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Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World
When a tornado rips through town, twelve-year-old Ivy Aberdeen's house is destroyed and her family of five is displaced. Ivy feels invisible and ignored in the aftermath of the storm--and what's worse, her notebook filled with secret drawings of girls holding hands has gone missing.
Mysteriously, Ivy's drawings begin to reappear in her locker with notes from someone telling her to open up about her identity. Ivy thinks--and hopes--that this someone might be her classmate, another girl for whom Ivy has begun to develop a crush. Will Ivy find the strength and courage to follow her true feelings?
Mysteriously, Ivy's drawings begin to reappear in her locker with notes from someone telling her to open up about her identity. Ivy thinks--and hopes--that this someone might be her classmate, another girl for whom Ivy has begun to develop a crush. Will Ivy find the strength and courage to follow her true feelings?
309 pages, Hardcover
First published March 6, 2018
260 people are currently reading
10271 people want to read
About the author
Ashley Herring Blake
17 books8,106 followersAshley Herring Blake is a reader, writer, and mom to two boisterous boys. She holds a Master’s degree in teaching and loves coffee, arranging her books by color, and cold weather. She is the author of the young adult novels Suffer Love, How to Make a Wish, and Girl Made of Stars (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), the middle grade novels Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World, The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James, and Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea (Little, Brown), and the adult romance novels Delilah Green Doesn't Care and Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail (Berkley). Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World was a Stonewall Honor Book, as well as a Kirkus, School Library Journal, NYPL, and NPR Best Book of 2018. Her YA novel Girl Made of Stars was a Lambda Literary Award finalist. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @ashleyhblake and on the web at www.ashleyherringblake.com. She lives in Georgia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,649 reviews
June 20, 2020
i’m not crying you’re crying
i read 5: queer YA & middle grade books
i read 5: queer YA & middle grade books
August 5, 2018
A middle grade novel about a girl realizing she likes girls! My queer little heart is so happy. If I had had this book when I was 12, high school would have been SO different. I want everyone to read this damn booooook.
April 5, 2019
Not to be dramatic but I cried like 87 times reading this
July 1, 2021
who here is choppin onions????????
i so badly wish i could've read this when i was younger because i think i really would've appreciated the theme of having to adjust to change. but also as an adult, i really related to this and was comforted by it having also lost my childhood home i grew up in (although by much normal means of moving out rather than having it destroyed in a tornado). there were a lot of elements to this but i feel it balanced them well, and the plot points i thought i had predicted, i ended up being surprised by! this was a really sweet book that i'm so happy i read, and after reading two books by ashley herring blake this month, i intend on reading everything else she's published. love it
i so badly wish i could've read this when i was younger because i think i really would've appreciated the theme of having to adjust to change. but also as an adult, i really related to this and was comforted by it having also lost my childhood home i grew up in (although by much normal means of moving out rather than having it destroyed in a tornado). there were a lot of elements to this but i feel it balanced them well, and the plot points i thought i had predicted, i ended up being surprised by! this was a really sweet book that i'm so happy i read, and after reading two books by ashley herring blake this month, i intend on reading everything else she's published. love it
March 7, 2018
I don’t read a lot of middle grade novels, and when I do, they’re generally exclusively fantasy or historical fiction. When I think of MG contemporary novels, it’s not typically a book I’m going to reach for. That said, I have adored Ashley Herring Blake’s YA novels so tremendously (as you can see from my raving reviews of How to Make a Wish and Girl Made of Stars), that I knew I would love this little MG story, too, and was elated when she sent me an ARC.
Ivy is such a precious, believable little character. She is so kind and loving, but struggles with a myriad of emotions that anyone who’s ever lived through the preteen years can relate to. She is jealous of her new baby siblings, misses her mother’s undivided attention, sees her father as her hero, and wants nothing more than to go back to calling her big sister Layla her best friend. There’s just one thing about Ivy that makes her feel a little bit different from the other kids her age.
Ivy is only interested in other girls, and at the time that we meet her, she’s still questioning a little bit, but mostly just scared to admit her orientation to herself, much less the people who love her. When she develops a crush on a classmate, June, she realizes quickly that there’s a name for the confusion she’s been feeling, but her entire life is already in upheaval and she doesn’t quite know how to cope.
One of the scariest aspects of coming out, for June, is her big sister’s opinion on the matter. A recent fight between Layla and her best friend – also a queer girl – has left Ivy feeling unsafe among her own family. Ashley Herring Blake weaves this beautiful portrayal of how painful it is to feel unaccepted by one’s own loved ones, and how terrifying it can be to know that a part of your identity, something you could never change even if you wanted to, could make them see you differently or love you less. I’ve been there and felt those fears, as I know most queer individuals have, and it positively made my heart ache for Ivy every time the topic was breached.
Ivy also suffers a lot of frustrations due to the utter lack of normalization and acceptance of queer individuals in her rural Georgia town, and from one Georgia gal to another, I related so hard to everything that pained her in this aspect. I grew up knowing so few outed queer individuals that I could’ve counted them on one hand until reaching my late teens, and I saw so little representation of LGBTQ+ relationships that I didn’t even understand my own desires for a very long time. Had I been shown how healthy and normal it was for a relationship to be comprised of anything other than one cis man and one cis woman, I can’t imagine how much it would’ve improved my self-worth and views on the world as a kid.
Despite how abnormal queerness may feel to Ivy in the town she lives in, though, there is a bright light in the dark: a young black lesbian named Robin, who takes Ivy under her wing as soon as she notices that there’s something Ivy hasn’t quite come to terms with. Robin was my favorite character by far, because she was so maternal and kind, and reminded me so much of not only a figure I wished desperately I’d had as a teen, but also the kind of woman I desperately want to be for the children in my life, present or future.
