The Bell Bandit (The Lemonade War, #3) by Jacqueline Davies

The Bell Bandit (The Lemonade War, #3) Reviews

• 
  Nancy Kotkin

  This is the third book in The Lemonade War series, but it doesn't seem to fit into the series or resemble the first two books in any way except that the two children and their mother are characters, and the chapters alternate POV between the brother and sister. The themes in this book are far more serious and complex, and the focus of the kids' business ventures is completely gone.
  
  While I loved the first two titles in this lower middle grade series, this book has some issues, in my opinion. The grandmother is experiencing the onset of Alzheimer's or some sort of dementia, which is confusing and frightening for children, yet it is never addressed or explained properly by Jessie's and Evan's mother. Also, the character of Maxwell, who is obviously on the autism spectrum, competes for attention and reader brain space with the protagonists' grandmother.
  
  The explanation that Maxwell's mother gives of his neurological differences is inadequate. Jessie is Maxwell's friend, deserves to know why his behavior is sometimes erratic, and directly asks, "What's wrong with Maxwell?" Maxwell's mother responds that "He's just different," which nine-year-old Jessie has obviously already figured out. Maxwell's mother never mentions any cognitive or neurological differences, and ends with "He has a really tough time understanding feelings." Jessie, who has never been especially good at that either, is now left more confused than ever because she's already figured out that Maxwell is different and still has not been given a reason. Hiding the truth from children is not doing them any favor. Surely Jessie can be a better friend to Maxwell if she understands his differences and why he behaves as he does.
  
• 
  Isobel

  It was okay sometimes it sounded like the characters were making up words.That was all the thing I think that would need help on but anyway it was the best. I thought it was a little bit better then the The lemonade war.
• 
  Kristin

  A decent sequel to the first two books in the Lemonade War series. These books are highly readable, short and compact. Lacked that extra thematic element of the first two: economics and marketing in the Lemonade War and the justice system in the Lemonade Crime. Those interactive recurring elements made fairly typical stories stand out. This book that lacked that special element and was just a fairly typical story about a missing object. Evan and Jessie, in this story, arrive at their grandmother's farm after she accidentally caused a fire and had to stay a week in the hospital. Upon her release, they find Grandma isn't quite the same as they remember her. She has either dementia or alzheimer's, and that topic is treated pretty sensitively. Evan and Jessie also meet Grandma's neighbor - a 12-year-old boy named Maxwell, who has a form of autism or asperger's syndrome. That topic is treated fairly well until the end, when Jessie likens a particularly confusing conversation with him to being in a mental hospital. That's not an appropriate remark and doesn't ring true for an 8-year-old, who wouldn't understand what that means anyway. I think the author was trying to illustrate how a child would view talking to someone with autism, but it just didn't make sense.
  
  Not a standout in the series, but fans of the first two will read this and probably enjoy it despite its lack of cohesion. This is a five-part series, so I'm interested to see where the final two will go. It would have been nice to see lemonade incorporated into the Bell Bandit in some capacity, but you can't blame an author for wanting to try something new. However, for a fourth-grader, sometimes that continuity is needed.
• 
  Katie

  I didn't like this book as much as the first two because it deals with heavier subjects. Still, it is very well written. I believe that Evan grows up a lot in this book, having to learn a new way to communicate with his grandma who doesn't remember him all of the time. Jessie meets a new friend who has an even harder time with feelings than she does. A lot of changes are happening to both Jessie and Evan in this book, and some of the subjects this book brings up may be hard for some children to understand. Still. They are relevant issues in today's world.
• 
  Leslie Wilkins

  My kids and I have loved reading The Lemonade War books out loud to each other, but I didn't like this one nearly as well as the others in the series. Usually each book introduces industry-related concepts with each chapter, but this book doesn't have that. And I found the characters' interactions with their Grandma, who's starting to suffer from dementia, to be disturbing / upsetting at times. I respect what the author was trying to do, but it made it less fun. I strongly recommend the series, but recommend skipping this one.
• 
  Lisa B.

  Another delightful story in The Lemonade War series. In this one, Jessie and Evan try to understand what is happening to their Grandma, who has become confused and forget. They also try to solve the mystery of the town's missing historical bell.
  
  I continue to enjoy this series that I am reading at the recommendation of my 10-yr-old niece. The author writes meaningful stories with good messages for middle school aged kids. Plus, they are lots of fun!
• 
  Chance Hansen

  I thought that this book was really just OK but giving it two stars just doesn't give it justice.
  
  Cover
  I love the lemon theme that was integrated into the cover. Having the Lemon as the bead line is brilliant. The real question I have is, is it really necessary? (I'll get to that right away.)
  
