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Poison Ivy
Books: Text Books: American Government: Item 7
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Poison Ivyby Amy Goldman Koss
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Gives "Mean Girls" a run for its money!, May 26, 2006 Reviewer:Michelle Dunn "Author, Consultant" (NH) - Amy Goldman Koss gives us a great story told by eight different points of view. In a government class at school, a group of girls goes on "trial" for their bullying of a classmate they call "Poison Ivy". This story will give you the eight different points of view from each girl on the same event. Very interstingly puts you into the minds and perceptions of each narrator. See how differently these story tellers see things and learn more about human nature with each chapter. For example, Marco beleives if someone gets on your nerves, it is justifiable to be mean to them, it is a reality. Get into the minds of these characters and see just how our schools societies really are.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9–Ivy has been a victim of relentless bullying for years. Nicknamed Poison Ivy by Ann, Benita, and Sophie in fourth grade, she can hardly remember what it was like to be just plain Ivy. When earnest Ms. Gold, the middle school American government teacher, finds a depressing poem written by Ivy, she decides to put The Evil Three on trial for bullying. She is hoping to create a perfect learning experience to illustrate the American judicial system to the class–and possibly to teach the three girls a lesson. What Ms. Gold does not count on, however, is the power of popular kids and the resulting political leverage. Students are assigned roles: counsel for the plaintiff, process server, judge, jury, etc. The action is related through the multiple voices of the major figures in the mock trial proceedings, and readers see many personalities emerge in the alternate chapters. Of particular interest is the relationship among The Evil Three. Ann, the leader, clearly enjoys the status that Benita and Sophie give her in their roles as bystanders in the bullying process. Realistic dialogue and fast-paced action will hold interest, and the final verdict is unsettling, but not unexpected. This book will be useful for class discussions along with Kosss The Girls (Dial, 2000), another realistic and equally effective look at the agonizing bullying of a classmate.–Jennifer Ralston, Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MD
Copyright © Reed business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. What better way to explain government in action than to stage a mock trial, in this case a trial in which one unpopular girl, Ivy (aka Poison Ivy), seeks to bring three bullies to justice. Alas, the questionable ambitions of a teacher, the fearful power of popularity, and the sad truth of how losers are made combine to make things ugly. The trial unfolds through the alternating viewpoint of several students, each of whom has a distinctive voice: Marcus' is penetrating and contemptuous; Ivy's is strangely cool; Ann's bubbles with cruelty. Sometimes the dialogue sounds candid and natural; at other times, it's overly dramatized. And, unfortunately, because readers never see how Ivy is bullied (we're just told it's bad), the story lacks an emotional punch. The message is clear: beauty, popularity, and fear are the trinity by which girls rule, and although most teenagers aren't cruel, many are indifferent to the suffering of their peers and are thankful they aren't the ones in the spotlight. School stories like this aren't rare, but they make compelling reading for teenagers in the trenches. Krista Hutley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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