Robin never made Ivy feel silly, out of place, or as though she were overreacting in her fears and confusions. She also never pushed Ivy into labeling herself, and encouraged her to take some time to figure things out, explaining that there was nothing wrong with questioning your sexuality or abstaining from labels. I honestly lived for this character and everything she represented, as well as the fact that her own back story showed Ivy it was possible for a queer woman in the rural south to grow up, be happy, have a wonderful relationship, and embrace her sexuality. Ashley Herring Blake understands that it’s so incredibly crucial that queer books showcase the fact that LGBTQ+ individuals can have happy endings, too.
Finally, more than any other topic touched on in this beautiful little tale, I adored the fact that we see Ivy learn that the people who genuinely love you, and matter, will accept and support and love you, no matter what your orientation or identity falls under. She has such an incredible support system, and though they are imperfect, they do everything they can to fix their mistakes and to make her feel safe and warm.
I am so delighted to have had the chance to read an early copy of this book, and desperately hope that it is placed in every library, every school, and on the shelves of every child who has ever questioned their sexuality, or feared how the world will react to their identity. Ivy shows kids that being queer doesn’t have to mean a life of misery and fear and hiding, and that even if your friends and loved ones don’t always understand right away, if they truly need to be in your life, they will stand by you and treat you with the respect and love you deserve.
All quotes are taken from an unfinished ARC and may differ from the finished publication. Thank you to Ashley Herring Blake and Little Brown Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!
How was Ivy supposed to know how to handle all these feelings for June, all these feelings at all, if everything she saw and read about and heard about was all boy-girl, girl-boy?
Ivy is such a precious, believable little character. She is so kind and loving, but struggles with a myriad of emotions that anyone who’s ever lived through the preteen years can relate to. She is jealous of her new baby siblings, misses her mother’s undivided attention, sees her father as her hero, and wants nothing more than to go back to calling her big sister Layla her best friend. There’s just one thing about Ivy that makes her feel a little bit different from the other kids her age.
Her drawings didn’t embarrass her; they confused her. They scared her. Because she never wanted to draw a boy in those treehouses and she didn’t really understand why.
Ivy is only interested in other girls, and at the time that we meet her, she’s still questioning a little bit, but mostly just scared to admit her orientation to herself, much less the people who love her. When she develops a crush on a classmate, June, she realizes quickly that there’s a name for the confusion she’s been feeling, but her entire life is already in upheaval and she doesn’t quite know how to cope.
Normally, Layla was a good sister. Normally, she was Ivy’s friend. But normally had been sucked away by stormy drawings and tears and tornadoes.
One of the scariest aspects of coming out, for June, is her big sister’s opinion on the matter. A recent fight between Layla and her best friend – also a queer girl – has left Ivy feeling unsafe among her own family. Ashley Herring Blake weaves this beautiful portrayal of how painful it is to feel unaccepted by one’s own loved ones, and how terrifying it can be to know that a part of your identity, something you could never change even if you wanted to, could make them see you differently or love you less. I’ve been there and felt those fears, as I know most queer individuals have, and it positively made my heart ache for Ivy every time the topic was breached.
Boys ask girls to dances. Girls ask boys to dances. Ivy tried to remember a time when that didn’t happen at their school – when it was a boy and a boy or a girl and a girl – but she couldn’t.
Ivy also suffers a lot of frustrations due to the utter lack of normalization and acceptance of queer individuals in her rural Georgia town, and from one Georgia gal to another, I related so hard to everything that pained her in this aspect. I grew up knowing so few outed queer individuals that I could’ve counted them on one hand until reaching my late teens, and I saw so little representation of LGBTQ+ relationships that I didn’t even understand my own desires for a very long time. Had I been shown how healthy and normal it was for a relationship to be comprised of anything other than one cis man and one cis woman, I can’t imagine how much it would’ve improved my self-worth and views on the world as a kid.
“It wasn’t easy being a queer girl in a small southern town, much less a black queer girl in the South.”
Despite how abnormal queerness may feel to Ivy in the town she lives in, though, there is a bright light in the dark: a young black lesbian named Robin, who takes Ivy under her wing as soon as she notices that there’s something Ivy hasn’t quite come to terms with. Robin was my favorite character by far, because she was so maternal and kind, and reminded me so much of not only a figure I wished desperately I’d had as a teen, but also the kind of woman I desperately want to be for the children in my life, present or future.
“It’ll get easier.”
“Most things do.”
Robin never made Ivy feel silly, out of place, or as though she were overreacting in her fears and confusions. She also never pushed Ivy into labeling herself, and encouraged her to take some time to figure things out, explaining that there was nothing wrong with questioning your sexuality or abstaining from labels. I honestly lived for this character and everything she represented, as well as the fact that her own back story showed Ivy it was possible for a queer woman in the rural south to grow up, be happy, have a wonderful relationship, and embrace her sexuality. Ashley Herring Blake understands that it’s so incredibly crucial that queer books showcase the fact that LGBTQ+ individuals can have happy endings, too.
It was like they’d forgotten they weren’t alone in this. At least, they’d forgotten they weren’t supposed to be.
Finally, more than any other topic touched on in this beautiful little tale, I adored the fact that we see Ivy learn that the people who genuinely love you, and matter, will accept and support and love you, no matter what your orientation or identity falls under. She has such an incredible support system, and though they are imperfect, they do everything they can to fix their mistakes and to make her feel safe and warm.
Funny, Ivy thought, all the things people could survive that they never imagined they could.
I am so delighted to have had the chance to read an early copy of this book, and desperately hope that it is placed in every library, every school, and on the shelves of every child who has ever questioned their sexuality, or feared how the world will react to their identity. Ivy shows kids that being queer doesn’t have to mean a life of misery and fear and hiding, and that even if your friends and loved ones don’t always understand right away, if they truly need to be in your life, they will stand by you and treat you with the respect and love you deserve.
