Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Strong Prairie Evers sequel focuses on Ivy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Ivy's been happy living with her best friend Prairie Evers' bustling, adorably oddball family. But now that her mother's back, Ivy can't pass up the chance to live with her again and try to form a more solid bond. Ivy hopes that if she keeps acting like everything's fine, eventually it will be. The damage her mother did and her current embarrassing outbursts make Ivy want to hide from everyone, even Prairie. Ivy learns about a local film contest and decides to put her artistic talents to the test by making her own movie and entering the contest. When Ivy realizes she really is able to do amazing things on her own, she finds the courage to confront her mother and insist that her own happiness counts too.
Is It Any Good?
In this Prairie Evers sequel, author Ellen Airgood continues to demonstrate strong writing skills as she sharpens her focus on Ivy. Ivy's inner thoughts and feelings are complicated, but Airgood gracefully guides the reader through them all. Kids will relate to and admire Ivy. Even when her choices aren't easy to understand, she's easy to root for. Familiar, beloved characters return, and new characters are colorful and intriguing.
THE EDUCATION OF IVY BLAKE is not quite the breath of fresh air that Prairie Evers is, but the thought-provoking, strong girl heroine is a worthy successor.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about sequels. Why did the author chose to tell Ivy's story this time?
Ivy loves and misses living with the Evers family. Why doesn't she want to go back to live with them?
What makes Ms. Mackenzie such a great teacher? Have you ever had a teacher like her? Who's your favorite teacher, and why?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Friendship
- Topics : Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Nancy Paulsen Books
- Publication date : June 9, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 12
- Number of pages : 240
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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