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The Lemonade War #4
The Candy Smash
With the help of Class 4-0, Jessie and Evan Treski have waged a lemonade war, sought justice in a class trial and even unmasked a bell thief. In the fourth installment, Valentine's Day and a lesson about the distinctive power of poetry collide when someone leaves mysterious candy hearts for the class. Not to worry, self-appointed ace reporter, Jessie, is determined to get the scoop on class crushes—no matter the consequences. Poignant and funny, it’s a Valentine’s Day mystery full of sweet (and sour) surprises.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 8, 2013
542 people are currently reading
1288 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Davies
44 books268 followersJacqueline Davies is the author of both novels and picture books. She lives in Needham, Massachusetts with her three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
April 18, 2013
In this fourth book in the Lemonade War series Valentine's Day is approaching and there's love in the air and a juicy mystery to be solved. Who's been giving everyone in class boxes of candy hearts with personalized messages? And who drew a heart in the girls bathroom professing their love for Evan Treski? Jessie, the self-appointed roving reporter, is determined to find out.
Meanwhile, the class is studying poetry and Evan finds he REALLY likes it, but is embarrassed to admit it. He tries his hand at writing a few poems and creates some true masterpieces, but is reluctant to share them with anyone.
This series is so well written. The characterization is top notch and the author excels at exploring a child's feelings ranging from family relationships to school friendships and everything in between.
The inclusion of poetry in this book was well done. Many fine examples of poetry were shared by some well known poets like e.e. cummings and Sylvia Plath. Highly recommended for grades 3-5.
Meanwhile, the class is studying poetry and Evan finds he REALLY likes it, but is embarrassed to admit it. He tries his hand at writing a few poems and creates some true masterpieces, but is reluctant to share them with anyone.
This series is so well written. The characterization is top notch and the author excels at exploring a child's feelings ranging from family relationships to school friendships and everything in between.
The inclusion of poetry in this book was well done. Many fine examples of poetry were shared by some well known poets like e.e. cummings and Sylvia Plath. Highly recommended for grades 3-5.
July 25, 2016
This is the only book in the Lemonade Wars series that I've read, and it was okay. A cute, quick read suited for upper-elementary students and reluctant readers. I love sensitive Evan--particularly how he treats his Alzheimers-ridden grandmother--but Jessie wasn't all that likable (to me, anyway.) She's a bit like a child-sized Sheldon Cooper, whom I enjoy, but I was annoyed by Jessie rather that entertained.
July 18, 2019
In this fourth book of The Lemonade War series, Jessie wants a blockbuster story for the front page of her newspaper. Meanwhile, Evan falls in love with poetry, but is too embarrassed to disclose his new hobby to anyone. Someone is leaving mysterious candy hearts with personalized messages for the entire class and Jessie surveys her classmates about love and crushes, a topic she doesn't grasp at all. The third-person POV alternates between the brother and sister. Poetic terms and newspaper-related concepts are woven into the story.
May 28, 2025
Fun book and Very good like all the rest of the series! 🥇I was so sad knowing there was only one book left. Well, I was wrong! I never knew there was a book sixth!!! ☀️🥳 these are my new favorite series! I love them!!! 🌸
January 30, 2018
Book #4 in the Lemonade War Series. Really cuts story. Enjoyable read! Good read for 4-5th graders, but younger readers enjoyed having this book read to them. Lexile 730 - Reading Counts:8 Points
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September 9, 2025read for work- this is the 4th book in the lemonade series and this one was also very different from the 3rd, this one was good for exploring boundaries and what is acceptable in school and social norms and such, but jessie was lowkey extremely insufferable, even my student was not liking her and already knew what she was doing wrong and understanding the lesson before it was explained to the character but it served as another lesson to make sure we communicate things to each other
December 19, 2016
The Candy Smash is the fourth book in the Lemonade War series about Jessie and Evan Treski, siblings who are in the same fourth grade class. It is February and Valentine’s Day approaches. Inspired by his teacher’s presentation of a poem of the day, Evan starts writing love poems, first about his grandmother and later about Megan Moriarty, on whom he has a crush. In the meantime, Jessie works on her extra credit project, a class newspaper. She hopes to find out not only who is delivering secret forbidden candy to the whole class, but also who in her class has a crush on someone else and how her classmates think crushes should be revealed. As in the other books of the series, Jessie fails to understand basic social cues, while Evan loses patience with his sister when she violates his privacy.
