January Grades 1-2 Book Club: Ivy and Bean

For January 2018's Book Club, we read the first book in the Ivy and Bean series by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall. Anne, Caitlin, Elsie, Kailynn, Keira, Lucy, Luke and Matthew were present. Here's some of what we discussed.

What were some of Bean’s reasons for not wanting to play with Ivy?

-Bean thought that Ivy would be boring because she's nice.
-It seems that all Ivy does is sit on her porch and read a book.
-First, Bean thinks that reading is boring. Reading makes Bean jumpy. Ivy and Bean are two different people.
-Bean thought that Ivy's stick was weird.
-Bean thought that Ivy's costume was weird as well.
-Bean ended up thinking that Ivy was cooler than she first thought.

What do you think about Bean’s older sister Nancy? Is she mean to Bean or is she just looking out for her?

-Sometimes she is bossy to Bean.
-She's mean because she drags Bean around.
-Nancy was dragging Bean across the floor (every second of her life).
-She's mean and bossy to Bean. You see this in the dressing room at the store. 
-I think that Nancy is just a big piece of dirt because she's so mean to Bean all the time.
-I think Nancy is really mean because she orders Bean around and she talks to her in a grown-up way when she's not a grown up yet.

In what ways are Bean and Nancy similar and how do they differ?

-I think that they have being  in the same family in common.
-They both have black hair.
-One is older and one is younger.
-Bean and Nancy are both similar because they both have hair.
-They are different because one sister is bossy and one likes to play.
-They are the same because they have the same color skin.

Why did Bean try to scare Ivy by pretending to be a ghost?

-I think that she was scaring Ivy because she wanted to make her sister mad and scare her so she wanted to do it to Ivy first.

Does Ivy really have special powers? Do you think Ivy’s plan to put a dancing spell on Nancy worked?

-Ivy didn't have time to make the potion.
-Was Nancy slipping in the mud or was she dancing? It could be one or the other, or maybe both.
-Sort of.
-Yes.
-No.

Why was Bean so interested in helping Ivy fix her bathrobe?

-She thought it looked a little bad and she wanted to fix it up so it would look better.
-If Bean is good at drawing and other "art" things, it would helpful to Ivy to help her make a new one.

Why did Ivy have a large poster with “BEWARE” written largely on it?

-Because she was a witch.
-Because she wanted to make her room look witchy.
-Because she didn't want anyone to go into her room.

What would you have done if you were caught by Mrs. Trantz in her yard? Was Mrs. Trantz being fair to Bean and Ivy?

-Der, no.
-No, she wasn't being fair. 
-They were trespassing. However, they are only trying to get from one place to another.

Are you more like Ivy or Bean?

-My mom says that I'm a mix.
-A mix.
-I'm not either of them. And I'm not like Nancy either. Maybe I'm like Ivy.
-I think I'm more like Ivy.
-More like Ivy. 
-I'm not like either.
-A mix between Ivy and Bean.

What are the characteristics of a good friend?

-Being nice to each other and not bullying.
-Being kind and sharing.
-Being kind, courteous and sharing.

Do you have to be similar to someone to be friends with them?

-Yes, because our similar personalities work well together.
-No, because you can be friends with anyone.
-I've only been friends with people who have a similar personality to me.


We will meet on Wednesday, February 7 at 3:00 p.m. for the next Book Club. We will be reading Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater.

"A humble house painter is sent a male penguin by the great Admiral Drake and, thanks to the arrival of a female penguin, soon has twelve penguins living in his house."-summary

Please be sure to pick up your copy of the book a few days after the last club meeting and register at the Circulation Desk!