Book Review of Book Buddies: Ivy Lost and Found
The Children’s Book Review
Book Buddies: Ivy Lost and Found
Written by Cynthia Lord
Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
Ages 6-9 | 80 Pages
Publisher: Candlewick | ISBN-13: 978-1536213546
What to expect: New Beginnings, Library Time, Friendship, Adventures
Ivy and Anne were the best of friends. When Anne opened her birthday presents to find Ivy the doll, she was so delighted. They went everywhere together—including through all the muddy puddles in the backyard. Anne delighted in making new clothes for Ivy and reading her stories. Ivy’s life was wonderful. But then, as things do, everything changed.
Anne got older and didn’t play with dolls, and Ivy went to sleep upstairs in the attic for a long, long time. When Anne finds Ivy again, she’s all grown up, and a librarian. She brings a worried Ivy to the library where she works and puts her on a shelf with other toys that inform her that they are “Book Buddies.” They are borrowed by children who come to the library and then returned. Ivy isn’t too keen on the idea, and when a young girl named Fern is coerced into checking Ivy out, Ivy is sure that even worse things lay ahead than sleeping in the attic.
But Fern is lonely and frustrated with her own new living arrangements, just like Ivy, and the doll begins to see how being borrowed might just be the new thing she needs in her life. That’s when disaster strikes and Ivy is caught in a tree and Fern cannot get her. Can both girl and doll find a way to save the day? Can Ivy and Fern learn how to fit into their new roles, and their new worlds? It’s quite an adventure to learn how brave they can be!
Cynthia Lord’s delightful story about life’s changes will resonate with young readers and parents. Ivy is sad about the inevitable change in her friend Anne’s life, just as Fern is frustrated about hers. Lord’s beautiful, soothing story takes a sad topic and charges it with emotion and hope. Things may be different, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be great, too. As they say in the book, being lost also means you can be found. What a wonderfully positive idea!
With a happy ending and a promise for more adventure, this adorable series is sure to be a hit with elementary-school children.
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About the Author
Cynthia Lord is a children’s book writer, sea glass collector, daydreamer, and mother of two teenagers. You can find discussion guides for her books, interviews, links, goofy childhood photos, and more at her website: www.cynthialord.com.
Book Buddies: Ivy Lost and Found by Lee Bacon was reviewed by Denise Mealy. Discover more books like Book Buddies: Ivy Lost and Found by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with friendship, adventure, library, and new beginnings.