Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Ivy by Julie Hearn - OPTIONAL


Hearn, Julie Ivy, 351 p. Atheneum (Simon), 2008.

HS - OPTIONAL

Ivy lives with her aunt and uncle and their extensive amount of children in the the slums of England during the 1800's. As a child, Ivy was taken by a gang of thieves, but returned to her uncle's home after a couple of years. Now, eight years later, an artist has spied the beautiful, ethereal Ivy among the dirty streets and is determined to make her his model, not know that she comes with an addiction. Something about the artist and his household and these new circumstances starts to break through Ivy's fog and she starts to begin thinking and feeling again. Ivy will have enemies and she will have chances, but will she be able to make the choice.

I would consider this book a lighter, female version of Oliver Twist, not so much David Copperfield, with not as great a depth of description, characterization or heart. Another 20 pages to shore up the happy ending would have gone a long way to make me more fond of this work. That being said, it is a good, light read for older students.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

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