So far, in this series, Jacqueline Davies has taught readers about economics, law, and maps. In The Candy Smash, she focuses on journalism and poetry. Each chapter opens with the definition of a term associated with either newspapers or creative writing, and through Jessie and Evan’s experiences, the reader learns the proper use of these terms. The educational aspect of the story is certainly subtle and does not overpower the plot, but there are lots of great opportunities for classroom teachers to connect this book to their curricula.
This is a largely character driven story, which provides a lot of insight into the personalities of both Jessie and Evan. Only Evan’s character truly seems to develop, though; I keep wondering with each new book when Jessie is going to begin to mature a little bit as well. True, she is a year younger than her classmates, but even so, there should be some changes happening in her worldview and relationships that I haven’t really seen yet. Davies does a great job of depicting Jessie’s innocence and lack of experience, but it’s becoming less believable as she gets older. I was also surprised by how little their grandmother appears in this story. After the events of The Bell Bandit, she has moved in with the Treskis, but we don’t see much of her, even though her presence looms large in Evan’s poetic mind. Also notable is Jessie and Evan’s teacher, who is invested in her students and dedicated to helping them improve as students and as possible. I love the way she uses her cat, Langston, as her class mascot and displays pictures of him around her classroom. I’d put her in the same category as Clementine’s wonderful teacher, Mr. D’Matz.
My favorite thing about this book, overall, is how well it handles the romance theme. Many books for younger middle grade readers introduce dating into their fourth grade characters’ lives as though it is a perfectly natural thing for nine-year-olds to pair off into couples. In my experiences with kids, they are not into dating at that young an age, and this book reflects reality much more closely than a lot of others of this same reading level and genre. Sure, the characters have crushes, but they are still figuring out what that means and how it will impact their friendships. I especially like the way Evan’s crush on Megan is resolved - sweetly, but without tons of adult commitments and middle school-esque drama.
The Candy Smash doesn’t really stand on its own, so I’d recommend starting with The Lemonade War and reading the books in order. Parents should feel comfortable giving this series to their second- and third-graders who are strong readers, and I think even fifth graders can still enjoy the stories. Budding journalists and poets will love the back matter showing the class newspaper and some of the poems the students have written. Though Valentine’s Day has passed for this year, there is lots in this book that’s worth reading any time!
So far, in this series, Jacqueline Davies has taught readers about economics, law, and maps. In The Candy Smash, she focuses on journalism and poetry. Each chapter opens with the definition of a term associated with either newspapers or creative writing, and through Jessie and Evan’s experiences, the reader learns the proper use of these terms. The educational aspect of the story is certainly subtle and does not overpower the plot, but there are lots of great opportunities for classroom teachers to connect this book to their curricula.
This is a largely character driven story, which provides a lot of insight into the personalities of both Jessie and Evan. Only Evan’s character truly seems to develop, though; I keep wondering with each new book when Jessie is going to begin to mature a little bit as well. True, she is a year younger than her classmates, but even so, there should be some changes happening in her worldview and relationships that I haven’t really seen yet. Davies does a great job of depicting Jessie’s innocence and lack of experience, but it’s becoming less believable as she gets older. I was also surprised by how little their grandmother appears in this story. After the events of The Bell Bandit, she has moved in with the Treskis, but we don’t see much of her, even though her presence looms large in Evan’s poetic mind. Also notable is Jessie and Evan’s teacher, who is invested in her students and dedicated to helping them improve as students and as possible. I love the way she uses her cat, Langston, as her class mascot and displays pictures of him around her classroom. I’d put her in the same category as Clementine’s wonderful teacher, Mr. D’Matz.
