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144th out of 155 books
—
90 voters
Poison Ivy
by
Amy Goldman Koss (Goodreads Author)
"IwithVY: I told Ms. Gold about how The Evil Three have been after me, feeding off me since fourth grade.
MARCO: It isn't a very pretty story, so if you're looking for 'nice,' you better ask someone else.
ANN: We just have to come up wiht some witnesses for our side. Think! Does anyone owe you any favors?
BRYCE: I figure, Dude, why not make a little spare change on the side?...more
MARCO: It isn't a very pretty story, so if you're looking for 'nice,' you better ask someone else.
ANN: We just have to come up wiht some witnesses for our side. Think! Does anyone owe you any favors?
BRYCE: I figure, Dude, why not make a little spare change on the side?...more
Hardcover, 176 pages
Published
March 7th 2006
by Roaring Brook Press
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It takes a strong stomach for a bullying-victim to read a book about a bullying-victim seeking justice, but I zipped through this book once I got over my flashbacks.
An over-zealous teacher forces Ivy to bring a mock civil suit against her tormentors in order to demonstrate the legal system to the middle-school's third period American Government class. Told from the varying perspectives of the students, we gain insight into the personalities of the studnets who range from the geek to the jock to...more
An over-zealous teacher forces Ivy to bring a mock civil suit against her tormentors in order to demonstrate the legal system to the middle-school's third period American Government class. Told from the varying perspectives of the students, we gain insight into the personalities of the studnets who range from the geek to the jock to...more
Ivy (or "Poison Ivy" as she is called by her classmates) has been bullied at school for as long as anyone can remember. This year, her teacher, Ms. Gold, decides to stage a mock trial to showcase the legal system. The crime? Bullying. The defendant? A very unwilling Ivy. The palintiff? The lead bullies. The story is told through multiple characters' perspectives, and the result is a book just begging to be discussed. The ineffectual concern of adults and the power of social leverage are particul...more
Ivy has always been taunted and cruelly treated by others, especially The Evil Three, better known as the popular girls Ann, Benita, and Sophie. But for how aloof Ivy acts, no one can really tell how much this bullying affects her, if it does at all. Enter in Ms. Gold, teacher of third hour American Government class, desperate for some conflict so she can hold an in-class trial. It seems that justice will finally be served when Ivy’s problem is chosen, because everyone is aware of how Ann and he...more
Much like Jen Bryant’s Ringside 1925: Views From The Scopes Trial, this book tells the same story from the viewpoint of eight narrators that each have a distinctive voice.
The setting is a middle-school classroom where three bullies are put on trial for picking on Ivy, calling her Poison Ivy. The government teacher decides that having a mock trial will be a good learning experience, so she assigns a prosecutor, a defense attorney, a judge, a court reporter, a process server and jurors.
Marcus, w...more
The setting is a middle-school classroom where three bullies are put on trial for picking on Ivy, calling her Poison Ivy. The government teacher decides that having a mock trial will be a good learning experience, so she assigns a prosecutor, a defense attorney, a judge, a court reporter, a process server and jurors.
Marcus, w...more
While pretty vague about the bullying incidents, the book also had more realistic, explicit language than I expected it to have. The only word you can't say on the radio was 'tit', and that was in reference to a dog, but for a non-swearing book it did fairly well on the way-teens-actually-talk front. In fact the characterizations of teenagers were well done overall. Despite falling into recognizable types, Koss gave them life with their differentiated voices, enough family background (for some c...more
Since she was 9 and moved to this town, Ivy has been bullied by her classmates. Ann, Sophie, and Benita have been calling her "Poison Ivy" for so long, she doesn't even think of herself as just plain Ivy anymore. Now things have come to a head, and their Government teacher kicks off a mock civil trial, bringing the Evil Three up on charges. Students are chosen as lawyers, judges, jury, and other positions, the trial commences. If the Evil Three are found liable for the harassment, they'll need t...more
This book is categorized as YA, but the entire time I was reading it I kept thinking it read like an MG novel trying too hard to be YA.
If you took out all the curse words and hormone-induced references you'd have a decent start for an MG novel. I suppose it's a good transitional book.
To be honest, I really didn't get it. The premise for this novel sounded really intriguing and I was really looking forward to reading it, but I felt super let-down. Mrs. Gold came across as a terrible teacher. The...more
If you took out all the curse words and hormone-induced references you'd have a decent start for an MG novel. I suppose it's a good transitional book.