All quotes are taken from an unfinished ARC and may differ from the finished publication. Thank you to Ashley Herring Blake and Little Brown Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!
November 16, 2021
So when I went into this I was full expecting it to win me over with cuteness, but what I didn't expect was for this to be emotionally impactful on multiple levels.
Throughout this novel, we're following 12 year old Ivy Aberdeen who is just really going through it. The book opens with her house being literally obliterated by a tornado. On top of this, Ivy is struggling to adjust to being the middle child after the birth of her twin baby brothers and is also possibly exploring the idea that she may have feelings for girls.
Throughout this entire thing, I just really felt for Ivy, her parents are stretched incredibly thin and also trying to care for two babies, and as a result of this, they're not really able to give Ivy the support she needs right now. Trust me, I felt for the parents a lot, they're juggling like 95 plates at once, but reading from Ivy's perspective meant that I could also see every place where she needed her parents to step up and they didn't quite hit the mark.
The main plot of this, which is Ivy working through her confusing feelings with no one really available to turn to, was, in my opinion, executed flawlessly. Books like this are invaluable in showing children that heteronormative relationships are not the only relationships and all of them are okay. Overall, this was just a really beautiful and important story.
Throughout this novel, we're following 12 year old Ivy Aberdeen who is just really going through it. The book opens with her house being literally obliterated by a tornado. On top of this, Ivy is struggling to adjust to being the middle child after the birth of her twin baby brothers and is also possibly exploring the idea that she may have feelings for girls.
Throughout this entire thing, I just really felt for Ivy, her parents are stretched incredibly thin and also trying to care for two babies, and as a result of this, they're not really able to give Ivy the support she needs right now. Trust me, I felt for the parents a lot, they're juggling like 95 plates at once, but reading from Ivy's perspective meant that I could also see every place where she needed her parents to step up and they didn't quite hit the mark.
The main plot of this, which is Ivy working through her confusing feelings with no one really available to turn to, was, in my opinion, executed flawlessly. Books like this are invaluable in showing children that heteronormative relationships are not the only relationships and all of them are okay. Overall, this was just a really beautiful and important story.
July 8, 2019
5 stars.
I'll go more in depth with my thoughts later, but uh hi, sobbing in work's breakroom.
I'll go more in depth with my thoughts later, but uh hi, sobbing in work's breakroom.
April 13, 2019
hey Ashley Herring Blake.........is there like any possible way you could stop making all of us CRY
[4.5]
[4.5]
April 17, 2020
Wholesome is the best word to describe this book.
A queer story that will make you relate, hurt, sympathize, root, but more than anything grow.
Amazing character development.
This is the sexuality exploration middle grade I always needed it but never had.
-
What better in this quarantine than reading a queer middle grade to lift the spirits? Nothing, yeah I thought so. So excited.💖 💖 💖 💖 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
A queer story that will make you relate, hurt, sympathize, root, but more than anything grow.
Amazing character development.
This is the sexuality exploration middle grade I always needed it but never had.
-
What better in this quarantine than reading a queer middle grade to lift the spirits? Nothing, yeah I thought so. So excited.💖 💖 💖 💖 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
June 10, 2018
Some words to describe this book: Perfect. Beautiful. Poignant. Necessary. Long overdue.
I loved it! So many thanks to the author for writing it.
I loved it! So many thanks to the author for writing it.
October 18, 2018
I was on the verge of tears or actually crying the entire time while reading this book. Wow.
October 11, 2019
Ivy Aberdeen is struggling with feeling invisible in her family—her mom is busy with Ivy’s new twin brothers. Things get worse when a tornado destroys their home, displacing the family. In the aftermath, Ivy—an artist—loses a notebook filled her most precious drawings. When they start showing up in her locker with notes attached, Ivy realizes the note-leaver may be on to what Ivy can barely voice herself: she has crushes and dreams about girls. Can Ivy make herself seen and follow her heart?
"How was Ivy supposed to know how to handle all these feelings... all these feelings at all, if everything she saw and read about and heard was all boy-girl, girl-boy?"
I genuinely don’t know what we did to deserve Ashley Herring Blake, but we are lucky. She’s become one of my favorite authors. This unique middle grade novel (Ivy is 12) is yet another beautifully written book from Blake that tells a story so many kids need to hear.
And Ivy. Oh Ivy. I loved this kid. She goes through so much, and we see her present tough, real feelings. She’s artistic, resilient, and witty. And, oh yeah, she likes girls. It’s just the best sort of representation in the world, you know? I wish this was on the shelves and being read in every middle school.
This book is lovely, real, and tells an invaluable story. It’s so funny and sweet, and I honestly would recommend it for everyone.
Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ PaperBackSwap ~ Smashbomb
"How was Ivy supposed to know how to handle all these feelings... all these feelings at all, if everything she saw and read about and heard was all boy-girl, girl-boy?"
I genuinely don’t know what we did to deserve Ashley Herring Blake, but we are lucky. She’s become one of my favorite authors. This unique middle grade novel (Ivy is 12) is yet another beautifully written book from Blake that tells a story so many kids need to hear.
And Ivy. Oh Ivy. I loved this kid. She goes through so much, and we see her present tough, real feelings. She’s artistic, resilient, and witty. And, oh yeah, she likes girls. It’s just the best sort of representation in the world, you know? I wish this was on the shelves and being read in every middle school.
This book is lovely, real, and tells an invaluable story. It’s so funny and sweet, and I honestly would recommend it for everyone.
Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ PaperBackSwap ~ Smashbomb
September 10, 2018
How was Ivy supposed to know how to handle all these feelings for June, all these feelings at all, if everything she saw and read about and heard about was all boy-girl, girl-boy?
