Tuesday, September 29, 2015

The Education of Ivy Blake

The Education of Ivy Blake
Author: Ellen Airgood
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Julie H.

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Summary: Fifth grade Ivy’s world is turned upside down when she goes back to living with her mother after years apart. Ivy misses the stable home she had with her best friend’s family, and struggles with her mother’s inconsistent behavior and fits of anger. Adjusting to a new school and making friends would be hard enough, but Ivy also has to deal with being alone and taking care of herself while her mother is at work or out with her friends. How will Ivy get through this? Can her creativity and artistic talent carry her through this rocky time in her life?
While The Education of Ivy Blake was written as a companion to the book, Prairie Evers, it reads like a stand-alone novel, and readers will not miss a beat even if they haven’t read Ellen Airgood’s first novel in this series (although they may want to go back and read it after finishing this one!)

Review: This novel was gentle but interesting: Ivy was likeable and sweet, but realistic. Although the book touches on sensitive topics, it is never too dark, and always offers hope and speaks to the kindness and generosity of friends and strangers. Overall, I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone middle school age or older who is looking for a positive and encouraging realistic fiction novel.

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