Ivy

By Katherine Coville, Celia Kaspar (Illustrator)

Book #1 in the Ivy series

A contest for tidiness clashes with magical chaos at Ivy's grandmother's cottage.

5.5/7 Bookroo expert·4.0/5 Goodreads · 537 ratings

144 pages· 15,601 words· Est. 2 hour read

$16.99Save 6%

In stock. Also at Amazon.

Bookroo's summary

Ivy's grandmother, a healer for magical creatures, faces pressure from Broomsweep to tidy her garden for a kingdom-wide contest. As Ivy helps, unexpected arrivals—a griffin, a sick dragon, and pixies—turn the cottage into a whirlwind of chaos. Can Ivy balance the town's demands with the enchanting disorder that brightens her world?

"Ivy had a way with animals. Beasts and birds were not afraid of her. They let her touch them and feed them and carry them, and though she couldn't understand their languages, she seemed to know what they liked."

— from the book

From the publisher

Ivy’s grandmother is a healer—to mostly four-legged patients of the forest. Although the woodland creatures love her, the residents of Broomsweep grumble about Grandmother’s unkempt garden. When a kingdom-wide contest is announced to proclaim the tidiest town in the land, the people of Broomsweep are determined to win. That is, if they can get Ivy’s grandmother to clean up her ways. Ivy is determined to lend a hand, but the task proves more challenging when a series of unexpected refugees descends on Grandmother’s cottage. Before the week is over, an injured griffin, a dragon with a cold, and a tiny flock of temperamental pixies will cause a most untidy uproar in Broomsweep . . . and brighten Ivy’s days in ways she never could have dreamed.

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 144
Words: 15,601
Reading age: 7–10
Audience: Juvenile Reader
Lexile: 620L

Themes & topics

Books about mythical creatures Books about human-animal relationships Books about community helpers Books about healers and healing Books about grandma

After the last page

Talk about it together

Ask your child about the pixie incident to hear how Ivy makes a new neighborhood friend, and talk about how learning more about someone might change your opinion of them.

Ask your child about the importance of being polite around the pixies, and use it as an opportunity to discuss manners.

What readers & critics say

Reviews

5.5

out of 7

5.5

“This book will have you missing your own sweet grandmother! Ivy wants to learn how to be a healer, just like her grandma. Ivy lives with her and learns from her, but the neighbors hate how unkempt her yard is, as they want to be awarded the tidiest town in the kingdom. This story has magical creatures and plenty of fun, and I love that it has great messages of being kind and helping others without being preachy.”

B is for Bookworm

Trusted reviewer

For readers who can't stop at one