’s father, Scotty. He has been living in the woods since returning from Vietnam, unable to reacclimate to society. Tobin’s father curls up in fear, begging Tobin not to tell anyone; Tobin, however, immediately calls Mrs. Dickerson. When Debbie and Charlie arrive, Debbie falls to the ground and holds her husband while everyone around her cries. Lemonade and Charlie hold hands. Tobin’s dad is taken to the hospital, and Charlie tells Lemonade that Tobin’s dad was impacted by the war. He was upset by the sounds at the airport when he returned home, fleeing into the woods.

When Tobin is at the hospital, Lemonade spends the day at the agency alone and gets another call from Mr. Harold, who reports being attacked again by a creature that smells like skunk. Lemonade gets to Mr. Harold’s ranch and searches the woods, where she comes face-to-face with a real Bigfoot. He has crooked toenails and reddish-brown fur. Lemonade reaches out to the creature and feeds it a Twinkie. When Mr. Harold comes through the trees, it spooks the Bigfoot, who runs away. Lemonade’s discovery earns her a promotion to vice president. She realizes that she has a new family and home in Willow Creek.