Customer Reviews

Faith, Hope, and Ivy June

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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.

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.

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"

As a mother who screens everything her 11-year-old daughter reads, I was really moved by the tale told in "Faith, Hope and Ivy June" by Phillis Reynolds Naylor. We had been following the various news stories about trapped coal miners in various countries, and it had been a challenge for me to communicate the very hard lives they live. Most difficult for me to explain was why anyone would want to risk their lives mining coal, for not very much money at all. This book starts to answer that very complicated question. It's an important book much like "Toby Alone" is important, but in a different way: this book is down-to-earth, as is appropriate for the setting, and makes you think without making you nervous. It would be an excellent addition to any classroom. In the words of said daughter:

"The book, 'Faith, Hope and Ivy June' by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is a fantastic book.

"When Ivy June Mosley's name gets pulled out of a coffee can, she is not sure whether to scream from excitement or groan with terror at the fact that a snobby girl from Lexington, Kentucky is coming to Thunder Creek for two weeks after she goes to stay in Lexington for two weeks at *her* house. When Catherine Comb's essay gets picked out of thousands at her school, she just hopes and prays she doesn't seem snobby to Ivy's family when she visits. The exchange program is put to the test when Catherine's mom gets sick and Ivy June's grandpa gets stuck in a mine, and they cling to each other as friends in need.

"My favorite character was really Ivy June because she was more down to earth while Catherine was a little snobby, though I'm sure she tried not to be. I think that this book deserves five stars: one for the characters. one for the realistic setting, one for the plot, one for the humor and one for way the author wrote it like a diary in some parts and third person in others. I would recommend this book to any girl really. It is totally moving regardless of age."

Faith, Hope and Ivy June is a story about two very different girls brought together by a school exchange program. Ivy June lives in Thunder Creek, a small remote town that lives on the basics, no indoor pluming, or modern appliances. Ivy June lives with her Grandparents, down the road from her parents house. She lives her because her parents home becaume too crowded for her to live comfterably in, and her grandparents offered her to move in to their house. Catherine Combs lives in Lexington, in a spacious house with her younger twin siblings as well as her older sister and parents. Catherine goes to a private school complete with their own uniforms. The two girls meet when they are both chosen for an exchange program, Ivy's name is pulled out from a coffee can and Catherine wins an essay contest, already you can tell the difference between these two girls. First, Ivy will go to Catherines house for two weeks, then come home to Thunder Creek without Catherine. A week later Catherine will come to Ivy Junes home and spend two weeks there. The two girls will step into each others lives and have many new experiences and many surprises. Such as racoons in outhouses, mean grandmothers and grandfathers working in coal mines.

This book is definitly a must read. I enjoyed Faith, Hope and Ivy June very much because of all the emotion packed inside it. There are moments when you want to cry of sadness and moments when you want to cry of happiness. If you are looking for an action packed, heartwarming and heartbreaking story this is definitly it. You will get sucked into the story and become a part of Ivy and Catherine's world. So realistic but yet still out of the ordinary. At moments I could relate to how Catherine and Ivy felt. There were times in this novel that I could see the pictures that Phyllis Reynolds Naylor was able to draw into my head. You don't need a big imagination to imagine the places that Catherine stands, high on top of a mountain, or the horses that Ivy rides. New experinces, yes for both girls yet, you don't feel lost or confused, trying to see what Naylor is saying, you can get the whole picture in you mind. I would say this is a definite book to read!

Two schools, two families, two girls, and two ways of life. The mountain girl Ivy June is chosen for a program in which a girl from the mountains of Harlan goes to live with a girl from Lexington, Ky. Both girls experience a way of life that they couldn't imagine. Unexpected events such as a family member having heart surgery and a mining cave in makes the girls appreciate each other. The language of the mountains rings true. This story is one of the best I have read this season.

My 11 year old daughter loved this book. She insisted I read it after she was finished. A great story about two girls with completely different lives brought together in a student exchange program. Ivy is from a mining community in the mountains and doesn't even have a bathroom in her house. She is set up with Catherine who is from the city and very well off. They are both smart, nice respectable girls who learn a lot from each other, and learn that you can't judge others based on stereo types.

This insightful coming-of-age novel, Faith, Hope, and Ivy June, is a wonderful book exploring the similarities and differences of two middle school girls. Ivy June lives with Papaw and Mammaw in the Kentucky mountains far from telephones and indoor plumbing. Catherine lives in the city and attends a private girls school. Both girls apply for a student exchange program between their two schools. Each girl lives and goes to school with the other for two weeks.

Through their journal entries, each girl explores the life and values of the other. Catherine doubts Ivy June's honesty and, thinking Ivy June stole a piece of jewelry, sneaks a peak under her pillow, only to find a rock. Ivy June, having revealed Catherine's secret boyfriend, tells her own hidden guilt. Tragedy comes to each girl, and their friendship blooms, in spite of the very different worlds they live in.

This novel rates an A for character development, plot, and setting. I really enjoyed reading it.

Two Kentucky girls are participating in their schools' seventh-grade student exchange program, leaving home for two weeks to live and attend classes with the other and record experiences in a journal. Two very different worlds - the mountain home of Ivy June and the large, richer house of Catherine - intersect and join the girls with similarities and differences in this rich story of an unusual friendship.

This is a wonderful book for all Middle level students and older folks as well, about two remarkable characters who grow up in entirely different cirumstances. Yet, they have many of the same hopes and dreams. You fall in love with these characters and don't want to let them go at the end of the book. You really would like to know if they stay friends and go on to the University of KY together as they grow up. Could a sequel be out there? This is a very uplifting story for all teens, especially the teens of Kentucky from where I taught middle level education for twenty-seven years.