Friendship

Independent Reading Level: 1st to 5th

Awards: Notable Children's Books ALA

IRl: 1 -5
Awards: Notable Children's Book Award 2007

This is book has chapters that are shorter, so readers can take a break, have discussions, etc. Unusual way to meet a new friend!! ( )

es la historia de Eva, una niña que llega al vecindario de Beba pero que al inicio no se animaban a conocerce una a la otra hasta que por una travesura Eva ayuda a Beba a salir de su castigo y se dan cuenta que tiene cosas en común y allí empieza su amistad.

The illustrations are rather creepy, I thought, considering it's not supposed to be a scary/creepy book. ( )

Mentioned in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2020/07/20/chapter-books-whats-good/ (July 20th release)

I really enjoyed reading this book. I think it represents a realistic relationship that siblings may have with each other, and I really enjoyed the creative imagination that the two main characters have throughout the book. ( )

I didn't really like this book when I read it. It is about a girl who is trying to trick her older sister and ends up making a friend with a girl who says she is a witch. Bean wants to put a spell on her sister because she think it will be funny and once the spell is done, she wants to do it on one of her neighbors as well. I didn't really like this book because I think it may promote behavior that I would not like to have in my classroom; however I think depending on the students, it would be an okay book. This would be a good transition book between picture and chapter books.

So charming! My extrovert daughter immediately identified with Bean (which is funny because I would've identified with Ivy) and she's hooked on the entire series. I like that Ivy and Bean are constantly getting into trouble, but the trouble is never mean-spirited and generally stems from an overabundance of imagination. ( )

Cute and charming. ( )

Bean does not want to be friends with Ivy - until Ivy rescues Bean from her sister, Nancy, and proves more interesting than she appeared. ( )

Bean is a creative and adventurous girl, reminiscent a bit to Ramona, but more aggressive and unrepentant. Her heart is in the right place, but her curiosity, inexperience, and annoying older pre-teen sister, often lead her into sticky situations. When she learns that a girl around her age is moving into her neighborhood, she's excited at the prospect of making a new friend. However, when Bean meets Ivy her hopes are dashed. Ivy seems to be the polar opposite of Bean in terms of personality: she is reserved, soft-spoken, and polite. She seems completely obedient to the adults around them. Bean decides to not pursue a friendship. She changes her mind, however, after Ivy comes to Bean's rescue when Bean's sister, Nancy, is out for revenge. From that point on, Bean realizes that Ivy isn't everything Bean had assumed she was. Ivy is just as willing to enjoy some pranking as Bean is, and while she appears to follow her parents' every rule she has her own way of getting out of things. She is even practicing to become a witch. Slowly, a close and formidable friendship is formed.

My girls and I enjoyed this story about a friendship between opposites, and learning to not rely on first impressions or initial appearances. The writing is engaging and funny, and the characters are relatable girls that brim with energy and imagination. The hijinks that result from their friendship are entertaining. My kids could certainly relate to a lot of the details in this story. I've noticed quite a divide in the reviews of this book online. Some people enjoy or love the story, but others are furious at the good reviews that led them to accidentally read this book. I get that some parents are worried about Bean as a role model; she does fight with her older sister, and call people names sometimes, and generally is a bit of a troublemaker. A lot of the things that I remember laughing about or bring intrigued by when I was reading books as a child, honestly. When I read this story to my girls, I made sure to take breaks and talk with them a couple of times about the need for compassion and considering other people's feelings. And I also was okay giggling along with them, too, at the instances of juvenile humor. For me, a story is a great place for kids to see real childish behavior reflected back to them, both the good and the bad. When necessary, we stop to talk if we read about kids doing stuff that would not be acceptable in our family, but I'm fine with them being exposed (and I'm only talking about topics that are appropriate to a child's world, here) to things through the safe medium of books. Also, while Bean sometimes makes bad choices, I read her as good kid at heart. However, for adults who don't want to expose their kids to characters that can sometimes be mean or disobedient, then this is not the book for their family. While I can understand the reservations some people have about the book, for my family, this was a fun start to a series that we will continue reading. ( )

This is book one of the Ivy and Bean series. Ivy moves into Beans neighborhood, but both are reluctant to be each other friend. Bean thinks Ivy is boring and proper until she finds out Ivy is studying to be a witch. Ivy and bean quickly become friends during a day of witch fun

