Faith, Hope, and Ivy June

When Ivy June Mosley signs up for an exchange student program, she's not sure what to expect. She'll spend two weeks in Lexington, KY with a girl named Catherine and her family. Then Catherine will stay with Ivy June in the small mountain town of Thunder Creek, KY. Will Catherine be a snooty, rich

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Lexington girl with her own horse? And what will Catherine think of Thunder Creek and Ivy June's house with no indoor bathroom and a mile's walk to the bus stop for school?

The book was fine. It's an interesting premise, though I didn't feel like Ivy June and Catherine each had distinct voices. The plot is rather ho-hum until the very end of the novel. It's a fine book about making friends and venturing outside your comfort zone to experience other cultures. I think its biggest audience will be people who live in the region in which the book is set.

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Well, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has done it again. She writes stories that pull you right in and make you feel as if you are one of the characters. One of the first things I liked about this book was the teacher. She had the students brainstorming ideas about the unknown. This is the story of two

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girls from two totally different backgrounds. They will each spend two weeks in each other’s home. Ivy June comes from the poor, coal mining section of Kentucky while Catherine comes from a wealthier area. The teachers wanted Ivy June and Catherine to write down any preconceived ideas they had about the other person’s lifestyle. There were so many connections to make with this book. My father-in-law grew up in the hills of Tennessee and I had spent some time in my childhood living in Lexington, Kentucky. I personally love the mountains. Another connection I made with this book was the ideas they and their friends had about each other. In eighth grade one of my best friends was a girl people talked about because they lived in a very run down house. The love and friendship in her home was not much different than those friends we shared who had lots of money. In the story both girls learn that prejudice can raise it ugly head in all forms. When tough times came they both relied on their friendship to get them through. They both came away learning something about each other’s world and realizing that change can only happen if we open our eyes to the possibilities without judging first. I absolutely loved this book. I cried when each of them faced their own challenge. I laughed when they described taking a bath in the big round tub one after the other. Yes I could relate to a lot of this. It is definitely a book for my shelves.

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somewhat predictable and not completely believable adolescent voices. girl from mining town and girl from the city are "exchange students" for two weeks at each others' homes/schools to learn about how the other half lives/stereotypes.

Astonishing how two girls can live in the state, a mere two hours from one another and seem to be living on two different planets. This is about how we are shaped by our environment and how we can all find commonalities if we choose to.

I loved this book. The author really made you feel what life in the hills of Kentucky would be like. I cried with Ivy June when the men were trapped in the mine. A great lesson on friendships between people from different backgrounds. I'm not sure in real life a situation such as in this book would

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really work out, but I like to think that it would. The feelings of Ivy June and her new friend Catherine are very authentic.

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Ivy June Mosely and Catherine Combs, two girls from different parts of Kentucky, are participating in the first seventh-grade student exchange program between their schools. The girls will stay at each other’s homes, attend school together, and record their experience in their journals. One is a

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well-off city girl, the other poor and from rural Appalachia. As the girls grow closer, they discover they’re more alike than different. A charming, enjoyable story.

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Maine Student Book Award Nominee 2010-2011

I liked this book quite a lot, and it made me cry. Ivy June has been selected to part of an exchange program. She will spend time in Lexington, Kentucky with Katherine, and then later Katherine will come visit Ivy June in Thunder Creek. There are some

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culture clashes between the two worlds, to be sure. I must admit I had trouble placing the time period, and the only reason at times I could remember it was set in a modern era was the mention of cell phones.

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Through this book two girls from different parts of Kentucky come together to exchange lives for 2 weeks. The girls will travel and spend time with each other and their families while journaling about the experience. While both girls lead completely different lives, they realize that they have a

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lot more in common then they ever expected. As a reader we are taken on an emotional, but enjoyable story about two worlds coming together as one, even if it is on a small scale.

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Maine Student Book Award Nominee 2010-2011

I liked this book quite a lot, and it made me cry. Ivy June has been selected to part of an exchange program. She will spend time in Lexington, Kentucky with Katherine, and then later Katherine will come visit Ivy June in Thunder Creek. There are some

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culture clashes between the two worlds, to be sure. I must admit I had trouble placing the time period, and the only reason at times I could remember it was set in a modern era was the mention of cell phones.

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Friendship is a strong word. Trust even stronger, especially when you are trusting someone you have only known for a month. In the fiction book Faith, Hope, and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor two girls spend a month together in a student exchange program. They allow each other to spend two

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weeks at each others houses and go with them to school. Ivy June Mosley, a girl from the country, spends a month with Catherine combs, a high class city girl. They go through many exciting, horrific, and heart stopping events.
In the beginning of the program Ivy June is welcomed into Catherines mansion like home out in the valley. Catherines house in Lexington is enormous compared to what Ivy is used to. This marks the date when Ivy begins her two week adventure with Catherine's loving family. Catherine gets plenty of enjoyment out of doing Ivy June’s hair and making her like a true valley girl. Each day catherine’s friends adore Ivy, and treat her like she is from a different planet. Ivy is astonished how Communities can be so different. She never knew anyone lived so elegantly. Ivy June was under the impression that Everyone lived like her. Each day that went by Ivy and Catherine learned that as much as they were different they had some traits to make them alike. After an amazing week in Lexington The landscape quickly changes when the girls are sent to Ivy's house in the rural appalachia. Catherine is at a loss for words when she sees how Ivy June lives. Ivy June’s family is just barely making it money wise. After a few days of living with Ivy’s poor family Catherine receives a terrible phone call. She demands to go home, but her father refuses to let her. Moving on from that was hard but Catherine did. Later that week is when Ivy June gets her turn with bad luck. What happens in Ivys family is absolutely horrific. As all these things are happening Ivy and Catherine are beginning to realize how alike they are. This month has brought them closer than they ever imagined. No one would have thought that two totally people, lifestyle wise, would have such a strong connection.
I would definitely recommend this book who is interested in the act of friendship. This book truly makes you feel like apart of everything the girls go through . Through out the plot there were many events that were full of so much emotion. In each and every Action in the book the author made the reader feel very connected. This book has so many great elements. This is definitely a book everyone should read.

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Being from Lexington, I was hoping that there would be a little more description in this book. I did like the Exchange Student aspect of the book, though I think that most of the "girls" were a little harsher than what I would expect. I cried and laughed right along with the girls.

Two seventh grade girls participate in a school exchange program where each spends 2 weeks at the others's home and school. The program is intended to confront stereotypes as well as let the girls see the similarities and differences between them.

Ivy June Mosley comes from small town, country

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Thunder Creek where she lives with her grandparents because her parents's home is too crowded. Catherine Combs lives in big city Lexington in a large house with plenty of space.

Both girls are mature enough to be good ambassadors for their schools and to work through the differences that come up as they spend time together. In the end though, they both end up being there for the other when tragedies hit the other's family.

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