My favorite thing about this book, overall, is how well it handles the romance theme. Many books for younger middle grade readers introduce dating into their fourth grade characters’ lives as though it is a perfectly natural thing for nine-year-olds to pair off into couples. In my experiences with kids, they are not into dating at that young an age, and this book reflects reality much more closely than a lot of others of this same reading level and genre. Sure, the characters have crushes, but they are still figuring out what that means and how it will impact their friendships. I especially like the way Evan’s crush on Megan is resolved - sweetly, but without tons of adult commitments and middle school-esque drama.
The Candy Smash doesn’t really stand on its own, so I’d recommend starting with The Lemonade War and reading the books in order. Parents should feel comfortable giving this series to their second- and third-graders who are strong readers, and I think even fifth graders can still enjoy the stories. Budding journalists and poets will love the back matter showing the class newspaper and some of the poems the students have written. Though Valentine’s Day has passed for this year, there is lots in this book that’s worth reading any time!
April 24, 2017
Jessie can't find a big news story. Then then she finds out that Megan her friend wrote in the bathroom, M.M.+E.T. Megan also gave out the candy hearts and Jessie put it in the news. Later Evan told her it wasn't a good idea. But what my whole point is later Jessie makes a very good newspaper at the end. I enjoyed that. I am a fourth grader and I recommend this book to all 4th graders.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2015
The Candy Smash
By: Jacqueline Davies
Review By: Joon Sung Oh
This book is about how Jessie and Evan Treski spent Valentines Day. They are siblings (Evan is a year older than Jessie), and they are both in forth grade (since Jessie skipped a grade), and go to Riverside Elementary School. In room 4-0 with Mrs. Overton, everything is going well with the year until a problem arises-there are rumors and conflicts by word spreading around in the school about crushes, until it all is solved by working them out with talks. Throughout the story, Jessie, the main character, creates a blockbuster newspaper for Valentines Day, but another problem arises-all of her pie charts and statistics were inaccurate (she divided the numbers by 26, not 27, which is the actual number of students in her class), and she did not have enough time to fix them in time for Valentines Day, so she took care of them during recess in time to share it with the class.
I liked how the author used a wide variety of vocabulary words as the name of the chapters. They helped widen my vocabulary. I found some to be particularly interesting! Also, I liked how the author wrote numerous similes, metaphors, and other types of figurative language, which made the book very intriguing and interesting to read. An example is, "But he couldn't think of a thing to say. It was as if every word in his brain had packed up and headed south to Florida for the winter." They really kept me reading! Finally, I loved how the author included several romantic, dramatic, peaceful, and detailed poems by many different authors, which contributed to the loving, peaceful, joyful, and sympathetic moods of Valentines Day. The author included the poem, Fog, by Carl Sandburg.
"The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on."
But my favorite poem is Hope, by Emily Dickinson.
""Hope" is the thing with feathers-
That perches in the soul-
And sings the tune without the words-
And never stops-at all-"
In conclusion, this is a book that is well worth reading. I enjoyed very much and would recommend it to all middle school students that like books with twists and turns and new vocabulary that is defined (to help readers learn new words). Overall, I was always engaged in this book and would recommend it to everyone!
By: Jacqueline Davies
Review By: Joon Sung Oh
This book is about how Jessie and Evan Treski spent Valentines Day. They are siblings (Evan is a year older than Jessie), and they are both in forth grade (since Jessie skipped a grade), and go to Riverside Elementary School. In room 4-0 with Mrs. Overton, everything is going well with the year until a problem arises-there are rumors and conflicts by word spreading around in the school about crushes, until it all is solved by working them out with talks. Throughout the story, Jessie, the main character, creates a blockbuster newspaper for Valentines Day, but another problem arises-all of her pie charts and statistics were inaccurate (she divided the numbers by 26, not 27, which is the actual number of students in her class), and she did not have enough time to fix them in time for Valentines Day, so she took care of them during recess in time to share it with the class.
