Winner of the 2021 City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize
It’s the summer of 1978 and most people think Elvis Presley has been dead for a year. But not eleven-year-old Truly Bateman – because she knows Elvis is alive and well and living in the Eagle Shores Trailer Park. Maybe no one ever thought to look for him at on the Eagle Shores First Nation on Vancouver Island.
It’s a busy summer for Truly. Though her mother is less of a mother than she ought to be, and spends her time drinking and smoking and working her way through new boyfriends, Truly is determined to raise as much money for herself as she can through her lemonade stand … and to prove that her cool new neighbour is the one and only King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. And when she can’t find motherly support in her own home, she finds sanctuary with Andy El, the Salish woman who runs the trailer park.
Rocky Mountain Book Award | 2022 | Short-listed
Kid Committee Summer Reading List for Silver Birch | 2021 | Commended
All Lit Up: 19 Books for Canadian Children's Book Week | 2021 | Commended
City of Victoria Children's Book Prize | 2021 | Winner
2023 MYRCA Sundogs Award | 2023 | Nominated
2022 Diamond Willow Award - Grade 4 to Grade 6 | 2022 | Short-listed
2022 Forest of Reading Silver Birch Award | 2022 | Nominated
Hackmatack English Shortlist 2022-2023–Fiction | 2022 | Short-listed
The Surrey Schools Book of the Year 2022-2023 | 2022 | Nominated
“Leslie Gentile has created a touching and vibrant novel. Her characters are well-crafted and realistically portrayed. … Gentile’s Elvis, Me, and the Lemonade Stand Summer leaves readers with a memorable message about the power of empathy and kindness to change lives.”
“The darkness of Truly’s relationship with her mother and the racism she faces are balanced by the warmth and acceptance she receives from Andy El and the other residents of Eagle Shores Trailer Park. Though running the lemonade stand starts as a way for Truly to keep busy, it becomes the catalyst for her realization that family can be something you make for yourself.”
“Truly, who’s the main character, just kind of jumps off the page into your heart. … I think you should look out for this one around award season.”
“This may be the book of the summer…”