Faith, Hope, and Ivy June
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

    FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  6/9/09
    Publisher:  Delacorte
    Reviewed by:  Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
    Rating:  5 Stars


    FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE is about two girls from totally different places and backgrounds who participate
    in a student exchange program.  Although both girls are from Kentucky, one is from the bustling city of Lexington
    and the other is from the mountains.  

    Ivy June is excited about her upcoming trip to spend two weeks with Catherine in Lexington, Kentucky.  The
    exchange program was organized by their schools, and Ivy June was encouraged to apply by her family, especially
    her grandparents.  Her name was chosen from among six names thrown into a coffee can.  

    Although she is excited about the adventure, she worries about fitting in in the big city.  She knows Catherine will no
    doubt live in a fancy house with indoor plumbing which will be a welcome change, but Ivy June doesn't want to end
    up coming back home wishing for a different life.  She has been living with her grandparents for some time now.  It
    was just getting too crowded over at her old house.  She's just a short walk from her ma and pa, but being the only
    child living with her grandparents and her 100-year-old great-grandmother has given her more of a sense of
    belonging and love then she ever had at home.

    The idea of the exchange program is for Ivy June to stay with Catherine for two weeks.  She is to attend Catherine's
    private school for one week, and then enjoy a week of sight-seeing during Catherine's spring break.  After a week
    back in the mountains, Catherine is scheduled to visit Ivy June for two weeks.

    Both girls might be in seventh grade, but that's about where the similarities in lifestyle end.  How will they get along?  
    Can they each adjust to the vastly different economic conditions and completely different family structures they will
    encounter?  And how will they hold up in any serious situations that might develop during their visits?

    Prolific children's author Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is at her best in FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE.  She
    masterfully creates two totally opposite worlds in which Ivy June and Catherine come together as friends who learn
    to recognize the uniqueness that surrounds each of them.  Using journal entries written by both girls, Naylor reveals
    their excitement, nervousness, and frustration as they meet and live each other's lives.  

    Readers will experience humor, controversy, suspense, and love as Ivy June and Catherine's adventure unfolds.