The passage is about the short story "The Treasure of Lemon Brown" by Walter Dean Myers. It discusses the story's main characters, Greg and Lemon Brown. Greg seeks shelter from the rain in an abandoned building where he meets Lemon Brown. Lemon Brown frightens off intruders by throwing himself down the stairs. His treasured possessions of a harmonica and newspaper clippings remind him of his deceased son. Greg comes to understand Lemon Brown and gain new perspective on his own father through their interaction.

1. After Reading

2. After Reading
KEY IDEA Think of what you most cherish, or hold dear. Is it worth a lot of money, or is it valuable
because of a memory that is important only to you? For example, a photograph of a favorite friend
or relative wouldn’t bring much money at an auction, but the memories it holds might make it one
of the first things you’d save if your home were on fire. In “The Treasure of Lemon Brown,” a boy’s
encounter with an old blues musician helps him discover what he treasures most.

3. Before Reading
After Reading
Do Now:
Write a paragraph about one thing
you truly cherish or treasure.
Describe what it is that you cherish
and what makes it such a treasure to
you. Why is it so important to you?
Why would others not see it as having
the value it has to you?

4. During Reading
After Reading
Comprehension
1. RECALL How does Greg meet Lemon Brown?
Greg seeks shelter from the rain in an
abandoned building where Lemon Brown is living.
2. RECALL How does Lemon Brown scare off the
intruders?
Lemon Brown throws himself down the stairs
at the intruders.
. . .continued

5. During Reading
After Reading
Comprehension
continued
3. CLARIFY Why does Lemon Brown cherish his
treasure?
Lemon Brown’s harmonica and newspaper
clippings remind him of his son, who died while
carrying this treasure. They also remind him of his
life as a blues musician.
. . .continued

6. After Reading
Literary Analysis
4.
EXAMINE THIRD-PERSON LIMITED POINT OF VIEW
Whose sights, thoughts, and feelings does the
narrator present?
The narrator presents Greg’s sights, thoughts, and
feelings.
Explain how the story might be different if readers
knew more about the thoughts of the other
characters.
If readers knew the thoughts of the other characters, they would
have more insight about their motives and attitudes.
. . .continued

7. After Reading
Literary Analysis
continued
5. UNDERSTAND EVENTS How do Greg’s feelings toward
Lemon Brown change over time? In the graphic below,
note important events from the story. Across from each
event, tell how Greg feels about Lemon Brown at that
point.
Greg feels:
1. Greg hears Lemon Brown’s life story
1. Bored
2. Thugs enter the building
2. scared.
3. Lemon Brown confronts the thugs
and throws himself down the stairs.
3. terrified, concerned.
4. Greg sees the treasure.
4. doesn’t understand.
5. Greg says good-bye to Lemon Brown.
5. Respects him & his father.
. . .continued

8. After Reading
Literary Analysis
continued
6. MAKE INFERENCES Review the inferences you
noted in your chart. How do you think Lemon
Brown’s life story helps Greg see his relationship
with his father in a new way?
Greg learns that it is important to fathers to
pass on their values and an idea of where they
“come from.” Instead of being annoyed by his
father’s lectures, Greg now values his father’s
concern and advice.
. . .continued

9. After Reading
Literary Analysis
continued
7. ANALYZE DIALECT One way writers create realistic
characters is to include the characters’ dialect,
the language spoken by people in a particular
place or group. Dialect can include unique uses
for words and nonstandard grammar. Find three
examples of Lemon Brown’s dialect. Explain how
his language contributes to your understanding
of his character.
Examples of dialect: “You ain’t one of them”
(line 100); “There it be” (line 235); “you sure don’t
know nothing” (lines 261–262). Lemon’s dialect
suggests that he probably had little formal
schooling. This may help to explain why he fell on
“hard times” later in life (line 119).
. . .continued

10. After Reading
Literary Analysis
continued
8. DRAW CONCLUSIONS ABOUT CHARACTERS In fiction, a
character may be either static or dynamic. Static
characters experience little change over the course of a
story. Dynamic characters change and grow during a
story. Which characters in this story are static? Which
are dynamic? Explain.
THUGS
LEMON
BROWN
GREG
GREG’S
FATHER
Static Greg’s father, Lemon Brown, and the thugs
Dynamic
are all static because none of them change or
grow during the story. The only dynamic character
is Greg, who changes his ideas about his father.
. . .continued

11. After Reading
Extension and Challenge
9. READERS’ CIRCLE Walter Dean Myers believes it is
important for young people to have role models.
Discuss with a small group of classmates what
makes a good role model and in what ways
Lemon Brown is a role model for Greg.
Students’ definitions of a good role model
may vary. They may say that Lemon Brown is a
role model for Greg in displaying wisdom,
courage, and love.
. . .continued

12. After Reading
Extension and Challenge
continued
10. INQUIRY AND RESEARCH Lemon Brown describes
singing the blues as “singing about how hard you
got it.” Research the blues and find some
representative songs. Is Lemon Brown’s
description of the blues accurate? Play parts of
the songs for the class and talk about the kind of
life the songs suggest.
Students will likely say that Lemon Brown’s
description of the blues is accurate. Song
selections should highlight difficulties people
have experienced.