  Interior
  Granted I read the last two books way too long ago to have a true comparison within characters "the flow." (The way a book transcends into the next one.)
  I found the beginning of this book really rough. I spent half the book trying to figure the two characters traits apart. I kept going back mainly to the highlights I remember from first book which one was the smarter one. Even though he helped with the house and she picked out puzzles and books their personality traits didn't stand out nearly as strong as the last two had.
  What I want to know is why on earth didn't Mrs. Treski at any point in the (Four?) days keep from saying that Grandma has Dementia? That first night when Grandma looks at you and says I don't know you why on earth wouldn't you explain that her memory isn't working right right then and there. (It would have been a lot easier than saying don't ask her anything that might upset her.
  I get why they didn't say Maxwell has Autism. Apart from one moment with Grandma no one really cared about him. I don't think his mother should have danced around the subject like that at the end.
  There was also a becoming the man of the house story in here. Even's father has been missing and he wants to be the man of the household cliche. I don't think this really needed to be in here.
  (Personally I would have gone the helper route. (E.g. If the scenario was farming and he took off. The kid in grade 4 doesn't become the Farmer. He becomes a farmhand.) It also didn't add much to the story other than giving him the goal help fix the house.
  I did like the analogy about the grandma's mind and the house. Where the last two books taught business and legal terms this book is really out of left field teaching a reality moment. I do appreciate where the author was going and it was done well, but I think it should have gone with the same style as the last two. This brings me to my last opinion.
  THE REAL QUESTION
  Which brings me to Series biggest question.Should this book be part of The Lemonade War series. Apart from a couple Easter Eggs you could had anyone replace the characters and it would have been a fine stand alone book.
  
• 
  Erica Sonzogni

  In the third installment in The Lemonade War Series, The Bell Bandit includes another adventure with siblings Evan and Jessie. This story takes place at their grandmother’s house, who has been having a difficult time due to a fire that broke out in her home. Once they arrive, they realize that their grandmother is not well. On top of that, a large bell that was special to their grandmother has gone missing which is critical to their New Year’s Eve celebration. Using their detective skills and getting into lots of trouble, the kids end up rescuing the bell to keep their grandmother’s tradition alive.
  
  This novel is written similarly to the past two in this series with the perspectives of each chapter alternating between Evan and Jessie. Additionally, it explores topics that might be new to young readers. For example, the kid’s grandmother has signs of dementia that scare the children, especially when she does not recognize them and when she thinks that the current year is decades earlier. Also, a friend that Jessie meets that is a neighbor of his grandmother’s has challenges socially which may be signs of Asperger’s Syndrome. Finally, through her detective work, Jessie meets two elementary-aged boys who take pleasure in abusing live frogs. These deep topics could leave young readers with questions but were also handled with care in this novel.
• 
  Amanda

  So far, I still like book one in this series the most. Whereas Book 1 had moments of humor, I thought that the subject manner in this book was a little heavy for a children's book. One of my third graders who is reading the series at the same time as me thought the part about the grandma was pretty sad. The grandma probably has Alzheimer's and goes in and out of remembering things about where she is and who her grandkids are. Additionally, one of the kids in the book probably has autism or is on the spectrum. As an adult knowing about this disorder I can understand the kid's actions. I'm not sure a kid reading this book would understand these actions without adult explanation. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
• 
  Lisa

  I wasn't as into this book as the first two. This one changes settings (to Gramma's house) and rather than the main conflict being between kids, now it's a family matter (Gramma) as well as a little mystery about a missing bell. I would have liked to see some consequences for certain side characters in this book, or maybe more interaction from adults - perhaps explanations or something rather than leaving Evan and Jessie guessing and confused. I will continue to read the series as there are only 2 books left, and it is a rather quick read if I can ever sit down and do it, though if the series was significantly longer, I might have considered stopping after this one.
• 
  Ellen

  I agree with other reviewers that there's something different in this book that makes it not quite as enjoyable as the first two in the series. Part of it is the subject matter, the difficulties of dealing with dementia in a grandparent, for example. There was an element of humor and hijinx that is understandably absent. Even so, the book is solid and develops our familiar characters with complex emotions. The series remains a great one for adapting to book units with lots of cross-curriciular application. In this book we have New Year's traditions, parts of a bell, bullying, autism, and dementia. There's a lot there to develop.
• 
  Ms. Arca

  I didn’t read the others in this series, so I experienced this as a stand alone book and found that it holds its own beautifully. I loved the caring brother figure, the deep love of the family taking turns sharing the loads of life, and the complexities of mental health and diversity that were brought up in this book. I especially love that concepts like this were brought up in a book for elementary aged students. Also, I always appreciate a non-gory mystery! A good read!
• 
  Amanda Weeder

  This third book in the Lemonade Wars series was a little more serious than the first two, but I continue to be impressed with the series. It carefully handled the issues of having a grandparent with dementia and a friend who is socially different. The only thing that might be too intense for younger readers was a scene with two boys planning to torture an animal.
  
  Spoiler:
  They're stopped before they can actually do it, but it's a pretty vivid scene.
• 
  Renee

  Enjoying this series as a family read aloud with my two boys. My 9 year old said this is his favorite book so far in the series. They really liked the mystery in the story.
  The fact that the main characters in the series have to address that their grandmother has dementia and is starting to show signs was very relevant to my boys' lives and was a good discussion starter for what to expect as their own grandmother's Alzheimer's continues to progress.
• 
  Heather

  I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, and this one didn’t disappoint! I’m so glad. This author seems to have her finger on the pulse of the middle schooler perfectly.
  
  In this story, we have 2 overarching themes that play a role: how we deal with/treat kids who are “different,” and how we handle the tough topic of grandparents whose mental status changes and how to handle that. Ms. Davies handles both topics beautifully. Bravo. Highly recommended!
• 
  Alicia Adams

  Perfect for 2nd-4th graders. Liked how this one dealt with special-needs kid relationships.