Faith, Hope, and Ivy June [Hardcover]

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

When push comes to shove, two Kentucky girls find strength in each other.

Ivy June Mosely and Catherine Combs, two girls from different parts of Kentucky, are participating in the first seventh-grade student exchange program between their schools. The girls will stay at each other’s homes, attend school together, and record their experience in their journals. Catherine and her family have a beautiful home with plenty of space. Since Ivy June’s house is crowded, she lives with her grandparents. Her Pappaw works in the coal mines supporting four generations of kinfolk. Ivy June can’t wait until he leaves that mine forever and retires. As the girls get closer, they discover they’re more alike than different, especially when they face the terror of not knowing what’s happening to those they love most.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—Naylor takes up the issues of crossing class lines with a solid portrayal of Ivy June from rural coal country in Kentucky staying with an upper-middle-class family for two weeks over spring break and the return visit of the daughter of that household, Catherine. The living situations of the seventh graders are at two extremes and yet both girls have the humanity and distinctness that allow them to escape the confines of representing their classes. Make no mistake, this is Ivy June's story, and her hardships and family challenges are front and center in a way that Catherine's own family woes are not. The exchange program set up by the schools is a perfect showcase for looking at the role of wealth and poverty in our assumptions about one another. Ivy June's discomfort at having the wrong shoes is comparable to Catherine's squirming at being unable to wash her hair daily. Neither manages to overcome her own class assumptions. Despite the challenges, this is a warm and tender story of learning to care about the needs of the "other" while gaining appreciation for your own values and strengths.—Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library, CO END

Review

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, June 15, 2009:
“Naylor's deft storytelling effortlessly transports readers to her Kentucky settings—and into two unexpectedly similar lives.”

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385736150
• ISBN-13: 978-0385736152
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #409,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I guess I've been writing for about as long as I can remember. Telling stories, anyway, if not writing them down. I had my first short story published when I was sixteen, and wrote stories to help put myself through college, planning to become a clinical psychologist. By the time I graduated with a BA degree, however, I decided that writing was really my first love, so I gave up plans for graduate school and began writing full time.

I'm not happy unless I spend some time writing every day. It's as though pressure builds up inside me, and writing even a little helps to release it. On a hard-writing day, I write about six hours. Tending to other writing business, answering mail, and just thinking about a book takes another four hours. I spend from three months to a year on a children's book, depending on how well I know the characters before I begin and how much research I need to do. A novel for adults, because it's longer, takes a year or more. When my work is going well, I wake early in the mornings, hoping it's time to get up. When the writing is hard and the words are flat, I'm not very pleasant to be around.

Getting an idea for a book is the easy part. Keeping other ideas away while I'm working on one story is what's difficult. My books are based on things that have happened to me, things I have heard or read about, all mixed up with imaginings. The best part about writing is the moment a character comes alive on paper, or when a place that existed only in my head becomes real. There are no bands playing at this moment, no audience applauding--a very solitary time, actually--but it's what I like most. I've now had more than 120 books published, and about 2000 short stories, articles and poems.

I live in Bethesda, Maryland, with my husband, Rex, a speech pathologist, who's the first person to read my manuscripts when they're finished. Our sons, Jeff and Michael, are grown now, but along with their wives and children, we often enjoy vacations together in the mountains or at the ocean. When I'm not writing, I like to hike, swim, play the piano and attend the theater.

I'm lucky to have my family, because they have contributed a great deal to my books. But I'm also lucky to have the troop of noisy, chattering characters who travel with me inside my head. As long as they are poking, prodding, demanding a place in a book, I have things to do and stories to tell.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Middle Grade Book, July 18, 2009

By 

Julie Peterson "Booking Mama" (Central PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Faith, Hope, and Ivy June (Hardcover)

FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is a marvelous book for middle-graders. I had high expectations for this book because Ms. Naylor has written so many fantastic books for young people including the Newberry Award winning novel SHILOH; and I am so happy to say that I wasn't disappointed. FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE is just one of those books that will stay with you for a long time after you've finished reading it. The story, the characters, and the lessons in this story are all extremely memorable.

FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE is already receiving awards -- it is the winner of the Kid's Indie Next List "Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers." As far as I'm concerned, there should be many more awards coming in the next few months. This book not only told a very good story, but it also had terrific characters who learned so many important life lessons.

I think one of the reasons that I enjoyed this story so much was because I could somewhat relate to it. As a child, I never participated in an exchange program, but I did attend a lot of new schools because my family moved so often. I could understand both of the girls' fears and insecurities about entering new and very different environments. Another way that I could relate to this book was because it pertained to coal mines. My family comes from a line of coal miners who live in Western Pennsylvania. I enjoyed reading about life in the coal mines and how incredibly risky and difficult a coal miner's job is.