This review is actually taking me a while to write because of how personal this book felt to me, I go into it in my full review here: https://lowlightlibrary.wordpress.com...
One of the main parts to this book is Ivy growing up thinking that what she is feeling isn't normal because she has never seen it before. Another part is the fact that her house and family have been affected by a tornado. The two storylines together work well in portraying this character who feels so lonely in a situation where everything is busy. Ivy feels alone because of this secret (and other factors, which add to the story but is better to just find out what when you read it).
I don't know why but I always assume the writing of a middle-grade would be a part of the book I'd just have to put up with because it's aimed at younger readers, and whilst this is certainly suitable for the age group, the writing was actually one of my favourite things about this novel. Ashley Herring Blake is able to write so lyrically to create this atmosphere and setting whilst still keeping us grounded in this real world.
This book is one that I encourage people to buy for younger audiences, maybe donating it to your local library or local primary school so there is more of a chance of it falling into the hands of a kid who really needs to hear that drawing two girls holding hands isn't as weird as they initially thought.
Happiness, She wished her mom could see her right now because unhappy was the last word Ivy would use to describe herself.
This review is actually taking me a while to write because of how personal this book felt to me, I go into it in my full review here: https://lowlightlibrary.wordpress.com...
One of the main parts to this book is Ivy growing up thinking that what she is feeling isn't normal because she has never seen it before. Another part is the fact that her house and family have been affected by a tornado. The two storylines together work well in portraying this character who feels so lonely in a situation where everything is busy. Ivy feels alone because of this secret (and other factors, which add to the story but is better to just find out what when you read it).
I don't know why but I always assume the writing of a middle-grade would be a part of the book I'd just have to put up with because it's aimed at younger readers, and whilst this is certainly suitable for the age group, the writing was actually one of my favourite things about this novel. Ashley Herring Blake is able to write so lyrically to create this atmosphere and setting whilst still keeping us grounded in this real world.
This book is one that I encourage people to buy for younger audiences, maybe donating it to your local library or local primary school so there is more of a chance of it falling into the hands of a kid who really needs to hear that drawing two girls holding hands isn't as weird as they initially thought.
Happiness, She wished her mom could see her right now because unhappy was the last word Ivy would use to describe herself.
December 6, 2018
This book is so perfect and beautiful and soft and thoughtful—the queer middle grade that kids have deserved for a long, long time. There was *nothing* I didn't love about this triumphant love letter to self-acceptance °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
January 7, 2023
✩ 3 stars
What did I like?
There were not many especially dull moments, and I did enjoy just...reading it. Though, I think I would have enjoyed this way more if I was reading this in elementary school. I loved semi-emotional contemporary middle grades when I was age 8-10, so I would have loved this book so much back then. I went into the book with very low expectations but came out kind of pleasantly surprised.
What did I not like?
The main characters were 12 but they acted 8 years old and everything was just so cringy.
We were supposed to feel bad for Ivy because her home got destroyed in a tornado and while dealing with that she lost a notebook that was holding a secret she did not want to spread. However, I just couldn't deal with that girl. I know her struggles are real, but for some reason it still really bugged me.
Ivy didn’t even have the mental capacity to think the word crush. In this book crush was: 'a word that started with c and rhymed with brush.' Oh, I cringed so hard.
Also, the whole thing where Ivy was being pressured to come out was slightly sickening. The story never made it clear to readers that it is wrong to pressure someone to come out. It did talk about how coming out was hard, but I still feel that the message wasn't conveyed enough
"You can have your notebook back when you talk to someone about it." was what the anonymous note giver said. They tried to encourage Ivy by being nice and saying "If it helps I think your drawings are pretty "
It was an overall slightly better than mediocre book. It was most definitely easier to enjoy than I thought it would be, but, as I said, it did have quite a few annoying moments. I wouldn't tell people that it's horrible to read, but I wouldn't recommend it either.
What did I like?
There were not many especially dull moments, and I did enjoy just...reading it. Though, I think I would have enjoyed this way more if I was reading this in elementary school. I loved semi-emotional contemporary middle grades when I was age 8-10, so I would have loved this book so much back then. I went into the book with very low expectations but came out kind of pleasantly surprised.
What did I not like?
The main characters were 12 but they acted 8 years old and everything was just so cringy.
We were supposed to feel bad for Ivy because her home got destroyed in a tornado and while dealing with that she lost a notebook that was holding a secret she did not want to spread. However, I just couldn't deal with that girl. I know her struggles are real, but for some reason it still really bugged me.
Ivy didn’t even have the mental capacity to think the word crush. In this book crush was: 'a word that started with c and rhymed with brush.' Oh, I cringed so hard.
Also, the whole thing where Ivy was being pressured to come out was slightly sickening. The story never made it clear to readers that it is wrong to pressure someone to come out. It did talk about how coming out was hard, but I still feel that the message wasn't conveyed enough
"You can have your notebook back when you talk to someone about it." was what the anonymous note giver said. They tried to encourage Ivy by being nice and saying "If it helps I think your drawings are pretty "
It was an overall slightly better than mediocre book. It was most definitely easier to enjoy than I thought it would be, but, as I said, it did have quite a few annoying moments. I wouldn't tell people that it's horrible to read, but I wouldn't recommend it either.
August 25, 2018
I loved this book so much that I ordered everything Blake has written immediately after finishing it. If her other work is half as good, she'll be one of my "must read" authors forever.
April 13, 2018
READ MY REVIEW FOR IVY ABERDEEN'S LETTER TO THE WORLD, AND OTHERS, ON MY BLOG
Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World was a book I knew I was going to love before I even started it. I have read two others of Ashley Herring Blake’s works and loved them. Ashley has a talent of incorporating as much as feeling into her books as possible so you have no choice but to feel connected to her characters. Her books feel so short to me since I’ve read them all in one sitting, but they’re so damn good. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World was no different. I was so blown away by the beautiful writing, the emotions, the representation of mental health in a young person and just the connection of every character.
Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World opens with a tornado raining down on her town. I’ve lived through a couple of cyclones (the Australian equivalent) and they were scary as heck. This tornado was so much worse than anything I’ve ever experienced and I was crying. What happens to the Aberdeen’s though is that their entire house is destroyed. They’re homeless. They end up in a hotel, where the owner is a lovely woman who’s girlfriend is coming to live with her soon. As the book continues Ivy deals with her own sexuality and the feeling of isolation in her own family. I truly believe there is something for everyone in Ashley Herring Blake’s books, and this one is no exception.
L I K E S
✗ STRONG FAMILY TIES
This review is high key just going to be praising Ashley Herring Blake. Ashley knows how to write a good family. No one is perfect and they’re always messy. There are problems interwoven into every family and a lot of books don’t accurately explain this. This particular book highlights the importance of family, but also how you don’t always feel included and that can be a bit shitty. I know I’ve had moments where I don’t feel as if I’m included in my own family and it really bloody sucks.
Despite all the messy stuff that happens in the book the family ties are so strong. Really. As Ivy struggles with her identity it felt so important that she had her family. They make mistakes and with her being the middle child she is sometimes forgotten or labeled as too young but in the end it’s family that matters in the book.
✗ GOOD FRIENDSHIPS
This is similar to my last point. The friendships are a bit messy, yes. But, they are so important to the story. They have their problems and the characters make mistakes and accidentally end up hurting each other but it’s because they care. You have to remember as well, since this is a middle grade the characters make mistakes and are also young. You really can’t critique their actions because this is how people act at this particular age.
✗ ADORABLE STORY
This is one of the most adorable stories I have read to date. I smiled, a laughed, I cried and I was so damn happy by the time I finished it. It was amazing. I don’t know why this book affected me so much but it felt perfect honestly. I think the best part of this story was that when it ends you know it’s not over for Ivy Aberdeen. She has a long road of life to go and it will be a journey, but a journey I would desperately like to read about.
I really can’t put into words how much this story made me feel and I hate it, because I want the world to know just how important Ashley Herring Blake’s books are to the world. They need to be read.
✗ MADE ME CRY
Believe it or not, I was crying about 3% into this book. I was so heartbroken by the writing. The feelings that Ivy had towards her family’s home being destroyed in Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter To the World. I am a big crybaby but of late I haven’t been crying a lot – it’s a shock. So, when I started bawling during this book I was both confused and amazed.
D I S L I K E S
✗ I REALLY CANT THINK OF A FLAW
This is a little embarrassing, I literally can’t think of a flaw for this book. I have sat here for about thirty minutes thinking about a point in this book that I didn’t enjoy. I have nothing. It was basically a perfect middle grade story that you can fly through. I know it seems as if I’m sucking up the ass of the author by not adding a flaw (yeah, low key am oops) but I truly can’t think of something. I read this book in under two hours and the rollercoaster of emotion it took me on was so damn beautiful.
Overall, Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World is one of my favourite books of this year. I am so happy I had the chance to read it because I enjoyed it more than I could have ever though. I can’t recommend this highly enough, even if middle grade or contemporary isn’t a genre you typically reach for. You should reach for this. It’s the perfect story of a teen dealing with her identity while displaced and I just…I have no words. Ashley Herring Blake is truly one of the most talented authors I have had the pleasure of reading
Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World was a book I knew I was going to love before I even started it. I have read two others of Ashley Herring Blake’s works and loved them. Ashley has a talent of incorporating as much as feeling into her books as possible so you have no choice but to feel connected to her characters. Her books feel so short to me since I’ve read them all in one sitting, but they’re so damn good. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World was no different. I was so blown away by the beautiful writing, the emotions, the representation of mental health in a young person and just the connection of every character.
Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World opens with a tornado raining down on her town. I’ve lived through a couple of cyclones (the Australian equivalent) and they were scary as heck. This tornado was so much worse than anything I’ve ever experienced and I was crying. What happens to the Aberdeen’s though is that their entire house is destroyed. They’re homeless. They end up in a hotel, where the owner is a lovely woman who’s girlfriend is coming to live with her soon. As the book continues Ivy deals with her own sexuality and the feeling of isolation in her own family. I truly believe there is something for everyone in Ashley Herring Blake’s books, and this one is no exception.
L I K E S
✗ STRONG FAMILY TIES
This review is high key just going to be praising Ashley Herring Blake. Ashley knows how to write a good family. No one is perfect and they’re always messy. There are problems interwoven into every family and a lot of books don’t accurately explain this. This particular book highlights the importance of family, but also how you don’t always feel included and that can be a bit shitty. I know I’ve had moments where I don’t feel as if I’m included in my own family and it really bloody sucks.
Despite all the messy stuff that happens in the book the family ties are so strong. Really. As Ivy struggles with her identity it felt so important that she had her family. They make mistakes and with her being the middle child she is sometimes forgotten or labeled as too young but in the end it’s family that matters in the book.
✗ GOOD FRIENDSHIPS
This is similar to my last point. The friendships are a bit messy, yes. But, they are so important to the story. They have their problems and the characters make mistakes and accidentally end up hurting each other but it’s because they care. You have to remember as well, since this is a middle grade the characters make mistakes and are also young. You really can’t critique their actions because this is how people act at this particular age.
✗ ADORABLE STORY
This is one of the most adorable stories I have read to date. I smiled, a laughed, I cried and I was so damn happy by the time I finished it. It was amazing. I don’t know why this book affected me so much but it felt perfect honestly. I think the best part of this story was that when it ends you know it’s not over for Ivy Aberdeen. She has a long road of life to go and it will be a journey, but a journey I would desperately like to read about.
