IVY + BEAN reading information

IVY + BEAN are two girls that are unlikely best buds.  Bean is wild and goofy and likes to inquire into other people's business, while Ivy is quiet and thoughtful.  And yet they are friends.  And perhaps we can write that off as a case of opposites attracting.

Annie Barrows' books are popular girl reads.  The books are about 125 pages long and they are illustrated by Sophie Blackall. 

Notes:

--from the covers these books might seem suitable for younger readers, but this mom doesn't think so.  Vocabulary includes words like: tightwad, freak, dork, crummy, burp face, wimp, goofy, and the delightful pain in the kazoo.

--older girls will understand that Bean's brattiness is over the top.  Younger ones, not so much.

--Ivy tries to become a witch.   
--to keep the list from becoming too 'busy' and long, I'll use more content images than bookcovers. 

 **all ratings from GoodReads
**all links to Amazon.com. Being Affiliate links they help support this site so more lists can be made. (It's amazingly labor intensive.) No cost to you.

#1
IVY + BEAN

3.91 avg rating — 9,671 GoodReaders**Starred Review**  ALA Booklist
 
This is where it all begins, and at first it doesn't look that promising.  Ivy and Bean meet, but there's not 'friendship magic'.  That changes when Bean needs help.  You see, she keeps annoying her sister and when the last prank earns her Nancy's wrath, Bean has to hide... fast!  And when Ivy comes to the rescue, both girls conclude that maybe they can be friends despite all their differences.

Word Count: 7,828
Page Count:  120
Accelerated Reading level: 3.2 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 105488
Lexile: 510L

#2
IVY + BEAN AND THE GHOST THAT HAD TO GO
Ivy tells schoolmates that there's a ghost in the bathroom, and it's the best thing that ever happened at school... until Ms. Aruba-Tate's reprimands her for the fabrication.  Reeling from the gentle correction, Ivy gets Bean's help to perform an exorcism so they can get that ghost to go!

4.08 avg rating — 3,065 GoodReaders

Word Count: 8,779
Accelerated Reading level: 3.6 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 110580
Lexile: 580L

#3
IVY + BEAN BREAK THE FOSSIL RECORD

4.12 avg rating — 3,315 GoodReaders

The girls are gripped by World Record fever and they set out to do all sorts of zany things to earn a title.  Even trying to be the youngest kids to dig up a dinosaur.

Word Count: 7,960
Accelerated Reading level: 3.1 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 117709
Lexile: 520L


#4
IVY + BEAN TAKE CARE OF THE BABYSITTER

4.18 avg rating — 3,181 GoodReaders
**Starred Review**  Kirkus

The girls join forces to prove that Nancy, Bean's big sister, is THE worst babysitter ever.

Word Count: 8,203
Accelerated Reading level: 3.1 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 122599
Lexile: 440L


#5
IVY + BEAN BOUND TO BE BAD

4.13 avg rating — 1,872 GoodReaders

Ivy and Bean read about St. Francis and decide it's time to change their ways.  Unfortunately the neighborhood bully causes their plans to go awry.

 Word Count: 8,293
Accelerated Reading level: 3.2 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 129029
Lexile: 500L


#6
IVY + BEAN DOOMED TO DANCE

4.14 avg rating — 1,902 GoodReaders

Be careful for what you ask for.  In this case, Ivy and Bean beg for dance lessons, only to find out that classes don't include roundhouse kicks or cool swords.  And after they are cast as squids in their first recital, they are desparate to come up with an idea that will get them out of performing without breaking their promise to their parents to finish the whole session.

Word Count: 9,080
Accelerated Reading level: 3.6 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 134788
Lexile: 530L

#7
IVY + BEAN WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?

4.18 avg rating — 1,473 GoodReaders

It's the Science Fair, and the second grade is all over it!  What will the girls get into?

 Word Count: 9,807
Accelerated Reading level: 3.9 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 140845
Lexile: 550L


#8
IVY + BEAN: NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS

4.23 avg rating — 1,247 GoodReaders

Looking to earn money, the girls start a newspaper.  Unfortunately it's boring.  So --also unfortunately-- they set about to spice it up by snooping.

Word Count: 8,930
Accelerated Reading level: 3.2 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 106919
Lexile: 500L


#9
IVY AND BEAN MAKE THE RULES

4.27 avg rating — 1,175 GoodReaders

Bean's upset!  Big sister Nancy gets to go to camp to do all sorts of cool things.  But Bean and Ivy can't go.  They just aren't old enough.  Sooooo, they decide to create their own camp.

Word Count: 9,311
Accelerated Reading level: 3.4 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 154726
Lexile: 530L


#10

IVY AND BEAN TAKE THE CASE

4.02 avg rating — 631 GoodReaders

The girls decide to look for mysteries to solve but most of the ones their friends bring to them are boring. Then they see a yellow rope around the neighbors chimney. What is that?!?  Not even the home owner knows and so they lay in wait on their own stakeout.  Will they find out what this is about?

Word Count: 9,135
Accelerated Reader: 3.3 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 161361
Lexile: 490L

updated by Pam
updated June 2016