Common Sense Media Review
By Tracy Moore
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Girls start a newspaper in fun, mischievous adventure.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Everyone at lunch has low-fat Belldeloon cheese in single servings, and more important, they get to play with the red wax coating that can be molded into a thousand different shapes and uses. But Ivy and Bean can't get their hands on the expensive cheese until they score $10. To do that, they'll have to earn it, and when one of their fathers suggests collecting money for creating a neighborhood newspaper, they think they've hit the jackpot of easy money. Only now, they actually have to produce the newspaper, and what's more, the neighbors will read it!
Is It Any Good?
The eighth book in the Ivy + Bean series is by turns funny, relatable, heartwarming, silly, and prankish. It's an engaging read for young girls, with delicate black-and-white pencil drawings that portray the title characters' trials, tribulations, and fascinations with realism and wit. This book celebrates differences and girl friendship -- Ivy is quiet, Bean is loud, and in spite of their best efforts to resist their parents' urge to pair them together as friends, they realize they really do like each other.
Readers will find a sidesplitting adventure that speaks their language, and parents can appreciate that this is the sort of book series that fosters a deep love of reading and sparks curiosity.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about boundaries. Have you ever crossed a boundary you shouldn't have? What happened? How did the situation turn out?
Do you ever see stories in the newspaper or on the news that feel like they invade the privacy of the subject? How can the media be more respectful of the lives of the people they cover?
Do you earn an allowance? If so, what does it teach you? If not, do you think it's a good idea? What tasks or responsibilities do you have?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Sophie Blackall
- Genre : For Beginning Readers
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Chronicle Books
- Publication date : November 2, 2011
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 6 - 10
- Number of pages : 128
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : ALA Best and Notable Books
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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