Ivy + Bean, Book 1

This book sends poor messages to children about what is and isn't acceptable behavior. It glorifies bad behavior and behavior that is nice or good is shown as boring. There is also something dark about this book that is unsettling. Its one thing for kids to have a vivid imagination, but when you have them talking about using dead frogs and worms to cast spells ( they cast a spell on Bean's sister out of revenge)... Its just twisted and not appropriate at all. The book doesn't even redeem itself with good writing. It was a painful read. Please do not waste your money. It has no educational or moral value and I don't think that anyone should read it, especially not children.

Parents beware and do your research. Depending on your views and beliefs you may find that the content in this book is not for your family. My views come from a Christian standpoint. I will be honest, the things that drew me to this book were, that is would be a great way to start my daughter who is advanced in reading into chapter books (other than the ones at home) and her name is Ivy. We sat down in the bookstore and she pre-read a few pages of chapter 1. I skimmed the book and it seemed harmless enough. I should have dived deeper when she was intrigued by the book BUT she said "mommy, the eyes of the girls looked bad." As my daughter progressed through the book, excited to read, she had progressed all the way to page 47. As she read out loud, I asked her if she was understanding the content as her comprehension is rather good. She started telling me about Ivy who was studying/practicing to be a witch and Bean who was mad at her sister and how the two of them were devising a plan to get back at her sister. Ivy needed a dead frog, and so on. Needless to say, I was very alarmed with the content of this book and started reading reviews (which I should have done prior to buying this book). I do not feel that this book is appropriate for any child. It has content that is too mature and pushes an agenda of witchcraft, hate and divisiveness. This type of content is not the type of content young minds should absorb especially in a world that exhibits hate and divisiveness on a daily basis. This books sends a strong message against loving one another as well as to teaching to work out your problems in a sneaky and malicious manner. I know that some find it humorous, but what our children take into their spirit and soul will be lived out and may manifest itself in such an unfathomable and tragedy manner. I will return this book to the store or discard it as I do not want to be the cause of another child reading this material.

It does not encourage familial affections, morals, or much good at all. There is blood and making light of witchcraft and throwing worms in someone’s mouth with the a smile as the two girls say no matter what the co sequences, that was worth it… I didn’t even read the whole book. It really draws young readers in, too. It looked innocent and gets good reactions so I gave it to my daughter and she loves it, as the author is a great writer. Disappointing. Just a cash cow pandering to vulnerable, undeveloped minds.

This book is deceiving. The cover looks innocent enough and makes you think it is about a friendship between two nice girls. I was turned off by the behaviour of the sisters in the book towards each other ... doing mean and nasty things and saying rude words. Then came the witchcraft. One little girl dresses in a robe of moons and stars and wants to use dead animals to make spells. The other girl now thinks she is interesting because she is into witchcraft. I am convinced that the people who gave this book good reviews were paid to do so. There seems to be an assault on family values coming from media, music and I guess kids books as well. No parents with good sense would want their child reading this. Terrible values are promoted. I took it away from my 6 year old daughter. The author should be ashamed.

I had a friend recommend this book for my 6 year old but after my daughter was half through the book I took a closer look at the story line and was not impressed. I don't want her curiousity peaked on these matters. One of the girls wants to be a witch and they talk a lot about casting spells, doing "witchy" things, wearing "witchy" clothes, and making potions. Even without that, the story line would be pretty weak and uninteresting.

I thought the books were very well written and captivating, however, I was extremely displeased with the subject matter. First, the girls are REALLY naughty, especially to the one's sister (I don't know about you, but I want to teach my daughters to get along, not take each other down), and secondly there is a strong element of witchcraft in this series. It would be one thing if the girls were just "making spells" in the backyard, but the one girl states that she is learning to become a witch and then there are very detailed spells, etc, throughout the series, not to mention the drops of blood they paint on her face when she's dressing like a witch. Not the message I want for my children.

Returned this book after reading a few pages out loud to my girls. Awful content. Beware of popularity. Read this book before handing it off to young readers. Best New York Times? Society expectations have lowered and bullying is on the rise.

This book is about two little girls who go on an adventure, so I thought it would be empowering. It was not, and here is why. It starts off with one little girl, Bean, immediately judging the other little girl, calling her "boring" several times. Next it launches right into a horrible sibling relationship. I would be absolutely devastated if my children treated each other the way the sisters in this book treat each other. Name calling (tightwad, pain, pest, booger-head, stupid, crummy, faker, big turkey, bean breath, burp head) , even a mild amount of violence (kicking, throwing worms in her sister's face and mouth). There is also mean trick playing, taking money from a purse, sneaking out of the house, and hoping a frog dies so they can use it in a witch's potion. The whole read was disappointing, but the most profoundly disturbing aspect was the way the sisters are pitted against each other in the story. Kids need to be taught to be kind to each other, and girls especially need to learn to empower and support each other. I was going to give this to my 8 year old niece as a gift and I am glad I read it first, because I won't be gifting or recommending this book to anyone.

This series was recommended to us by our children's librarian. My just turned six year old plowed through them quickly and seemed to enjoy the first two. However upon reading through a few chapters of the first book, I was VERY disappointed in seeing how much name calling there was, and how many poor decisions Bean and then also Ivy made. Bean is rude and mean. I understand sisters don't always get along, but it went further than needs to illustrate that she and her older sister Nancy didn't get along. I also thought it was unnecessary for Ivy to have her face painted to look like it had blood on it. What did that have to do with being a witch? (Even if it's a pretend one.) Some small points for creativity for Ivy's solid imagination and also doing some crafting on her robe and the wand. The writing is good and the illustrations are fun, but overall not exactly two "role models" like others have said.

My 6-year-old daughter received 5 of these books from my mother as a Christmas gift. She chose them because of their popularity and positive reviews and did not read them. I do agree that the format is ideal for young readers transitioning to chapter books. The illustrations help break up the text, and the chapters are short enough to be read without being too taxing for an emerging reader. The premise of finding a surprisingly satisfying friendship in an unexpected someone is appealing. But I was really bothered by the unrelenting selfishness and meanness of spirit displayed by Bean. She does have one brief moment of feeling sorry for her sister only to quickly return with an even greater enmity toward her. Reading this to my 6-year-old, I found myself having to answer lots of questions about the abundant deviousness-- stealing $20 from her sister, staging a run away from home to try to avoid punishment and get sympathy desert, planning to cast a bad spell on her sister. I am stymied at all the positive reviews this book receives. Bean uses a lot of language I find unacceptable ("dork", "stupid", "boring") and both Ivy and Bean have disrespectful attitudes toward adults and cruel ones toward siblings. The mothers of each girl appear peripherally and show little to no disapproval of their daughter's tricks. My daughter said out loud, "I wonder why Grandma bought this book for me"