Reviews

Ivy and Bean: No News Is Good News by Sophie Blackall, Annie Barrows

beverlie's review

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

sqeeker's review against another edition

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4.0

- This is my new favorite book in the series. I love that Ivy and Bean's shenanigans get better and better with each book.

- Both Gnome and I were able to relate to Ivy and Bean feeling left out when all the kids around them had the latest fad and they didn't. I also love that the fad was the wax off of cheese.

- Ivy and Bean's idea to create a newspaper was so much fun. After reading this, Gnome wanted to start a newspaper with her friend.

- The story is relatable, funny, and highly entertaining.

reillykw's review against another edition

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adventurous funny medium-paced

5.0

clarkf87's review against another edition

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5.0

Lots of laugh out loud moments with the kiddo on this one! 😂👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼😂

ikuo1000's review against another edition

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2.0

After reading the first four books in this series more or less in order, it occurred to me that after you read the first book, in which Ivy and Bean meet, there really is no need to read the rest of the books in order. The girls are second graders in all the books, and each book describes a stand-alone incident spanning no more than a few days. So, even though I haven't read all the books through Book 7 yet, I picked up Book 8 because it was available at the library. I don't think I'm missing out by reading the books out of order.

As usual, my concerns about this book boil down to the fact that the girls engage in inappropriate behavior (all in fun), but they don't suffer any consequences for their bad decisions.

I like that the girls were willing to do some work to earn money. With a suggestion from Bean's father, they decided to sell subscriptions to a neighborhood newsletter. Unfortunately, I was quickly disappointed when they tried to weasel out of actually writing the newsletter - after already having collected the money!

Bean's father gets them back on track, but in order for them to collect "news" for their newsletter, they basically trespass and spy on people in their own homes. They completely violate the privacy of others, and when the neighbors see the newsletter, adults and children come to Bean's house to complain.

Yes, I can see the humor in the resulting newsletter, but I would have preferred having a satisfying moral ending along with the funny outcome. The girls weren't acting maliciously, so maybe punishment wasn't necessary, but they still should have had to apologize to the neighbors for spying, making up stories, exaggerating, and violating their privacy. They didn't, and there was no lesson learned, no remorse. Instead, they actually got rewarded with more money.

Like other books in this series, this one also includes name-calling.

andrew_petro's review against another edition

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3.0

5yo rates it "five billion stars".

sbsterling's review against another edition

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4.0

#8 gets a mention because it made me laugh so hard I could barely get the words out.

leslie_d's review against another edition

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4.0

Natalya was 6 or 7 when we picked up the first Ivy+Bean book by Annie Barrows. N has since moved onto Teen shelves, but I still try to keep up on “the two friends who never meant to like each other” and their adventures. First, the books are just that delightful. Second, Sophie Blackall is one of my favorite Illustrators (as many of you know). There are a lot of fun chapter books for the 6-10 age group. If you need to narrow it down: Ivy + Bean has and continues-to-be brilliant. Check them out.

No News is Good News was an especially fun read for me. I remember my mom packing “cheese in a special just-for-you serving size” wrapped in a red wax to play with; though I doubt mine were lowfat. The trip down memory lane was fun. Ivy and Bean are also out to create a local newspaper as a fundraiser, and we are in the early stages of zine project 2.0. May it reassure neighbors and family and friends, we will not be looking in windows and record the odd observation. With FaceBook, Google-+, or Twitter, do I need to?

There are some things people do not want to share or have revealed. They certainly wouldn’t care for the exaggerations made to spice up the story. Ivy and Bean narrowly escape all-out disaster. It helps that despite their (innocent) mischief they are still little girls and that their observations were fairly mild. But when the girls remark upon their finished newspaper, The Flipping Pancake, with: “It looks so real.” (109) how can the adult reader disagree? Points are made and lessons are learned—but not in a message-y way. A marvelous aspect to the Ivy + Bean books are the deft handling of learning opportunities via the girls’ interactions and adventures. These are fun reads with creative stories and solutions.

****************

Since you are going to get your dear 6-10 year old girl (and dear 33 year old L) the boxed sets for a gift, throw in that brand new Paper Doll Set! Shameless, I know, but I adore these books. Barrows has a fantastic sense of humor and story, and her characters are wonderful. It is yummy icing that Blackall illustrates their adventures (and their dolls!).

L @ omphaloskepsis
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/ivybean-no-news-is-good-news/

morganthelibrarian's review against another edition

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4.0

I want to be friends with Ivy and Bean! They are hilarious and I was laughing so hard at their magazine. This one was a win!

howifeelaboutbooks's review against another edition

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2.0

I brought home some books from my school library to read over break so I could be a better librarian for them. So many of my second and third grade girls love Ivy and Bean, and while the story was pretty interesting and not one I can remember reading in a kids’ book, the characters weren’t very compelling. They didn’t feel real or fun or especially nice.