Good Luck, Ivy (American Girls Collection) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Robert Hunt (Illustrator), Nika Korniyenko (Illustrator), Susan McAliley (Illustrator)
Key Phrases: family history project, Coach Gloria, Gung Gung, Happy Panda (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Ivy Ling feels invisible. The middle child in a busy Chinese-American household, Ivy's mother has gone back to school to become a lawyer and her father has two jobs to keep the family afloat. And if that's not enough, Ivy's best friend Julie Albright has moved to another part of San Francisco. The only place Ivy feels at home is at gymnastics. But when she learns that the big gymnastics tournament is scheduled for the same day as the annual Ling family reunion, Ivy wrestles with a difficult choice.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 85 pages
• Publisher: American Girl Publishing Inc (September 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593693575
• ISBN-13: 978-1593693572
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #915,760 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flips and Family, May 11, 2008

By	Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Good Luck, Ivy (American Girls Collection) (Paperback)

Between regular grammar school Monday through Friday, Chinese school on Saturdays, homework, and gymnastics practice, Ivy's plenty busy. She's looking forward to an upcoming gymnastics meet, but she's worried about her routine on the balance beam, having fallen off of the apparatus in an earlier competition. When she learns a family reunion is scheduled for the same time as the meet, Ivy has to decide which event to attend . . . or figure out a way to go to both!

The book takes place in 1976, so Ivy references the 1972 Olympics and Olga Korbout's balance beam routine, which won her the gold medal. Even though the book takes place over twenty years ago, the theme of appreciating your family's culture is timeless. Readers will hopefully be moved to consider the struggles and traditions of their own families.

Good Luck, Ivy is a spinoff of the American Girls books about Julie Albright, in which Ivy Ling is introduced as Julie's best friend. Ivy is definitely a great American Girl who is trying to keep up her family's customs while making her own path. I wish there were more books in the Ivy series!

The vignettes at the end of the book, written by Nika Korniyenko and Susan McAliley, detail real-life events in the lives of Chinese immigrants and Chinese-Americans. This section also includes photographs of author Lisa Yee and her relatives. How cool is that?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars i love american girl!!, October 9, 2008

By	Pensacola (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good Luck, Ivy (American Girls Collection) (Paperback)

Ivy is a Chinese-American. She lives with her mom and dad who help her when she is feeling sad. It is hard for Ivy because now her parents are very busy. Ivy loves to do gymnastics or hang out with her best friend Julie. This is a great book for kids and their parents to enjoy with them.
By S.H., student

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyed this lovely book, February 22, 2008

By	M. Vitek "MagTag" (Hilton Head Island, SC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Good Luck, Ivy (American Girls Collection) (Paperback)

This is surely one of the "winners". History, a great story and not only that, but really gets inside a Asian family's life in San Fran in the 1970sCannot be beat!