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mehsi's review against another edition
3.0
I haven't read any of the earlier Ivy and Bean books, but after this one, I am also not planning to read them. This was a nice book, but that ending, those characters.. Just not my kind of thing.
First of all the characters.
Bean was highly annoying. I also wonder about those parents, your kid is saying all kinds of things from a movie (some not that nice) and pretends to be like that guy and you don't do much about it? Just let it go?
Also Bean was quite easily influenced. She saw one movie and just wanted to do everything that was done in the movie. Totally changing her personality and all that.
Her friends, or should I say, the ones that surround her? Urgh, they are pretty mean towards Bean, I at times felt sorry for Bean I just wish she would have kicked their buts or at least said something about it.
The mystery was fun, though the ending ruined it. What is up with that ending? Sorry, but that is -1 star for your book. I was so looking forward to the mystery being solved, finding out who the culprit was, and it just ends.. nothing is revealed. Unless I missed something.
All in all, interesting book, but I won't continue or read the older books.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
First of all the characters.
Bean was highly annoying. I also wonder about those parents, your kid is saying all kinds of things from a movie (some not that nice) and pretends to be like that guy and you don't do much about it? Just let it go?
Also Bean was quite easily influenced. She saw one movie and just wanted to do everything that was done in the movie. Totally changing her personality and all that.
Her friends, or should I say, the ones that surround her? Urgh, they are pretty mean towards Bean, I at times felt sorry for Bean I just wish she would have kicked their buts or at least said something about it.
The mystery was fun, though the ending ruined it. What is up with that ending? Sorry, but that is -1 star for your book. I was so looking forward to the mystery being solved, finding out who the culprit was, and it just ends.. nothing is revealed. Unless I missed something.
All in all, interesting book, but I won't continue or read the older books.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
aubtobobtolob's review against another edition
3.0
Ellie LOVES the Ivy and Bean books, she thinks she is one of them and has connected in a way that she does not generaly do. And I enjoy them as well (I usually like to just read them classics but this one was fun)
liz_towery's review against another edition
4.0
Black mailing your baby sitter? Sounds about right. Right?
sqeeker's review against another edition
3.0
- This was fun. I'm glad these books have grown on me.
- My inner child would love to be friends with Ivy and Bean. Turning a giant pile of dirt into a volcano sounds like so much fun. Exploring an attic and making a secret lair also sounds awesome.
- My adult/parent side thinks that Bean is a pain. What is she thinking half the time? Ivy seems like a good kid most of the time, but Bean would be a hard kid.
- All of me thinks Nancy is jerk though. I'm glad Bean stands up to her.
- Gnome really liked this one.
- My inner child would love to be friends with Ivy and Bean. Turning a giant pile of dirt into a volcano sounds like so much fun. Exploring an attic and making a secret lair also sounds awesome.
- My adult/parent side thinks that Bean is a pain. What is she thinking half the time? Ivy seems like a good kid most of the time, but Bean would be a hard kid.
- All of me thinks Nancy is jerk though. I'm glad Bean stands up to her.
- Gnome really liked this one.
librarylisa614's review against another edition
2.0
The characters were wonderfully creative, but their behavior was intolerable. I really found myself appalled by the way the girls (and the big sister) were acting. Maybe I should read a different one in this series, because based only on this one, I won't be recommending.
meghanmr's review against another edition
4.0
I love this series so much, it really makes me miss being a kid
rhiannoncs's review against another edition
4.0
Ivy and Bean are so funny and just delightful. I think the best part about these is they always inspire an interest in wholesome, creative play in my 5-year old. After we read this one, he asked if we could invite friends over to dig a giant hole in our backyard so he could make an enormous dirt pile. Maybe not my preferred playdate activity, but I love the impulse. Barrows just really gets kids this age - much of this book centers around Bean's obsession with seeing what is in the "attic" of her house (which her mother insists is just a crawlspace). So random, but very true to form - kids really do love to believe that mystery and adventure could be waiting in the nooks and crannies of their homes. Highly recommended.
momof2precious1s's review against another edition
4.0
My 6 year old gave this book 4 stars b/c she didn't like that the girls were stuck in the attic.
ikuo1000's review against another edition
3.0
*** Warning: This review contains spoilers! ***
In this installment, the girls do not engage in any mean or disrespectful behavior (as they do in Books 1 and 2), but they do ignore safety, which is troubling.
