Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World

This was amazing! Such a great story and so beautifully written. I hope this book will get into the hands of so many kids. And adults. Because it’s a story that’s relevant for all of us. Ivy is just trying to figure out who she is, how she fits in with her family, and how she relates to the world around her. So it’s definitely one that’s moving for everyone. But I’m especially excited that this book will be out there for young girls (and boys, too, of course) who are starting to make that transition from kid to teen and adult and are just trying to figure out what that means and how to deal with all of the changes that are happening to them and around them. I think a lot of kids will understand how Ivy feels throughout this book. Because while some of her experiences are unique (tornado), most of what she’s feeling and experiencing is pretty universal.I love that Ivy is surrounded by so many people who love her just the way she is. It’s the message I wish every kid got and what I hope my kids feel from me. She struggles throughout the book to try and figure out what her new feelings mean and seeming invisible to her family while also worrying about what they’ll think of her when they learn the truth. She also discovers along the way that the journey is really about her learning to accept herself for who she is more than what anyone else might think of her. I liked her family and her best friend. I do wish we could have learned a little more more about all of them because they are all so important to Ivy and I really love best friend and sister stories but ultimately I know this story is about Ivy and it’s great just the way it is.I really hope everyone will pick up this story and read about Ivy. And I hope it’ll show young kids that it’s okay to feel the way you feel. And it’s okay to not have all the answers to everything all the time. And it’s okay to wait until you’re ready to tell people. But it’s also good to have someone to talk to.There’s a lot happening on these pages and it was amazing to read and I’m so excited for this book to get published and to be available to all the young kids. I hope you all love it as much as I did! Plus, that title and cover are just amazing. Put this book on your MUST-READ list immediately!I received this book for free the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Ashley Herring Blake writes beautiful books. Having read a few and really liking them, I was not at all disappointed by this middle teen novel about Ivy, her family, her feelings of isolation, her art and finding how to belong when she likes girls.The powerful beginning, where she and her family have to run to their underground shelter as tornado sirens are going in a big storm. When they emerge, the home their father grew up in is completely gone, leveled during the storm. The feelings of everyone involved are obviously full on, especially as Ivy has twin baby brothers and an older sister who she no longer connects with. From the beginning emotions are high and Ivy feels estranged from her own family, her mother's seeming total involvement with the twins, as they move into a single hotel room to live, all six of them.'But if it was really okay, Ivy thought she should also feel okay, and she didn’t. She felt like a pumpkin whose innards have been scooped out for Halloween.'Ms Blake sensitively has Ivy, our narrator, trying to understand what is happening to her, especially when she develops a crush on her new friend June and to deal with her best friend as well, who she moves in with to give her family some space.For me there were a lot of tissues involved as the story unfolds. I completely was involved and loved all the characters, the issues and how Ms Blake dealt with them. Not my usual genre of books, but wonderful to read and enjoy. Good stuff.

There's a lot that I like here. The big and little things that are hard when you lose everything. Family relationships in the midst of a lot of change (both from newborn twins and the tornado). Friendships and trust and being open with each other. (So, so much about trust.) How all of our relationships can be tied together. Misunderstandings between sisters. All the secrets about each other that we don't know, even when we think we do. People expressing themselves through art.My absolute favorite part of this book is the friendship/mentorship that forms between Ivy and Robin. It's so refreshing and important to see an older queer character talking to a younger one, especially with Ivy still trying to figure everything out. I loved how much Robin supported Ivy and how she assured her that it was okay to not be sure.I liked how the friendship between June and Ivy developed, and I liked that it developed as a friendship in addition to developing as a crush (for Ivy). The story line of Ivy feeling pushed out of her family (and how that plus other things affected her relationship with Taryn) was really well-done, too.Variants on "just friends" were used three times.CW: tornado, displacement, accidental and undesired outing in a couple of cases (but not to lots of people)

This book warmed my heart. Ivy is so relatable and deeply good. She loves with her whole heart and wants to be loved in the same way. The author weaves color and art into the entire novel, which could have easily become a tiresome trope; but instead helped paint a vivid world around Ivy. It was beautiful.I occasionally felt like the family was neglectful and heartbreaking to a point that I didn't always believe it; but then, they've been through a lot and I guess you really never know what's believable until you're in it. This book was quick and easy to read in many ways, but was also complex for my heart. I am a better person for reading it.A quick nod to Robin who was not often present in the book, but who gave Ivy strength, courage, and light when she needed it most. If everyone had a role model like Robin, the world would be a better place.What a lovely book. I'm so glad it popped up in my search when I was hoping for a new, beautiful book to read.

My Granddaughter told me she was a lesbian. I was in shock and anger at first. I didn't let her know that.I realized the biggest thing I needed to let her know, is that I love her no matter what.She is 10 years old. She has survived different people sexually abusing her. It would not surprise me if it was young girls, and men.Her parents broke up. These types of things cause much confusion to young children.My job is to love her and to show her that I love her.

Ashley Herring Blake has quickly become one of my favourite authors. This book follows a 12 year old girl who loses her home to a tornado. While her family is struggling to piece their lives back together, Ivy is realising that she's got a crush on a girl and doesn't know what to do about it. Ivy feels like an outsider in her family now more than ever, and something her sister said before their house was destroyed has Ivy feeling scared to be herself. This was such a wonderful book, and I ended up reading it in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down. This book was everything I could have wanted when I was younger.

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