Each chapter in The Lemonade War is named after a business term and begins with that term’s definition. Chapter 1 begins with the definition of a slump: “a drop in the activity of a business or the economy” (1). Evan Treski is experiencing such an event; it’s almost the end of the summer, the air conditioning is out at his house, and he is very bored. Evan is entertaining himself in the basement by throwing a baseball up and down as he tries to avoid his sister, Jessie.

When Jessie finds Evan, she implores him to play with her. Evan resists angrily. He keeps throwing the baseball up and down, but when Jessie mentions a letter, Evan drops the baseball on his nose. Jessie offers to bring him some ice, but Evan yells at her that he hates her: “You ruined my summer and now you’re going to ruin school. I hate you” (10).

Chapter 2, “Breakup,” explores the dissolution of Evan and Jessie’s relationship through Jessie’s perspective. Jessie knows that Evan is upset about the letter but doesn’t understand why. She’s good at solving puzzles, but she has trouble understanding emotional issues, calling such topics her “weakest subject” (11).