Poison Ivy

As I read this book, I felt a variety of emotions including anger, frustration, and sadness. The subject of bullying is one that can easily raise all these emotions and Amy Goldman Koss does an outstanding job of bringing them out. Ms. Gold wants to hold a mock trial in her government class and she convinces Ivy (aka Poison Ivy) to bring suit against the three girls who gave her the nickname and have been bullying her for years. Lawyers and a jury are selected and the case goes to trial. Koss tells the story with first person narratives from eight of the main characters in the story which really helps the reader feel what the characters are feeling. The idea of a mock trial might have been a good one but how well can it work when Ivy's lawyer is painfully shy, witnesses openly lie and get away with it and the teacher seems oblivious to all that and more! How can justice prevail in a process so flawed?! This is not a book that I can say I "enjoyed" (it's too serious a topic for that) but I was touched by the story and impressed with the way Koss brought the subjects of bullying, peer pressure, popularity, and fairness to life. Anyone who has been bullied, done the bullying, or witnessed a bully in action can benefit from reading this book. It would make a great tool for class discussions on the subject!

Oh wow! I just finished reading Poison Ivy by Amy Goldman Koss. It tells the story of a teenager, Ivy, who puts her bullies, the Anns, on trial. It isn't a real trial, but a mock trial in their student government class. Through this trial, all the truths of high school life are revealed. The story is comprised of the different points of view of the key players. Through these characters, we come to understand the class system of high school and the cruelties that lie within. This book was so interesting and it was also very painful to read. I knew the outcome of the book before I read it. I knew the outcome because I have lived through high school. I know how it works. I was thankfully never in Ivy's position but neither was I in Ann's position. I didn't rule the school, not even close. I was content to have a few close friends and just make it through unscathed. This book shines a spotlight on the cruelties that teens have to go through. I have no doubt that there are hundreds of thousands of Ivies living through high school right now. I was just immediately taken in by this book. It wouldn't have worked as well as a straightforward narrative. I love how each character has his/her say. All were frustrating, even Ivy herself. It just shows that not everything in this world is cut and dry. This is a thinking book, one that I definitely recommend. The voices are authentic. I have known each of those characters in my life. If you are in high school right now, please read this book. It might change your whole perspective and maybe even your life. Thank you Amy Goldman Koss for writing such an important book.

Wow, Rashomon for teenage drama. I love that this "civil trial" class project is told from eight different points of view. Ivy escapes her tormenters by retreating to dreamy musings about fish; Ann, the bully, is self-righteous with no conscience; Marco is the guy I would have had a crush on; Cameron is the unlikely knight in semi-shining armor. I list these characters because they were so realistic and so fascinating that I want a sequel! I want to know more - what happens with Daria and Cameron? Does Marco find a teacher who appreciates him? Will Ann finally get her comeuppance? These questions are not to suggest that the book is lacking anything, only to say that it is so realistically told and contains such interesting characters. As a high school teacher, I was quite annoyed by Mrs. Gold, the teacher who thought this bullying trial would be educational. As a former teenage girl, I completely bought every single character as a real person, not just a type. And as a reader, I enjoyed the tangents - about fish, about the Tlingits - and found some lovely, poetic prose in Ivy's fish musings. I enjoyed this very much. But I DO want a sequel!

This is an amazing book: Amy Goldman Koss tackles bullying head-on. She balances the heaviness of the subject with enough humor to make it not only bearable, but highly readable. The device of multiple voices is the perfect choice, giving the story depth, and guaranteeing no preaching is involved. In a perfect world (which is surely not the one depicted in this story), the heroine would be vindicated, and justice served. But I think it's more thought-provoking and memorable this way. Hopefully, this lack of a happy ending will make readers more likely to speak up, and stand up, when a peer is being teased, mistreated, or harmed in any way; it's up to each of us to stop the cycle. An excellent read both in and out of the classroom.

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.