I really can’t put into words how much this story made me feel and I hate it, because I want the world to know just how important Ashley Herring Blake’s books are to the world. They need to be read.
✗ MADE ME CRY
Believe it or not, I was crying about 3% into this book. I was so heartbroken by the writing. The feelings that Ivy had towards her family’s home being destroyed in Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter To the World. I am a big crybaby but of late I haven’t been crying a lot – it’s a shock. So, when I started bawling during this book I was both confused and amazed.
D I S L I K E S
✗ I REALLY CANT THINK OF A FLAW
This is a little embarrassing, I literally can’t think of a flaw for this book. I have sat here for about thirty minutes thinking about a point in this book that I didn’t enjoy. I have nothing. It was basically a perfect middle grade story that you can fly through. I know it seems as if I’m sucking up the ass of the author by not adding a flaw (yeah, low key am oops) but I truly can’t think of something. I read this book in under two hours and the rollercoaster of emotion it took me on was so damn beautiful.
Overall, Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World is one of my favourite books of this year. I am so happy I had the chance to read it because I enjoyed it more than I could have ever though. I can’t recommend this highly enough, even if middle grade or contemporary isn’t a genre you typically reach for. You should reach for this. It’s the perfect story of a teen dealing with her identity while displaced and I just…I have no words. Ashley Herring Blake is truly one of the most talented authors I have had the pleasure of reading
August 5, 2019
VIDEO RESEÑA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVKuP...
Es un gran libro y estoy seguro de que si lo hubiese leído con 12 años me hubiese cambiado la vida... pero lamentablemente considero que llegó demasiado tarde a mis manos. Me costó engancharme y me aburrió mucho hasta que por fin captó mi atención para las últimas 50 páginas. Le di un puntaje alto porque como dije, es un buen libro, solo que a esta altura no llegó a aportarme nada que ya no sepa de antemano. Los personajes y la situación que atraviesa Ivy durante el libro son tal cual los sentimientos y pensamientos que cruzaban mi cabeza cuando apenas comenzaba a cuestionarme mi sexualidad. Aplaudo lo bien que está llevado a término y la ternura que aporta la narración. Lo recomiendo principalmente para edades entre los 10 y 14 años, aunque también considero que podría ser de muchísima ayuda que lo lean padres con hijos en edad escolar.
Es un gran libro y estoy seguro de que si lo hubiese leído con 12 años me hubiese cambiado la vida... pero lamentablemente considero que llegó demasiado tarde a mis manos. Me costó engancharme y me aburrió mucho hasta que por fin captó mi atención para las últimas 50 páginas. Le di un puntaje alto porque como dije, es un buen libro, solo que a esta altura no llegó a aportarme nada que ya no sepa de antemano. Los personajes y la situación que atraviesa Ivy durante el libro son tal cual los sentimientos y pensamientos que cruzaban mi cabeza cuando apenas comenzaba a cuestionarme mi sexualidad. Aplaudo lo bien que está llevado a término y la ternura que aporta la narración. Lo recomiendo principalmente para edades entre los 10 y 14 años, aunque también considero que podría ser de muchísima ayuda que lo lean padres con hijos en edad escolar.
September 9, 2019
this was so wholesome and yet emotional 😭 let me just curl into a ball and hug it to my chest
April 29, 2018
Dewey's #Readathon Book 3 - Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World is the perfect book for questioning girls, and I'm not ashamed to say this book made me tear up. It makes discovering your sexuality a normal yet complex concept without being too heavy-handed, and not just about the romance and happy endings, but about the confidence to be yourself. Family issues and friendships are also integrated nicely into the story in a way that feels honest. This was a lovely, wonderful book to end on for the #readathon.
October 7, 2019
Woah I listened to the entire audiobook almost in one go (I listened to the first chapter before bed and then listened to the rest this morning).
This is one where I actually wasn't loving it at the beginning. I considered putting it aside and listening to something else, but I'm really glad I pushed through that initial wariness. My initial feelings, I think, were because I really wasn't liking how Ivy's sister was treating her. Ivy has lost her "baby of the family" status and is also realizing she thinks about other girls how her best friend thinks about boys. She's going through a lot especially with losing their home, and Ivy's sister was being so annoying. BUT I think it was done really well since you see how Ivy's feelings about her familial relationships change and develop over the course of the story. The author did a great job with this element especially.
I ended up being totally invested in finding out what would happen and who had Ivy's notebook. Again, so much so that I listened to the audiobook devotedly this morning during my drive back to school and before class. The ending was fantastic as well. Ivy Aberdeen is truly resilient, and I love her for it.
This is one where I actually wasn't loving it at the beginning. I considered putting it aside and listening to something else, but I'm really glad I pushed through that initial wariness. My initial feelings, I think, were because I really wasn't liking how Ivy's sister was treating her. Ivy has lost her "baby of the family" status and is also realizing she thinks about other girls how her best friend thinks about boys. She's going through a lot especially with losing their home, and Ivy's sister was being so annoying. BUT I think it was done really well since you see how Ivy's feelings about her familial relationships change and develop over the course of the story. The author did a great job with this element especially.
I ended up being totally invested in finding out what would happen and who had Ivy's notebook. Again, so much so that I listened to the audiobook devotedly this morning during my drive back to school and before class. The ending was fantastic as well. Ivy Aberdeen is truly resilient, and I love her for it.
August 23, 2018
This is a beautiful, emotionally pitch perfect book about Ivy, a 12-year-old dealing with a lot: she's feeling left out of her family with two new twin babies; a tornado destroyed their house; she's realizing that she likes girls instead of boys. After the tornado, Ivy's notebook that has drawings revealing her feelings for girls goes missing. The way this book resists the urge to tie everything up in too neat a bow is lovely. The way this book dealt honestly and compassionately with its characters, young and old, reminded me a lot of Jo Knowles's See You at Harry's, another great LGBTQ middle grade novel!