I was pleased to see that in this book, Bean's behavior is more measured, and sometimes is even chastised. Bean decides not to throw a rock at her sister because "she knew better than that." Before playing with the mound of dirt in her friend's yard, she first seeks permission from the babysitter. When she's rude to her mother, her mother admonishes her; when she says "God" in front of Nancy, Nancy tells her not to say it. I like the tone set by this book much better than the first 2, in which misbehavior goes mostly unpunished.
Unfortunately, there is still some of the inappropriateness that is found in the earlier books. Ivy talks about making a "sacrifice to the gods", and I can just imagine that there might be some parents out there who aren't ready to explain that phrase to their first-graders. Also, Bean makes a plan to climb out of her second-story bedroom window with a rope ladder. Thankfully, she is unable to procure a rope, but it's never pointed out that it was a dangerous idea to begin with. She does manage to succeed in throwing a long, hooked metal pole out her window (!??!), which lands right at Ivy's feet - and nothing is said of the potential for serious harm that could have been done to Ivy if the pole or hook had hit her.
As for the babysitting story itself - I have to admit, I think Nancy and Bean's parents set the girls up for failure. They must have known Bean would resent Nancy being put in charge. I completely understood Bean's frustration, especially because she was missing out on great fun at the neighbor's house, and even more especially when Nancy started behaving badly herself (though Nancy did put in a good effort in the beginning). Honestly, knowing Bean and Nancy, I think the parents should have paid Bean $4 from the start, just to be good for Nancy.
Of course, having said that, there was no excuse for Bean going into the crawl space, which was explicitly off-limits for safety reasons. And just when I think Bean was going to learn a lesson about obeying rules, the lesson eludes her - she does the right thing by calling for Nancy's help, but once she realizes that Nancy is genuinely frightened, instead of just sitting tight, she plays a trick on her! It's just that kind of behavior that exhausts someone's good will - it's hard to have sympathy for someone who needs help but is not cooperating with being helped. In the end, Bean and Ivy basically applaud themselves for getting away with their mischief.
And while some people will surely have a problem with Bean and Ivy getting paid to keep quiet, I actually liked that the girls talked it over among themselves, reasonably, and found a win-win-win solution for everybody. And I like that Nancy showed some maturity by reporting to her parents that she isn't really ready to babysit Bean.
In this installment, the girls do not engage in any mean or disrespectful behavior (as they do in Books 1 and 2), but they do ignore safety, which is troubling.
I was pleased to see that in this book, Bean's behavior is more measured, and sometimes is even chastised. Bean decides not to throw a rock at her sister because "she knew better than that." Before playing with the mound of dirt in her friend's yard, she first seeks permission from the babysitter. When she's rude to her mother, her mother admonishes her; when she says "God" in front of Nancy, Nancy tells her not to say it. I like the tone set by this book much better than the first 2, in which misbehavior goes mostly unpunished.
Unfortunately, there is still some of the inappropriateness that is found in the earlier books. Ivy talks about making a "sacrifice to the gods", and I can just imagine that there might be some parents out there who aren't ready to explain that phrase to their first-graders. Also, Bean makes a plan to climb out of her second-story bedroom window with a rope ladder. Thankfully, she is unable to procure a rope, but it's never pointed out that it was a dangerous idea to begin with. She does manage to succeed in throwing a long, hooked metal pole out her window (!??!), which lands right at Ivy's feet - and nothing is said of the potential for serious harm that could have been done to Ivy if the pole or hook had hit her.
As for the babysitting story itself - I have to admit, I think Nancy and Bean's parents set the girls up for failure. They must have known Bean would resent Nancy being put in charge. I completely understood Bean's frustration, especially because she was missing out on great fun at the neighbor's house, and even more especially when Nancy started behaving badly herself (though Nancy did put in a good effort in the beginning). Honestly, knowing Bean and Nancy, I think the parents should have paid Bean $4 from the start, just to be good for Nancy.
Of course, having said that, there was no excuse for Bean going into the crawl space, which was explicitly off-limits for safety reasons. And just when I think Bean was going to learn a lesson about obeying rules, the lesson eludes her - she does the right thing by calling for Nancy's help, but once she realizes that Nancy is genuinely frightened, instead of just sitting tight, she plays a trick on her! It's just that kind of behavior that exhausts someone's good will - it's hard to have sympathy for someone who needs help but is not cooperating with being helped. In the end, Bean and Ivy basically applaud themselves for getting away with their mischief.
And while some people will surely have a problem with Bean and Ivy getting paid to keep quiet, I actually liked that the girls talked it over among themselves, reasonably, and found a win-win-win solution for everybody. And I like that Nancy showed some maturity by reporting to her parents that she isn't really ready to babysit Bean.