Skip to main content

Faith, Hope, and Ivy June

By
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
280 pages
juvenile fiction
New York : Delacorte Press, 2009

Ivy June Mosely and Catherine Combs are both seventh-grade girls in Kentucky. That is where the obvious similarities end. Ivy June lives in Thunder Creek, in the mountains near the coal mines. She lives with her grandparents because her parents house is too full. They only live a stone's throw apart so she has chores at both households. There is no indoor plumbing and life is just plain simple in a complicated way. Catherine lives in a large house in a nice neighborhood of Lexington. Each of the children has their own bedroom and bathroom. They have a maid helping their mother as she recovers from an illness. Catherine has a cell phone and her own computer. Someone from Catherine's private all-girls school thinks up this fabulous idea of an exchange program between the two drastically different schools. Catherine and Ivy June are the lucky winners. Will they be able to form a friendship despite the prejudices and stereotypes held by those around them? How will each of them react to tragedy striking close to home?

A book full of fascinating characters. The girls' journal entries gave a realistic glimpse into their emotions and their heart. I am not embarrassed to say that I got a little weepy a few times while reading. I hope that kids who read this book will understand the lessons being taught and will learn why we shouldn't let stereotypes rule our thinking. Don't be surprised if Faith, Hope, and Ivy June pops up on the Newbery lists.
Labels:

Comments

Ms. Yingling said…
How have I missed so many titles? I had to add a bunch to my lists. Thanks for helping keep me on track1
August 31, 2009 at 4:01 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Factory

By
The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...
Post a Comment
Read more

National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry

By DeeDee
National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry Edited by J. Patrick Lewis National Geographic, 2012, 183 p. Poetry In this beautiful poetry collection, the National Children's Poet Laureate, J. Patrick Lewis, has teamed up with the amazing photographers at National Geographic. The result is 200 poems about animals, all illustrated with stunning nature photography.  The poems are well chosen and include rhyming, free verse, and shape poetry. Some of the poems are funny, many are contemplative and all are nicely typeset on top of the full color photographs. One of my favorites is a shape poem about flamingos, with a photograph of a flock of flamingos which seem to be standing the the shape of a flamingo (how did they do that?).  Lewis ends the collection with a brief but interesting section about writing animal poetry.  This selection is sure to turn any animal lover into a poetry lover.
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: A Game of Noctis

By
A Game of Noctis By Deva Fagan New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024. Fiction. 310 pages. On the island of Dantessa, social standings and wealth are determined by your place in the Great Game. If you keep on winning, you can reap treasures, power, and security for yourself and your family; but if you lose too many games, you'll be exiled to Pawn Island and a life of servitude. That's what happens to 12-year-old Pia's grandfather. Due to poor vision, he struggles to see the games, but also can't afford new eyeglasses without winning. When his score falls to zero, he is sent away. Desperate to bring him back, Pia joins a ragtag group of misfits to form a team for the annual game of Noctis. The game requires contestants to perform dangerous challenges in front of a live audience, and no one outside the wealthy Diamond District has ever won. Each member of Pia's team, the Seafoxes, has their own reason to compete, but if they're going to win they'll h...
Post a Comment
Read more