To be honest, I really didn't get it. The premise for this novel sounded really intriguing and I was really looking forward to reading it, but I felt super let-down. Mrs. Gold came across as a terrible teacher. The...more
The abuse is the very talked about bullying that goes on in schools across the country. Poison Ivy (real name Ivy) who has been bullied in school rants in a letter her teacher discovers. So, to make American Government more interesting, she decides to put on trial the three girls who bully Ivy.
Told from alternating points of views of different kids in the school, it's a very watered-down story of the judicial system (as teenagers see it), complete with mean girls, dumb jocks, Einstein's, and th...more
Told from alternating points of views of different kids in the school, it's a very watered-down story of the judicial system (as teenagers see it), complete with mean girls, dumb jocks, Einstein's, and th...more
We've all had one of those class project assignments where you learn through the process rather than just reading a textbook and taking a test. Ms. Gold has decided that rather than have her American Government class merely read about the workings of the judicial system, they will actually participate in a mock civil trial. After poking and prodding to find an complaint, Ms. Gold discovers that Ivy has been the "victim" of bullying for years at the hands of three popular girls. These "mean girls...more
i really did not like this book at all.it was just dumb,i mean who really cares about you being bullied.alot of people i know are and they go talk to someone but they dont get it solved.
I chose this book because a friend had recommended it to me. This book is about a quiet girl named Ivy that has been made fun of since fourth grade by three popular girls named the Ann's. In their history class, they set up a mock trial to find the Ann's guilty.A quote I thought was really all this book was a bout was "The Ann's always want to destroy me and make my life miserable", I like this because you could also feel the pain she has gone through. This book is set in the first person point...more
Amy Goldman Koss's way of writing is very rare, and my favorite type of writing. I love reading from different points of view, because it gives you a better understanding of the story. From the minute I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down. I gave it 4 stars, not 5 because there were so many questions I had that were unanswered. I also gave it 4 stars because there were some points in the story I didn't understand. There were some characters that were not needed, I think, in the story. Bu...more
One-dimensional cookie cutter characters, the story grabs you for a second and then forcefully lets you go. Short, but nothing sweet about it.
Read it cover to cover in less than two hours. Koss has a gift for making icky characters semi-likeable (like the detached Ivy) through their personalities, and this really shines here. Marco plays probably the key role in the book, as he's the only one that tells it like it is. The 8-point perspective works effectively as we get backstories filled in, and other than Faith, they all add something to the plot and drive it along.
Other than the amazingly disappointing ending, a nearly perfect book...more
Other than the amazingly disappointing ending, a nearly perfect book...more
Once again, Amy Koss has written another book about bullies. This book doesn't exactly invite you to stand up to them. A silly teacher has a civil trial in her middle school Government classroom where Ivy sues three mean girls for bullying her. Lawyers are appointed, a jury is selected, and the trial is quite the travesty. Honestly, all I noticed while I read this book was that the teacher was crazy. She didn't educate the kids about how a trial works. She didn't select competent lawyers. The gi...more
This book wasn't that interesting and amazing as everyone else was telling me. In my opinion I didn't really like this book all that much. A girl named Ivy is a regular girl going to school and learning. Things are terrible for her at that school barley anyone likes her. These three girls keep bullying and bothering Ivy. She decides to write a letter to get her feelings out of them but the teacher see's it and is terrified and shocked. Ms.Gold (the teacher) decides to have a trial since they are...more
Nov 14, 2012
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
trt-gold-star-award-winner,
trt-posted-reviews
Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com
Ivy has been teased and bullied every day since the fourth grade by three very popular girls at school.
Ms. Gold wants to have a mock trial in her government class. She decides that Ivy should sue the evil three.
All Ivy wants is an apology and to be left alone.
Told through eight different voices, this book is about the trial. Not only is Ivy a victim, but we also are told the story of Daria, the painfully shy student who ends up representing Ivy in t...more
Ivy has been teased and bullied every day since the fourth grade by three very popular girls at school.
Ms. Gold wants to have a mock trial in her government class. She decides that Ivy should sue the evil three.
All Ivy wants is an apology and to be left alone.
Told through eight different voices, this book is about the trial. Not only is Ivy a victim, but we also are told the story of Daria, the painfully shy student who ends up representing Ivy in t...more
Ages 10+
When Ivy spills to her Social Studies teacher about how three popular girls (the Evil Three) have been treating her, her teacher decides that the class needs to hold a mock civil trial. This book, told from multiple points of view of the participants in the trial, explores what happens during the two weeks. There's no cookie-cutter happy ending, and the don't upset the boat mentality of middle school prevails, much to the surprise of the teacher (and a few students as well).