April 27, 2019
listen, I've been sobbing for like an hour now I'm so TENDER
Read
December 6, 2025Sweet, but underwhelming.
12-year-old Ivy has her home destroyed by a tornado. They are forced to find temporary lodgings which strains their chaotic family and leaves Ivy feeling alone and invisible.
Then, Ivy’s drawings of girls holding hands mysteriously reappear in her locker with notes encouraging her to be herself compounded by her secret girl crush.
I think this could be especially moving to younger readers who feel alone in their identity. In terms of family, friendship, and sexuality. In a heteronormative world, new feelings can feel confusing and push you further to the margins.
I am not the right age for this, hence my non-rating.
I wonder if the tornado was the inciting incident, but also a metaphor for puberty and growing up.
I just think this was too short for me to feel attached to the story or characters.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
12-year-old Ivy has her home destroyed by a tornado. They are forced to find temporary lodgings which strains their chaotic family and leaves Ivy feeling alone and invisible.
Then, Ivy’s drawings of girls holding hands mysteriously reappear in her locker with notes encouraging her to be herself compounded by her secret girl crush.
I think this could be especially moving to younger readers who feel alone in their identity. In terms of family, friendship, and sexuality. In a heteronormative world, new feelings can feel confusing and push you further to the margins.
I am not the right age for this, hence my non-rating.
I wonder if the tornado was the inciting incident, but also a metaphor for puberty and growing up.
I just think this was too short for me to feel attached to the story or characters.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
March 21, 2022
Ashley Herring Blake writes beautiful books. Having read a few and really liking them, I was not at all disappointed by this middle teen novel about Ivy, her family, her feelings of isolation, her art and finding how to belong when she likes girls.
The powerful beginning, where she and her family have to run to their underground shelter as tornado sirens are going in a big storm. When they emerge, the home their father grew up in is completely gone, leveled during the storm. The feelings of everyone involved are obviously full on, especially as Ivy has twin baby brothers and an older sister who she no longer connects with. From the beginning emotions are high and Ivy feels estranged from her own family, her mother's seeming total involvement with the twins, as they move into a single hotel room to live, all six of them.
'But if it was really okay, Ivy thought she should also feel okay, and she didn’t. She felt like a pumpkin whose innards have been scooped out for Halloween.'
Ms Blake sensitively has Ivy, our narrator, trying to understand what is happening to her, especially when she develops a crush on her new friend June and to deal with her best friend as well, who she moves in with to give her family some space.
For me there were a lot of tissues involved as the story unfolds. I completely was involved and loved all the characters, the issues and how Ms Blake dealt with them. Not my usual genre of books, but wonderful to read and enjoy. Good stuff.
The powerful beginning, where she and her family have to run to their underground shelter as tornado sirens are going in a big storm. When they emerge, the home their father grew up in is completely gone, leveled during the storm. The feelings of everyone involved are obviously full on, especially as Ivy has twin baby brothers and an older sister who she no longer connects with. From the beginning emotions are high and Ivy feels estranged from her own family, her mother's seeming total involvement with the twins, as they move into a single hotel room to live, all six of them.
'But if it was really okay, Ivy thought she should also feel okay, and she didn’t. She felt like a pumpkin whose innards have been scooped out for Halloween.'
Ms Blake sensitively has Ivy, our narrator, trying to understand what is happening to her, especially when she develops a crush on her new friend June and to deal with her best friend as well, who she moves in with to give her family some space.
For me there were a lot of tissues involved as the story unfolds. I completely was involved and loved all the characters, the issues and how Ms Blake dealt with them. Not my usual genre of books, but wonderful to read and enjoy. Good stuff.
February 7, 2019
This book! THIS BOOK!! Oh my gosh this book was so sweet, and touching, and beautiful, and I have so many feelings! This book made me laugh and cry and everything in between. I adored this book.
And it warms my heart to see such an unapologetically queer middle grade book. I feel like there's far less queer middle grades than there is queer YA, and we need to start seeing more middle grade books like this. And this book is just... it's so good. I cannot recommend this book enough (both for younger kids and older readers). It was truly spectacular.
RTC.
And it warms my heart to see such an unapologetically queer middle grade book. I feel like there's far less queer middle grades than there is queer YA, and we need to start seeing more middle grade books like this. And this book is just... it's so good. I cannot recommend this book enough (both for younger kids and older readers). It was truly spectacular.
RTC.
September 30, 2024
book broke my heart AND mended it ☹️☹️☹️☹️
July 23, 2018
This review was first posted on my blog, The Thoughtful Voice!
I didn't expect to enjoy this book so much, but it was an absolutely beautiful and gorgeous story.
Even though Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World is a middle grade book, I honestly think that this book is one that everyone should read, because it is such an important story that’s beautifully told through the eyes of a 12-year-old girl. Please add it to your TBR if you haven’t already; it is such a beautiful read that is worthy of your attention.
What I liked
- THE WRITING. IT WAS GORGEOUS AND BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING AND AHHHH IDEK I JUST REALLY LOVED IT. THERE WERE SO MANY QUOTES THAT RESONATED WITH ME AND MADE ME FEEL. (I’ll be including a lot of my favorite quotes in this post.)
- I loved how, throughout the book, Ashley Herring Blake compared for Ivy’s feelings for a girl to a storm, because a tornado was what changed her life forever, both on the outside and inside. And when you’re questioning yourself and your identity, you definitely feel conflicted and stormy inside.
- Drawing, writing, creativity, and expressing yourself through art were prominent themes of this book, which I loved. I really enjoyed the scenes where Ivy and June were drawing and writing together.