I liked how the author used a wide variety of vocabulary words as the name of the chapters. They helped widen my vocabulary. I found some to be particularly interesting! Also, I liked how the author wrote numerous similes, metaphors, and other types of figurative language, which made the book very intriguing and interesting to read. An example is, "But he couldn't think of a thing to say. It was as if every word in his brain had packed up and headed south to Florida for the winter." They really kept me reading! Finally, I loved how the author included several romantic, dramatic, peaceful, and detailed poems by many different authors, which contributed to the loving, peaceful, joyful, and sympathetic moods of Valentines Day. The author included the poem, Fog, by Carl Sandburg.
"The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on."
But my favorite poem is Hope, by Emily Dickinson.
""Hope" is the thing with feathers-
That perches in the soul-
And sings the tune without the words-
And never stops-at all-"
In conclusion, this is a book that is well worth reading. I enjoyed very much and would recommend it to all middle school students that like books with twists and turns and new vocabulary that is defined (to help readers learn new words). Overall, I was always engaged in this book and would recommend it to everyone!
March 23, 2014
The fourth book in Jacqueline Davies Lemonade War series brings us to February in Jessie and Evan Treski's fourth grade year. Apparently after returning to school, Jessie decided to start a classroom newspaper. The Candy Smash is ALL about Jessie working very hard as a journalist and reporter as she tries to figure out the ethics of publishing. For example, if Jessie *knows* that someone like-likes someone, should she report it? Perhaps if Jessie herself were to have a crush, she'd know the answer to that one. But boys, well, they just don't interest her yet. Evan, on the other hand, well, he is definitely interested in one particular girl. (He has been since The Lemonade War!)
The Candy Smash isn't all about journalism. The teacher has started a poetry unit. While some students like hearing and discussing the poems each class day, Evan happens to love it. He tries not to let his love show too much, of course. But Evan's big secret: HE LOVES POETRY. And at home, behind his unlocked "locked" door (there's a sign on the door) he writes poetry of his own. For someone who has struggled with school, Evan's newly discovered gift with words is pure blessing.
The books have been getting more serious as the series progresses. In the Candy Smash, readers learn that Grandma has come to stay with them. I was very relieved to learn that she would not be left on her own. Also, Jessie has started thinking a LOT about her father whom she hasn't seen in over a year. Readers learn that HE is a journalist, that he travels all over the world. I knew, of course, that their mother is a single mom, divorced, but this is the first mention that I can recall revealing details about the dad.
The Candy Smash isn't all about journalism. The teacher has started a poetry unit. While some students like hearing and discussing the poems each class day, Evan happens to love it. He tries not to let his love show too much, of course. But Evan's big secret: HE LOVES POETRY. And at home, behind his unlocked "locked" door (there's a sign on the door) he writes poetry of his own. For someone who has struggled with school, Evan's newly discovered gift with words is pure blessing.
The books have been getting more serious as the series progresses. In the Candy Smash, readers learn that Grandma has come to stay with them. I was very relieved to learn that she would not be left on her own. Also, Jessie has started thinking a LOT about her father whom she hasn't seen in over a year. Readers learn that HE is a journalist, that he travels all over the world. I knew, of course, that their mother is a single mom, divorced, but this is the first mention that I can recall revealing details about the dad.
November 7, 2017
I didn't enjoy the last (3rd) book in this series as much, however this one was right back up in quality, in my opinion. I really enjoyed reading about Evan and Jessie's class and the Valentine's Day mysteries. Jessie is a great example of how some people just can't "read" others well and how social situations can become awkward for them when they can't pick up on cues and such. It's also interesting to see the maturation of the 'kids in 4-O' and how they are dealing with changing feelings. I look forward to reading the next (and I believe last) book.
