Moonpie and Ivy by Barbara O'Connor

by Barbara O'Connor

Ruby used to call her 12-year-old daughter Pearl her "little gem," but Pearl knows better. If she were really "a gem," her mother wouldn't have dumped her at her aunt Ivy's house in Georgia and driven off into the dust. Once Pearl realizes her mom didn't just run to the 7-Eleven for cigarettes, she reluctantly settles in, warily observing her generous, loving Aunt Ivy--half-hoping her crazy, irresponsible mother comes back soon and half-hoping she never comes back at all. Rural Georgia offers few distractions for a girl from Tallahassee, but Pearl does meet the strange Moonpie, an 11-year-old boy with transparent skin and cantaloupe-colored hair who lives in a ramshackle house with his dying grandmother Mama Nell. With the help of Aunt Ivy, Mama Nell, and Moonpie, Pearl stitches together clues to her own identity as she learns about her grandparents and her own mother who everyone says "had the devil in her." Pearl is the spitting image of this "devil girl." Does that mean she is fated to repeat her mistakes?Thanks to Barbara O'Connor's clean, honest prose, readers will fully identify with Pearl's mixture of resentment and longing. What will happen if her mother never comes back? What if she does? There are no pat answers served up in this well-crafted, down-home, straight-talking story about the yearning for love. (Ages 10 and older) --Karin Snelson

Genres: Middle Grade, Juvenile, Young Adult

Hardcover

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

Barbara O'Connor's awards include the Parents Choice Gold and Silver Award, American Library Association Notable Books, IRA Notable Books for a Global Society, School Library Journal Best Books, and Kirkus Best Books. Her books have been nominated for children's choice awards in 38 states and voted as a state favorite by children in South Carolina, Indiana, Kansas, and South Dakota.

Barbara was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. She draws on her Southern roots to write award-winning books for children in grades 3 to 6.

She currently lives in Asheville, NC. Her latest book is Wish, a middle grade novel published by FSG.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/barbar...

Reviews

[Hemavathy DM Suppiah-Devi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing. It starts out so similarly to Wish, but ends so dismally. There is no happy ending, and Pearl is still unloved, living with her crazy mom who doesn't care about her.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd little book - odd in that it combines a lovely writing style and strong characterizations with a glum story arc. Pearl has been abandoned by her mother, left at her aunt Ivy's without a word about when she'll be back. Pearl is understandably in a bad place because of this, not managing to endear herself to anyone around her and trying on her mother's bad habits for size. The characters around her are intriguing, with little bits of their past visible and others hidden, like Moonpie, the only other child around.

I kept expecting more of Ivy, though - she takes care of Pearl and is kind to her, but also seems to be keeping herself at a distance (or is it Pearl, telling the story, who's keeping Ivy at a distance?) Pearl seems to want love and validation from her aunt, but sees it all go to Moonpie, instead. The story is realistic in these regards - no false happy endings - but ultimately a downer.

I could admire a lot of things about the book, but I never quite enjoyed it. I'm not surprised that it's been something of a shelf sitter here at the library, although I'm sure a better cover would help get it in the hands of kids who want and need stories devoid of sugar-coating.

Source: my public library

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The thing I've noticed about the Barbara O'Connor books I've read is that the main character isn't always likable--but at the same time, you can understand why that person behaves the way he/she does. There's jealously and envy and lashing out to hurt someone with words--not warm character traits. But these characters are pretty much the walking wounded--overlooked, demeaned, shoved into strange situations without coping skills--so you can see why they act/react the way they do. My quibble with this book is the ending. It's realistic, but incredibly (to me) depressing. I felt sorry for Pearl as I closed the book.

[Pippin Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

An absolutely horrible book. Why would this excellent writer allow that poor child to return to her irresponsible probably alcoholic mother. Ivy should have fought for her so that she could have had a loving family rather than have to live with someone who made her feel like a piece of garbage. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed this author’s other books.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful writing describes a hard-scrabble Georgia town. Characters are intriguing. A 12 year old girl is abandoned at her aunt Ivy's house by her dysfunctional mother. Ivy offers the girl stability and love. But in the end, the irresponsible mother returns and takes the girl away to an uncertain future.
The ending is sad, yet realistic.
Compare with The Great Gilly Hopkins.

[Adessa Leibfried · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an okay book and I wish it was a little bit more detailed and exciting, but it is a pretty good book overall. I would recommend it to some people but not mst. The theme of the book was that sometimes people are confused and they might come arounds, but then again they might not.

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a sad book. Beautifully, powerfully and convincingly written by Barbara O'Connor as usual and there were glimmers of hope at the end, but the verbal and emotional abuse suffered by Ruby, one of the main characters, at the hands of her mother were devastating.

[Mary E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realistic; hard life; resonates

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this book but I did think it did a nice job with realistic characterization. The protagonist, Pearl, is just as confused and vulnerable as a 10-year-old who's been temporarily and inexplicably abandoned by her mother should be. Pearl's longing for affection -- and her simultaneous conviction that she somehow doesn't deserve it -- becomes more concrete as she observes the neighbor child, Moonpie, receiving a heap of attention after a loss in his life. Moonpie receives affection because he is outwardly kind, whereas Pearl can be grumpy and short with those who try to help her. My favorite scene is when Pearl seeks out Moonpie's grandmother -- an old, sick lady who drinks beer in her rocker when she's well enough to get out of bed -- for information on her mother. Grandma Nell in effect tells her, "Oh yeah, she stole from me and was hard to get along with, always disobeying her father, etc." So Pearl says something like, "And as far as you remember, was she always bad?" This gives Grandma Nell pause: "Bad, child, who ever said anything about your mama being bad?" I suppose what I take from this is that Pearl is her own, and her mother's own, harshest judge.

[Ashley Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really unique. A southern tale set in rural Georgia, it really has no happy ending and no lesson to be learned. It's just about life and how it's hard sometimes and hope can be hard to come by...but it's there. I guess that is a lesson and a good one. I think it's a good book for young adolescents to read.

[Bethany Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was most likely not given higher ratings by other readers due to the ending. I, however,really enjoyed it. Pearl is a very real character in a real situation. I could sympathize with her feelings and actions due to her circumstances. But the ending sucked - for Pearl. We don't always get a Cinderella, happily ever after ending.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this so many times. The descriptions are unbelievable. It doesn't matter how many times you read this book you will still cry, be supprised, smile, laugh, all as if it was the first time.

[Marta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this very much. I thought Pearl was just like her mom, a lying, mean, and self-centered girl looking for attention.

[Melissa Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely story of life, death, adn learning to live as best we can in an undertain world.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good YA book