When Ivy spills to her Social Studies teacher about how three popular girls (the Evil Three) have been treating her, her teacher decides that the class needs to hold a mock civil trial. This book, told from multiple points of view of the participants in the trial, explores what happens during the two weeks. There's no cookie-cutter happy ending, and the don't upset the boat mentality of middle school prevails, much to the surprise of the teacher (and a few students as well).
This is one of the most realistic accounts of bullying I have read in a fictional text. The story is told through the eyes (and therefore perspectives) of various students and so the reader's understanding of the situation is complex. We also have to keep flipping the pages to piece together the perspectives and figure out what is (really?) happening. I couldn't put this book down. A really fun read that also prompts some big questions about the reality of bullying in our schools.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Well, I have read plenty of books with relentless and completely evil bullies, so that wasn't my problem. And I've read plenty of books with many POVs, so I'm cool with eight of them, but they have to really have character. Also, there was no real resolution. I mean, I'm not necessarily expecting a happily ever after but I think it's fair to want some kind of non-resolution, where it's ready to get somewhere but in this case I wasn't entirely sure what the people had decided. Does Ivy care if sh...more
This is the story of 3 bullies and the target of their meanness, Ivy (or Poison Ivy as they call her). In their American Government class the teacher is trying to find a conflict among her students that she can use to have a mock civil trial. When she finds out Ivy's situation, she decides that is the conflict she will use.
The story is told from the point of view of eight students. Once again, as in "The Girls", Koss has an excellent voice. It feels as if you are really listening to a teen as yo...more
The story is told from the point of view of eight students. Once again, as in "The Girls", Koss has an excellent voice. It feels as if you are really listening to a teen as yo...more
Ivy's class holds a mock trial to study judicial systems. Three popular girls are charged with bullying Ivy, which they've done since elementary school and everyone knows it. Eight characters narrate the story, afterwards, as they are interviewed for possible disciplinary action against the teacher. Interesting look at human nature and bullying, with some humor, but mostly a realistic look at many classrooms and the behavior of kids.
I thought the premise of the book was interesting; a girl who is bullied for years gets her opportunity for vengence by way of a classroom mock trial. What made this story only "okay" for me was that I couldn't sympathize with most of the characters. Even the bullied girl was hard to really like. In addition, you saw no personal growth from anyone involved in the "trial." No one had seemed to learn anything.
This is one of the most realistic accounts of bullying I have read in a fictional text. Eight different characters share their perspective on the same mock-trial happening in one of their classes. The reader has to fit together the pieces from the different characters to figure out what's going on and come to his or her own conclusions about what is right and wrong. I couldn't put this book down! --Mrs. Austin
I couldn't even finish it, it was so bad. I'd recommend Poison Ivy to anyone who likes books that drag out the same situation FOREVER, have horribly crafted characters, have a very uninteresting plot, and have the entire class tell the story. It was so confusing. If you like those things, I say GO FOR IT!!!! :D You'd love it!
This is the second Amy Goldman Koss book I just couldn't finish (cause it was so bad!). I think I'm done with her...
This is the second Amy Goldman Koss book I just couldn't finish (cause it was so bad!). I think I'm done with her...
I would really like to say I liked this book. It was well written, creative, a good idea overall. Unfortunately, I must agree with my school librarian in saying that the end ruined it for me. The entire book was entertaining and interesting. Until the end. I cannot accept that someone like Ivy would just accept the outcome. The kids in that class are ridiculous! They need to learn to care. They all knew Ann was guilty! Everyone knew it. They even had evidence. And still, they chose to completely...more
Wasn't prepared to enjoy this Young Adult title, which is told by several characters - but couldn't put it down ! Middle school teacher proposes a "mock trial" to take place in her history class, and recruits a girl who has always been bullied to "file charges" against the bullies. Wish it had more male characters - there's only a few who play an important role in this book.
Further proof that the teenage years are hell. I would have ranked this book a little bit higher if the character of Ivy had been fleshed out a little bit more. We don't find out much about her, and what we do learn is that she's not very likable, which makes it sort of tough to sympathize with her. I would have liked a little more of a solid resolution as well. Overall, good, though. Liked Daria's character the best.
Nov 16, 2010
Tina Garza
marked it as to-read
I discovered this great book, or so it seems to be great when I was working on my 20 tween bibliography titles. It seems like it would be really interesting and a good title to read. I know that it deals with bullying, which is something that I feel is often ignored or shunned aside until it is to late and something tragic happens. I must read this!
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Sharon Ervin
Author of COUNTERFEIT COWBOY
Aug 06, 2011 07:01pm