February 5, 2013
The latest book in the Lemonade War series involves secrets, crushes and a mystery. Jessie and Evan are learning about poetry in school. Evan has a knack for it but Jessie does not get it, instead she is focused on the class newspaper. As Valentine's Day approaches, little candy hearts start to appear in everyone's desk. Who is leaving the candy hearts and why does Jessie want to conduct a class survey?
January 13, 2016
Another book in the Lemonade Wars series. Such a good series for the Elementary Youth. And this one really does a good job teaching kids about how to be kind to each other.
August 20, 2019
I really liked Evan and couldn’t quite get a read on his sister. Is the whole crushes/feelings thing a mystery to her because she’s younger and just not developmentally able? Is it her overly analytical personality? Is there some diagnosis that is being hinted at but not explicitly stated (a la grandma’s implied Alzheimer’s)? It’s definitely obvious that there’s something else going on with her, which made her bearable and sympathetic, if not actually likeable.
The story was cute and it’s a fast read, the only book of the series I’ve read so far. As a nerdy mom I love that it was full of poetry and even had terms defined at the beginning of each chapter. It also led to at least one good conversation with my daughter about right vs. wrong in relation to Jessie’s intrusion into her brother’s personal space and taking something that he had thrown away: is that really stealing? Does how he feel about it change the acceptability of her behavior? Definitely applicable in a real world full of siblings.
The story was cute and it’s a fast read, the only book of the series I’ve read so far. As a nerdy mom I love that it was full of poetry and even had terms defined at the beginning of each chapter. It also led to at least one good conversation with my daughter about right vs. wrong in relation to Jessie’s intrusion into her brother’s personal space and taking something that he had thrown away: is that really stealing? Does how he feel about it change the acceptability of her behavior? Definitely applicable in a real world full of siblings.
December 7, 2018
Similar to ¨The Lemonade War,¨ this book isn´t the best book I have read so far. Even so, this book is still a step up from ¨The Lemonade War.¨ Characters have a bigger role than in ¨The Lemonade War¨ and Jessie gets a lot more character development in this book as she finally begins to understand Evan´s emotions. The reveal in this book about the culprit for the sudden candy presents was also slightly unexpected, but still understandable. The romantic relationship between Evan and Megan was also an essential key to the whole plot of the story itself. However, some characters still don´t receive any character development at all and are just portrayed as side characters who only have actions that have little to no effect on the story. Again, this story is still an improvement, but needs work.
January 13, 2020
I think that Jessie is wrong to include Evan's poem in her newspaper The 4-O Forum without his permission, especially because some of the things he wrote in there are private things people have been teasing him about. I think that because Evan really likes Megan, but he doesn't really think anyone knows until Jessie asked Megan if she liked Evan, and then the secret was out. But, no one knows that Evan wrote a poem about Megan until Jessie found the poem and read it. It says in the book that Evan didn't want anyone to read it, and that it was private. I think this proves that jessie is wrong to include Evan's poem in her newspaper.
September 21, 2023
The Candy Smash was about a brother and sister Jessie and Evan Treski. Someone in their class is secretly giving out Candy for Valentine's Day💕. Everyone's candy says something special on it. Except Evan's candy.😥His candy was just normal and said stuff like Be Mine or I love you. When Jessie as going to the bathroom Jessie saw something writing on the girl's bathroom wall.There was a heart and inside the heart was MM+ET. It was her brother's initials and Megan Moriarty's initials' In the end of the book Jessie finds out who was passing out the candy and that Megan Moriarty truly liked her brother.😀
February 27, 2024
Cute. I really enjoyed Evan's chapters in which he is exploring his new found interest in reading and writing poetry. His chapter headings had poetry terms which were a nice touch. The poems he ended up creating were fabulous as were the selected poems from famous poets which were also included. Jessi's chapters about writing the paper weren't as strong but I always appreciate her frank attitude about knowing she is missing some of the context of what her peers are saying and feeling. It's particularly lovely to see Evan helping her navigate these social norms in ways that allow Jessi to own her struggle as well as her successes.
