Poison Ivy [Hardcover]

Amy Goldman Koss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 7, 2006 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

"IwithVY: I told Ms. Gold about how The Evil Three have been after me, feeding off me since fourth grade.
MARCO: It isn't a very pretty story, so if you're looking for 'nice,' you better ask someone else.
ANN: We just have to come up wiht some witnesses for our side. Think! Does anyone owe you any favors?
BRYCE: I figure, Dude, why not make a little spare change on the side? A buck a bet. All's I has to do was explain that liable was civil for guilty, and they swarmed like flies."

Eight first-person narrators give different versions of the same event. Lessons about the inner workings of the judicial system pale beside the insights into human nature. With pathos and a great deal of humor, Amy Goldman Koss keeps you turning pages.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9–Ivy has been a victim of relentless bullying for years. Nicknamed Poison Ivy by Ann, Benita, and Sophie in fourth grade, she can hardly remember what it was like to be just plain Ivy. When earnest Ms. Gold, the middle school American government teacher, finds a depressing poem written by Ivy, she decides to put The Evil Three on trial for bullying. She is hoping to create a perfect learning experience to illustrate the American judicial system to the class–and possibly to teach the three girls a lesson. What Ms. Gold does not count on, however, is the power of popular kids and the resulting political leverage. Students are assigned roles: counsel for the plaintiff, process server, judge, jury, etc. The action is related through the multiple voices of the major figures in the mock trial proceedings, and readers see many personalities emerge in the alternate chapters. Of particular interest is the relationship among The Evil Three. Ann, the leader, clearly enjoys the status that Benita and Sophie give her in their roles as bystanders in the bullying process. Realistic dialogue and fast-paced action will hold interest, and the final verdict is unsettling, but not unexpected. This book will be useful for class discussions along with Kosss The Girls (Dial, 2000), another realistic and equally effective look at the agonizing bullying of a classmate.–Jennifer Ralston, Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. What better way to explain government in action than to stage a mock trial, in this case a trial in which one unpopular girl, Ivy (aka Poison Ivy), seeks to bring three bullies to justice. Alas, the questionable ambitions of a teacher, the fearful power of popularity, and the sad truth of how losers are made combine to make things ugly. The trial unfolds through the alternating viewpoint of several students, each of whom has a distinctive voice: Marcus' is penetrating and contemptuous; Ivy's is strangely cool; Ann's bubbles with cruelty. Sometimes the dialogue sounds candid and natural; at other times, it's overly dramatized. And, unfortunately, because readers never see how Ivy is bullied (we're just told it's bad), the story lacks an emotional punch. The message is clear: beauty, popularity, and fear are the trinity by which girls rule, and although most teenagers aren't cruel, many are indifferent to the suffering of their peers and are thankful they aren't the ones in the spotlight. School stories like this aren't rare, but they make compelling reading for teenagers in the trenches. Krista Hutley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (March 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596431180
• ISBN-13: 978-1596431188
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,673,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

www.AmyGoldmanKoss.net

Born in Michigan. Now living in California with husband, kids, pets, cars, furniture, vegetable garden...
Over-eating, over-sleeping, over-reading, and typing like mad.

I write to, for, and about people between the ages of 11 and 15 because that is the trickiest, stickiest, and most bizarre age I've lived through --so far.
What I want my readers to remember about my books is that they LOVED them!

And YES I do school and library visits!
Cheers! xoxox Amy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gives "Mean Girls" a run for its money!, May 26, 2006

By 

Michelle Dunn "Award winning author, columnist" (The White Mountains of NH) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poison Ivy (Hardcover)

Amy Goldman Koss gives us a great story told by eight different points of view. In a government class at school, a group of girls goes on "trial" for their bullying of a classmate they call "Poison Ivy". This story will give you the eight different points of view from each girl on the same event. Very interstingly puts you into the minds and perceptions of each narrator. See how differently these story tellers see things and learn more about human nature with each chapter. For example, Marco beleives if someone gets on your nerves, it is justifiable to be mean to them, it is a reality. Get into the minds of these characters and see just how our schools societies really are.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars poison ivy - no antidote needed, September 18, 2008

By 

Naomi Wender - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poison Ivy (Hardcover)

This is an amazing book: Amy Goldman Koss tackles bullying head-on. She balances the heaviness of the subject with enough humor to make it not only bearable, but highly readable. The device of multiple voices is the perfect choice, giving the story depth, and guaranteeing no preaching is involved.
In a perfect world (which is surely not the one depicted in this story), the heroine would be vindicated, and justice served. But I think it's more thought-provoking and memorable this way. Hopefully, this lack of a happy ending will make readers more likely to speak up, and stand up, when a peer is being teased, mistreated, or harmed in any way; it's up to each of us to stop the cycle. An excellent read both in and out of the classroom.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Verbal abuse on trial, March 11, 2009

By 

Jeanne V. Benedict "librarylady" (Maine) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poison Ivy (Paperback)

As I read this book, I felt a variety of emotions including anger, frustration, and sadness. The subject of bullying is one that can easily raise all these emotions and Amy Goldman Koss does an outstanding job of bringing them out.
Ms. Gold wants to hold a mock trial in her government class and she convinces Ivy (aka Poison Ivy) to bring suit against the three girls who gave her the nickname and have been bullying her for years. Lawyers and a jury are selected and the case goes to trial. Koss tells the story with first person narratives from eight of the main characters in the story which really helps the reader feel what the characters are feeling.
The idea of a mock trial might have been a good one but how well can it work when Ivy's lawyer is painfully shy, witnesses openly lie and get away with it and the teacher seems oblivious to all that and more! How can justice prevail in a process so flawed?!
This is not a book that I can say I "enjoyed" (it's too serious a topic for that) but I was touched by the story and impressed with the way Koss brought the subjects of bullying, peer pressure, popularity, and fairness to life. Anyone who has been bullied, done the bullying, or witnessed a bully in action can benefit from reading this book. It would make a great tool for class discussions on the subject!