Ivy in the Shadows
After Ivy’s stepfather disappears, Ivy’s mama begins waitressing at Dining Divinely to make ends meet. She also takes in a boarder—twelve-year-old Caleb, who’s the same age as Ivy and is the weirdest guy she’s ever met.
With Mama working full-time, Ivy has to babysit her little brother, JJ. She also has to fend off the nosy Pastor Harold; stop Caleb from filling JJ’s head with lies; and keep her best friend, Ellen, from knowing anything about her embarrassing situation at home.
Ivy has always found out all she needs to know by lurking in the shadows (some might even call it eavesdropping
). But as things at home become more complicated, she learns to step into the light and not only listen but speak up.
Awards and Reviews
A while ago there was a thread going around the twittersphere called #YAHeals. It was a wonderful thread where bloggers and readers were sharing how Young Adult books had affected their lives. While reading Ivy in the Shadows I was really struck with the ability of middle grade books to effect readers as well. After reading Ivy’s story I feel like starting a hashtag called #middlegradeinspires. I saw a lot of my own past experiences reflected in the story and I felt that many of the situations in this book can inspire others dealing with similar situations.
Review by Fiction State of Mind Read the entire review