July 24, 2018
I'm sounding like a broken record at this point, but I'm still surprised and impressed with this series -- and this book might be the best of them all so far. Each book has a learning theme (Bk. 1: math, Bk. 2: law, etc.), and this one's is poetry. Even though there are important lessons in these books, they're woven so well into the story that they're not a turn-off. In addition to introducing kids to elements of poetry in an approachable way, this book also has some great insights on crushes, emotional intelligence, and social awareness.
September 22, 2025
You’d think out of the 5 books I’ve finished this year that the one called Candy Smash would be the most light, the most shallow. The opposite is true. The rest were lacking and this was perfect. Dystopia, war, and murder, but this book about Valentines and poems and love was deeper, more thoughtful. I was impressed with the first book in this series, surprised by its depth and thoughtfulness. I liked the second one, pleased that the third one was even better than the first two. Seriously, this lady is the bomb. I will be recommending these books for years.
November 3, 2019
This was the perfect year to read Candy Smash. Like Evan and Jessie in 4-0, my students are studying poetry this year and light up when they come across terms like onomatopoeia. We just LOVE that word. Evan's deepening interest in poetry is a great contrast to Jessie's immersion in journalism. Love is a theme as well as sensitivity to the emotions of others. Like the majority of this series, this one also lends itself well to literature study.
November 14, 2025
Siblings Jessie and Evan Treski story regarding Valentine's Day. Jessie, a self-appointed reporter, investigates anonymously delivered candy hearts to uncover classmates' crushes, while Evan secretly discovers his love for poetry but is embarrassed to share his work. The story explores themes of privacy, secrets, and first crushes, while also highlighting the sibling rivalry between Jessie and Evan.
December 14, 2016
This series continues to introduce relevant and tough topics to kids in creative ways. Evan and Jessie have hit Valentine's day in their school year and Jessie is having a hard time with the concept of kids liking one another. Fun and fast paced Davies still manages to throw in some heartfelt moments like the students comforting the teacher
August 20, 2019
Now we're back! I really liked this book - just as much as the first. Like the first, the author incorporated math and this time she incorporated poetry. I loved the selections of popular poets as well as the new poetry. This had the great lessons for kids as in the first book of the series, as well as the heart and humor.
November 8, 2021
I wouldnt recommned this to a friend it wasnt just my favorite. I got bored towards the end and i just feel it wasnt right for me. They had a massive lemonade stand fight and back and forth it was super funny. But i guess if one of my friends liked those i would reccomnd but otherwise probally not.
December 9, 2021
I have enjoyed listening to some of the books in this series with my son. I think some of the struggles the storyline are relatable to kids in school. I love how an educational element is woven in- this one was elements of poetry (The Lemonade Wars had math). Of course, that is my adult perspective, but my son enjoyed the stories too- not sure if he appreciate the educational elements.
January 20, 2024
Ellie and I listened together. I love that the author intentionally teaches vocabulary in this series. She also addresses multiple relationship issues and helps people understand some special needs.
I can't say I love everything about it, but I think it's been really good for Ellie and me to listen to together.
I can't say I love everything about it, but I think it's been really good for Ellie and me to listen to together.
February 12, 2018
So I was rereading this book as well and wow! There was a lot of stuff I never noticed about it! Although the characters are all eight and nine year olds, I totally forgot all about it while reading. The book tackles topics like autism in an amazing way. I would actually recommend this to anyone!
February 15, 2018
One of the things I learned was to respect others feelings.I liked when Even finely realizes that his candy heart were the specialist of all.I liked Even because he is a lot like me. I would recomend this book to kids at the age of 11 or 12!
July 26, 2018
4th to 6th grade review
This book is the 4th book in the series(you should probably know that)so i would recommend reading the others first. In this book, somebody starts giving away candy hearts causing Jessie to want to figure out who is sending them as a new front cover page of her newspaper.
This book is the 4th book in the series(you should probably know that)so i would recommend reading the others first. In this book, somebody starts giving away candy hearts causing Jessie to want to figure out who is sending them as a new front cover page of her newspaper.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews