Parents' Guide to

Ivy

By Stephanie Dunnewind, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Dickens-style tale with addiction and thievery.

Book Julie Hearn Historical Fiction 2008
Ivy Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 17+

Based on 1 parent review

ngeorgianow
ngeorgianow Parent
September 24, 2016
age 17+

Dull, just dull

This character is sleepy through the entire book because she is addicted to a drug to make her sleepy. This is yet another book that tells a boring tale of an eventual heroine but it takes her a long time to get there. This book also is yet another example of glorifying suicide and questioning whether or not it is the right choice.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 1 parent review

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?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

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.

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Book Details

  • Author: Julie Hearn
  • Genre: Historical Fiction
  • Book type: Fiction
  • Publisher: Atheneum
  • Publication date: June 17, 2008
  • Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 12
  • Number of pages: 355
  • Last updated: July 12, 2017

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