Ivy aberdeens letter to the world

A Sweet Middle Grade Coming-of-Age: Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake

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Ivy Aberdeen’s life was already chaotic between her newborn twin brothers, her older sister’s odd behavior, and Ivy struggling with her own confusing feelings for girls that she can’t quite name. But then her family home is swept away by a tornado and Ivy’s world is completely upended without a home and without her trusted notebook filled with her secret drawings of girls holding hands.

That is, until the drawings from her lost notebook begin to show up in her locker, along with a note telling her she should talk to someone. Ivy doesn’t know what that note means, because obviously she’s fine. Ivy has to figure out who has her notebook and get it back, and maybe along the way she’ll figure out what those feelings even mean.

This is such a sweet middle grade story. I never knew that Ashley Herring Blake, author of the Delilah Green Doesn’t Care romances, wrote books for younger audiences! It has a lot of her charm and a love of quirky small towns, but there’s something about the formula that I

Ivy thinks--and hopes--that this someone might be her classmate, another girl for whom Ivy has begun to develop feelings. Spoiler: In the end, the drawings and messages are being sent by Ivy's best friend, Taryn, and unfortunately the girl Ivy has feelings for doesn't return them--but the novel ends on a tone of hope for Ivy and her identity.

Titles featuring prominent LGBTQ characters have been gradually finding their way to the young adult shelves--but even rarer are middle grade books featuring LGBTQ protagonists.

The fact that middle grade books such as George, Gracefully Grayson, and Better Nate Than Ever have main characters who are LGBTQ has gained each title widespread attention; and Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the Wor

For What It's Worth

When a tornado rips through town, twelve-year-old Ivy Aberdeen's house is destroyed and her family of five is displaced. Ivy feels invisible and ignored in the aftermath of the storm--and what's worse, her notebook filled with secret drawings of girls holding hands has gone missing.

Mysteriously, Ivy's drawings begin to reappear in her locker with notes from someone telling her to open up about her identity. Ivy thinks--and hopes--that this someone might be her classmate, another girl for whom Ivy has begun to develop a crush. Will Ivy find the strength and courage to follow her true feelings? ~Goodreads

Source: arc provided in exchange for an honest review

Review:

Ivy Aberdeen is a 12 year old girl struggling to find her place. She’s an artist – often collaborating with her mother, an author of a popular children’s series, and drawing in her sketchbook. Only now, as her friends talk more and more about liking boys and asking them to school dances, Ivy keeps drawing girls holding hands. She’s not even sure what this means but senses that it’s something she should keep secret, especially after

Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World Quotes

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Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World Quotes Showing 1-30 of 30

“She felt raw, a painting that wasn't dry yet. One hard nudge and she'd smear all over the place.”
― Ashley Herring Blake, Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World

“How was Ivy supposed to know how to handle all these feelings for June, all these feelings at all, if everything she saw and read about and heard about was all boy-girl, girl-boy?”
― Ashley Herring Blake, Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World

“The feeling was wild and sort of unpredictable, like a good summer storm.”
― Ashley Herring Blake, Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World

“If a person was questioning all this stuff, that person doesn't have to know all the answers. They don't have to be sure about anything. They don't have to label themselves as anything but as humang being if they don't want to. Does that make sense?"

"I... I think so."

"That person can just let themselves feel and think about what they need to. It's okay to wonder. To be curious. And it's okay to be sure too. But you--that person--d

Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World

This lovely, reassuring book manages to be both a dramatic story of a family stressed and challenged by a natural disaster and a sensitive exploration of the beginnings of same-sex care for. Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World explores both LGBTQ themes and universally human themes of family, first love, and navigating life's unexpected challenges.

The LGBTQ strands are gentle. When other girls get giggly about their preteen crushes, Ivy has glimmers that she's different, but the energy of her new crush on June takes her by surprise. Author Ashley Herring Blake gives Ivy wise friends and adults to talk to, who endorse her and help her tease out and express her feelings. No one imposes anything on her either way, and Robin, the older lesbian who puts up the family in her inn, counsels Ivy that she doesn't need to know all the answers, be sure about anything, or label herself prematurely, providing Ivy with a easy space to question. Though the real world may not always be as safe and supportive as this fictional world, the book provides a safe place to explore thoughts about sexuality and about coming of age in general.