- It addressed the struggles of being a middle child and feeling forgotten and unimportant in your own family.
- All of the characters were amazing. Of course, they had flaws, but the character development was A+ and I loved them all by the end of the book.
- I really loved Robin in particular!! She was definitely one of my favorite characters; she was such an inspiring and supportive adult figure to Ivy. She didn’t try to pressure Ivy to label herself and told her that it is perfectly normal to be unsure of her identity, and that is such an important message to send to questioning readers.
- Ivy often grew frustrated that heterosexuality was the norm/default. (So relatable.)
The ending wasn’t what I’d expected. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’m going to be vague, but the ending surprised me (in a good way) and I still really liked it!! 🙂
Ivy grew so much and learned a lot about herself by the end of the book, and she finally realized how she belonged in her family. Her character development was absolutely beautiful and made me so happy. 😊
What I disliked
- NOTHING. Like, literally nothing. I loved EVERYTHING about this book.
(Ok, there might’ve been some parts that I didn’t really connect to, but I really can’t think of any right now, because this book was overall SO amazing that there isn’t really anything to dislike.)
I enjoyed reading Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World so much; nothing I write can do it justice tbh. Please read this heartwarming and beautiful book if you haven’t already; you won’t regret it. ❤️
Thank you so much for reading this review! I hope you enjoyed it. 💗 (Lol my overly critical self is telling me that this review sucked and was all over the place…can you tell that I literally have no self-confidence? Whoops. :’) )
I didn't expect to enjoy this book so much, but it was an absolutely beautiful and gorgeous story.
Even though Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World is a middle grade book, I honestly think that this book is one that everyone should read, because it is such an important story that’s beautifully told through the eyes of a 12-year-old girl. Please add it to your TBR if you haven’t already; it is such a beautiful read that is worthy of your attention.
What I liked
- THE WRITING. IT WAS GORGEOUS AND BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING AND AHHHH IDEK I JUST REALLY LOVED IT. THERE WERE SO MANY QUOTES THAT RESONATED WITH ME AND MADE ME FEEL. (I’ll be including a lot of my favorite quotes in this post.)
- I loved how, throughout the book, Ashley Herring Blake compared for Ivy’s feelings for a girl to a storm, because a tornado was what changed her life forever, both on the outside and inside. And when you’re questioning yourself and your identity, you definitely feel conflicted and stormy inside.
“She slammed the locker shut, her belly full of lightning. But not just her belly – her fingertips and toes, eyes and ears – lightning and thunder and bone-soaking rain and darkening clouds.”
- Drawing, writing, creativity, and expressing yourself through art were prominent themes of this book, which I loved. I really enjoyed the scenes where Ivy and June were drawing and writing together.
- It addressed the struggles of being a middle child and feeling forgotten and unimportant in your own family.
- All of the characters were amazing. Of course, they had flaws, but the character development was A+ and I loved them all by the end of the book.
- I really loved Robin in particular!! She was definitely one of my favorite characters; she was such an inspiring and supportive adult figure to Ivy. She didn’t try to pressure Ivy to label herself and told her that it is perfectly normal to be unsure of her identity, and that is such an important message to send to questioning readers.
“‘If a person was questioning all this stuff, that person doesn’t have to know all the answers. They don’t have to be sure about anything. They don’t have to label themselves as anything but a human being if they don’t want to…That person can just let themselves feel and think about what they need to. It’s okay to wonder. To be curious. And it’s okay to be sure too.”
- Ivy often grew frustrated that heterosexuality was the norm/default. (So relatable.)
“How was Ivy supposed to handle all these feelings for June, all these feelings at all, if everything she saw and read about and heard about was all boy-girl, girl-boy?”
“It made Ivy so mad that June didn’t already know. It made Ivy so angry that she had to reveal this part of herself, that she couldn’t just be and let that be okay and enough.”
The ending wasn’t what I’d expected. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’m going to be vague, but the ending surprised me (in a good way) and I still really liked it!! 🙂
Ivy grew so much and learned a lot about herself by the end of the book, and she finally realized how she belonged in her family. Her character development was absolutely beautiful and made me so happy. 😊
“There were dozens of pictures, drawings of the things that made Ivy happy, self-portraits, all the colors of her world, all the things that made her feel like her. Liking girls was part of that, but it wasn’t everything. It was one piece in a bigger puzzle, and when you put all the pieces together, there was Ivy.”
“A girl who was sure about who she was. A girl who wasn’t afraid or ashamed, even if a time came again when she wasn’t sure so anymore. Because Ivy knew that wondering was what life was about. Wondering was how you found yourself.”
What I disliked
- NOTHING. Like, literally nothing. I loved EVERYTHING about this book.
(Ok, there might’ve been some parts that I didn’t really connect to, but I really can’t think of any right now, because this book was overall SO amazing that there isn’t really anything to dislike.)
I enjoyed reading Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World so much; nothing I write can do it justice tbh. Please read this heartwarming and beautiful book if you haven’t already; you won’t regret it. ❤️
Thank you so much for reading this review! I hope you enjoyed it. 💗 (Lol my overly critical self is telling me that this review sucked and was all over the place…can you tell that I literally have no self-confidence? Whoops. :’) )
December 8, 2023
It wouldn’t be perfect. Ivy wasn’t sure that perfect existed. Because this family stuff, this life stuff, it was messy. Maybe perfect was just another word for belonging. For feeling like yourself. It didn’t mean things weren’t hard. It just meant they were right. It just meant that eventually things would get better, and make more sense, that your heart wouldn’t always feel so lonely.
It meant safe.
It meant okay.
Ugh. It's books like these that make me sad that I wasn't a born reader.
3.5 stars.
It meant safe.
It meant okay.
Ugh. It's books like these that make me sad that I wasn't a born reader.
3.5 stars.
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