If I put on my "mother" hat (instead of just my "reader" hat), I have to say that the lessons in this book were wonderful. I truly think that children who read this book can't help but think about Catherine and Ivy June and all of the things they learned through their experiences with each other. I thought this book had so many valuable points about friendship. While both Catherine and Ivy Jean seemed to be nothing alike on the outside, they realized that they were actually kind of similar. Rather than focusing on how different they were, they decided to appreciate each other's differences and find the things they had in common. I also think they gained some self-confidence and learned a great deal about themselves because they realized that they could adapt to other environments and that they had certain things about their lives that made them pretty special. Another meaningful lesson that was apparent in this book (especially in the times of crisis) was that the girls discovered the importance of their families and friends.

I think FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE would make a perfect pick for our Mother Daughter book club. I also recommend it as a potential discussion book for the classroom. There is a teacher's guide available which would help facilitate the conversation; but even without it, there is a ton to talk about concerning this story. I actually would like to see my daughter and her friends read and discuss this book because I think there are so many valuable lessons about family, self-discovery and friendship. These lessons are especially important for our girls as they are in that ever-so-impressionable tween phase.

I read this book a few weeks ago, and I wanted Booking Daughter to read it and give her impressions. I had a feeling that she was going to think this book was something special. Here are Booking Daughter's thoughts:

I really liked FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE. It taught me a lot of lessons and I also got to learn more about coal mines.

Catherine and Ivy June realize that they are different on the outside but similar on the inside. I think that was a big part of the story. You can be friends with different types people. You also learn more lessons in this book about friendships and secrets.

My Great Grandfather used to work in a coal mine. I am going to ask him for more information about his job.

Phylis Reynolds Naylor is a favorite author of mine. I read SHILOH in my reading class. I also read all of the BOYS VS. GIRLS books except one. I was so excited to read FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE.

I really liked the characters and I want to know what happens to them. I hope she writes a sequel.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little hope goes a long way from home, October 20, 2009

By 

The Children's Book Reporter - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faith, Hope, and Ivy June (Hardcover)

A few miles can make a big difference--or maybe not so big... Ivy June Mosley of backwoods Thunder Creek and Catherine Combs of affluent Lexington are chosen for a Kentucky exchange program where each girl is able to spend two weeks in the other's home to see "life on the other side" of the mountains. While both facing their own personal dramas and family problems/disappointments, Catherine and Ivy June are able to learn that while lifestyles may differ, humans face the same problems everywhere you go.
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June was a very good example of a book which focuses on its setting; both Thunder Creek and Lexington were portrayed believably and visually, while also creating an emotional connection with the reader for the place as well as the characters. Not to belittle the characters, for they were the heart and soul of the story and Ms Naylor did a wonderful job of filling her cast with memorable, lovable, and complex human beings. The main aspect that seemed to be lacking was the emotional intensity in the plot; while a lot of "big" things, serious and potentially life-altering things, are happening, it felt as though they were not developed to their full emotional potential. Everything, except the final climax, resolved itself quite quickly, leaving me as a reader with the feeling that the conflicts would have been more suited to a shorter book. However, partially because of this, it is a story that can be recommended to a younger reader with a sensitivity to too much tension--while still able to be enjoyed by older children and adults as well.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, October 2, 2009

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faith, Hope, and Ivy June (Hardcover)

FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE is about two girls from totally different places and backgrounds who participate in a student exchange program. Although both girls are from Kentucky, one is from the bustling city of Lexington and the other is from the mountains.

Ivy June is excited about her upcoming trip to spend two weeks with Catherine in Lexington, Kentucky. The exchange program was organized by their schools, and Ivy June was encouraged to apply by her family, especially her grandparents. Her name was chosen from among six names thrown into a coffee can.

Although she is excited about the adventure, she worries about fitting in in the big city. She knows Catherine will no doubt live in a fancy house with indoor plumbing which will be a welcome change, but Ivy June doesn't want to end up coming back home wishing for a different life. She has been living with her grandparents for some time now. It was just getting too crowded over at her old house. She's just a short walk from her ma and pa, but being the only child living with her grandparents and her 100-year-old great-grandmother has given her more of a sense of belonging and love then she ever had at home.

The idea of the exchange program is for Ivy June to stay with Catherine for two weeks. She is to attend Catherine's private school for one week, and then enjoy a week of sight-seeing during Catherine's spring break. After a week back in the mountains, Catherine is scheduled to visit Ivy June for two weeks.

Both girls might be in seventh grade, but that's about where the similarities in lifestyle end. How will they get along?
Can they each adjust to the vastly different economic conditions and completely different family structures they will encounter? And how will they hold up in any serious situations that might develop during their visits?

Prolific children's author Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is at her best in FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE. She masterfully creates two totally opposite worlds in which Ivy June and Catherine come together as friends who learn to recognize the uniqueness that surrounds each of them. Using journal entries written by both girls, Naylor reveals their excitement, nervousness, and frustration as they meet and live each other's lives.

Readers will experience humor, controversy, suspense, and love as Ivy June and Catherine's adventure unfolds.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"