 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Ivy
- By Julie Hearn
- Genre: Historical Fiction
Common Sense Media says
Dickens-style tale with addiction and thievery.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that it takes Ivy most of the book to stop being a victim (of poverty, of cruel relatives, of drug addiction) and assert herself. Set in Victorian England, the novel features seedy neighborhoods, theft, suggestions of prostitution, attempted murder, and drug use.
What's the story?
A 5-year-old orphan with flaming red hair, Ivy is enticed to join Carroty Kate and her gang of thieves as they "skin" rich children of their clothes. To quiet the agitated girl, they give Ivy laudanum, an opiate that makes her sleepy. After a police officer catches Carroty Kate in what appears to be a violent robbery, Ivy returns to her impoverished life with her aunt and cousins, already a drug addict at age 7. The story then jumps to Ivy as teenager, still addicted and now a model for Oscar, a pre-Raphaelite artist. Ivy must overcome her poor upbringing, her addiction, and Oscar's mother's dangerous intentions if she wants to find her own happiness working with animals.
Is it any good?
Teen readers may find the Victorian narrative style off-putting until they get into the story, transported to the slums of 19th-century London. Historical fiction fans will relish swindle tricks such as spiffing up old canaries by painting them yellow and boiling wizened oranges to swell them before sale.
Ivy can be a frustratingly passive main character (she's always sleepy from the laudanum), but she shows hints of spunk. Illiterate and unschooled, she creates her own paint color names ("waste-of-time white") since colors such as "burnt sienna" mean nothing to her. Placed in precarious but intentionally ridiculous situations (posed as Eve in a tablecloth stained with food smells to attract a python wrapping itself around her), Ivy relies on common sense to maintain her dignity. In a feminist nod, Ivy rejects being called "spineless" and manages to carve out her own life without being saved by a man.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the inspiration for the story: a painting by pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who serves as a minor character in the novel. What do you know about the pre-Raphaelite art movement? How can you find out more?
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AGE
just not a good book for any age
i am a teen who read this book, this book in my opinion is off for all ages but i had to pick an age group so i went with 10+ but if you have a teen interested in victorian set books with a clear victum and possible savior then this may be a book they would be interested in but there is alot of reference to Ivy's addiction to drugs and the theives and the fact that she never really stands up for herself she just takes it the main character is a horriable role model the message is basically be a junkie and hang with bad people that theive and the book just isn't that good anyway its sad and dreary and slow so if you in want of a book dont pick this one you'd be better off with Dear John
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| Author: | Julie Hearn |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Historical Fiction |
| Publisher: | Atheneum |
| Publication date: | June 17, 2008 |
| Number of pages: | 355 |
| Hardcover price: | $17.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 12 - 12 |
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