Bean is a young girl whose mother keeps telling her to play with her neighbor, Ivy. Ivy has long red hair and is always reading, which Bean thinks is boring. Bean always ignores her mom when she asks her to go play with Ivy and never makes any attempts to talk to her. One day Bean, her mother, and her sister Nancy go shopping and she discovers Nancy is a “tightwad.” Nancy was going to buy a skirt, but she decided not to because it was too expensive. In order to teach her a lesson, she takes a 20 dollar bill from Nancy’s wallet, tapes string to it, and hides behind a bush. Her plan is to make Nancy reach for it, and Bean will move away tricking her. Suddenly, she sees Ivy come out from her house wearing a robe and holding a stick. Bean yells out “what are you doing?” and Ivy asks if she’s a ghost. Bean begins to mess with her not noticing that Nancy has arrived and already grabbed her 20 dollar bill. Nancy begins to yell at Bean for taking her money but luckily, Bean is able to run away from her. Suddenly, Ivy calls out to her and tells her she can help her hide in a secret place. Ivy ends up hiding her in her backyard where they learn more about each other. Bean learns that Ivy’s mother has been telling her they should be friends the way her own mother has. Ivy also tells Bean she is a witch which is why she is wearing a robe and has a magic wand. Bean suggests they work on her outfit some more so they head upstairs to her room. They fix her robe and wand, then Ivy shoes Bean her spell book. They decide they will place a “dancing spell” on Nancy that will make her dance forever. In order to achieve this spell, they need worms which Bean happens to have a lot of in her own backyard. By sneaking through their neighbors yard, they finally arrive at Bean’s backyard where they dug and collect many worms. As they are getting ready to leave Nancy spots Bean, grabs her, and begins to yell at her for taking her money. Ivy tells Nancy to let go of her friend, and Nancy responds by making fun of her outfit. Ivy starts to well up which makes Bean very angry, so she reaches into the worm bucket and throws a handful of worms at Nancy’s face. Nancy is shocked and frozen so a bean reaches in and grabs another handful of worms, throwing them at her face again. This time, a worm lands in her mouth, and Nancy begins to yell and chase the girls. Ivy and Bean manage to escape and lock themselves inside a playhouse in Bean’s backyard. As Nancy approaches the house, her foot gets stuck in the mud they dug the worms out of, and wiggles back and forth for a while before falling in. Ivy confesses to Bean that the reason Nancy was wiggling is because she cast the dancing spell on her.” In the end, Bean is punished by her mom from having dessert or watching videos but she still finds the situation funny. The girls say their goodbyes and promise to see each other the next day... and the day after that. ( )

The kids seemed to like them a lot, but besides "lovable scamps", not a whole lot going on. ( )

This book is about two girls who become friends. While not wanting to be friends at first, they soon both realize how much they enjoy spending time together.

This book is perfect for young girls. There are two girls who appear to be very different when it comes to looks and style. After they meet each other, they realize how much they have in common. This is important for young girls to know because so many young girls are judged/do judge others based on their looks. This book will help to teach them not to judge a book by its cover. ( )

Themes: Big sisters, friends, magic, & fun.

Good for read aloud if your students are too young to read it themselves.

Summary: Ivy & Bean (Book 1) is about a little girl named Bean (real name Beatrice) and her sister, Nancy. Bean's mom wants her to be friends with Ivy- but Bean thinks they are opposites, and that Ivy is weird. One day Bean decides to play a trick on her sister by tying a string to a $20 bill and hiding in a bush. When Bean sees Ivy sitting alone in a black robe, she pretends to be a ghost in the bush. When Bean's trick fails, Ivy helps Bean escape and hide in her backyard. Bean learns that Ivy is learning to be a witch, and Ivy tells Bean about spells she has been working on. They decide to put a dancing spell on Nancy, but first have to secure some worms. They sneak through neighbors yard, including a dog-poop invested one, and a not so happy Mrs. Trantz who threatens to call Bean's mom. When they finally make it to Bean's yard, they pull up a bunch of worms- but are caught by Nancy. While running from Nancy, Bean throws the worms in her face, and Ivy and Bean take cover in a playhouse. While trying to catch the girls, Nancy slips in a mud puddle, and the girls agree that the spell has worked! Although Bean loses video privileges and dessert, the girls plan to play together again and create potions.

Personal Connection: I liked the friendship that is formed between the two girls, but did find Bean to be pretty nasty- she said some unkind things about Ivy and I was surprised that the two became friends. Overall, it was a quick read and I can see many adventures unfolding for these two buddies!

Extras:
-Meet the author: https://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=3989&a=1
-Author website: http://anniebarrows.com/
-Author interview: http://greatkidbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/great-kid-books-talks-with-annie.htm...
-Ivy & Bean series website: http://www.chroniclebooks.com/landing-pages/ivyandbean/

Application to Teaching: I think this book would be ideal for independent reading in second grade, especially in a unit on series! These girls are likeable, and since they are quite different, would appeal to many readers. I could also use this as a read aloud in first grade, but may need to skip some of Bean's snarkier comments. ( )

I thought this was a really good book because it was interesting that two girls who didn't like each other ending up liking each other. One girl thought the other was boring, but it turned out that she wasn't after all. One word spread into a friendship when one of the girls said 'hide'. ( )

Story of two unlikely friends who are bonded and complimented by their differences, especially when bean plays a trick on her big sister and Ivy is able to help her hide! The beginning of a longer series of books.

Ivy + Bean is known as a New York Times bestselling series. This book was the first of the series which introduced the friendship of Ivy and Bean. It is a great book for older elementary students, especially for those in the second and third grade. Not only is Ivy + Bean age appropriate, it is spilt into different chapters which helps separate the book for young children. I would recommend this text for any student that is ready to move on to a longer and more detailed story. I also enjoyed this specific text because the author did a great job keeping the story interesting while supporting the text with some illustrations. Lastly, I enjoyed how I can hear the tone of each character in my head while reading. I think hearing the tone of the characters helped me differentiate between them, while also keeping an interest in finding out more. ( )

Delightful chapter book, with wonderful female characters. I love Bean's sensibilities. I was Bean. And Joey really enjoyed the story. ( )

This is the story of Bean a spunky little girl who is rebellious and always speaks her mind. Ivy is the new girl who moved in across the street who looks "boring" according to Ivy. When Bean decides to play a trick on her sister and hides in a bush Ivy comes to help her out and they become great friends. They both end up trying to cast a spell on Bean's sister with a bucket of worms. They end up becoming best friends.