Kasey & Ivy

February 1, 2018

Gr 4-6-When 12-year-old Kasey learns she is to stay at a hospital for a month after being diagnosed with a rare bone disease, she is scared, lonely, and the youngest person on the floor. Missing the last few days of school and the first few weeks of summer, Kasey longs for the more relaxed, final days of the school year, and the endearing chaos of her busy home. Writing letters to her best friend, Nina, is her only way of coping with the long, sleepless nights, the listless days, and her germy surroundings. As Kasey and her I.V. bag, whom she affectionately nicknames Ivy, explore the ward, she begins to connect with the nurses and other hospital patients. Hughes has written a realistic fiction novel that will appeal to many. Kasey's wit and liveliness come to life through her letters to Nina, and Kasey's fears, including being alone at night, clowns, and painful I.V. changes, allow readers to empathize along with her. A serious tone tugs down the pages, yet Hughes's story is punctuated with silly and, at times, heartwarming vignettes. VERDICT Hand to young readers who ask for "sad stories"; this will satisfy their reading tastes and will bring a smile to their faces. Recommended.-Amy McInerney, Falmouth Elementary School, ME

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2018
Kasey Morgan is 12 and has received the worst possible news.She has found out that she has a bacterial infection in her bones and will have to stay in the hospital for an entire month over, wait for it, summer vacation! On top of that, she is the only child staying in the geriatric ward, which is full of scary old people, and she's permanently attached to her IV unit, which she dubs Ivy, "which is prettier and friendlier." Slowly, Kasey's perspective on her fellow patients changes as she becomes accustomed to their quirks and even befriends 94-year-old Missy Wong, the unit's oldest patient. The book is written in the form of letters to her friend in the outside world, Nina. Kasey's observational humor and snarky attitude will have readers chuckling. Hughes (Hit the Ground Running, 2017, etc.) reveals in her acknowledgments that she spent a month in a hospital as a child, and she translates that effortlessly for readers, communicating Kasey's fear and vulnerability as well as that sense that she must put on a brave front for the sake of the adults around her. While only Kasey really comes to life in three dimensions, and the possibly Chinese Missy Wong is the only nonwhite character, the book nevertheless effectively explains geriatric illness for an audience that has probably never considered it, and the glimpses of the lives of older people that generate empathy in Kasey may do so for readers as well.A surprisingly funny look at a subject readers may think is anything but. (Fiction. 8-12)

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March 1, 2018
Grades 4-7 A small red lump on my leg, and poof! There goes half of summer vacation, writes 12-year-old Kasey. After being diagnosed with a rare bone disease that she barely comprehends ( osteo-something-something-itis ), Kasey is forced into an unexpected month-long hospital stay in the geriatric ward, getting high doses of drugs through an IV that she affectionately names Ivy. But it's soooooo boring there. Plus, old people are creepy, everything is germy, and the food is gag-worthy. Her only entertainment is drafting letters to her friend Nina. Told in 26 of these letters, all from Kasey's unflinchingly honest point of view, the story details her journey from diagnosis to bone scan to hospitalization to release, and all the moments in between. The story suffers from its gimmicky letter-writing framework, but the well-paced narrative has some lovely, intimate moments. Kasey's slow and subtle change into someone who is capable of feeling genuine affection and warmth for her fellow geriatric-ward residents is a journey worth experiencing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)