Iva Honeysuckle Discovers the World

March 5, 2012
Ransom (The Old Blue Pickup Truck) attempts a humorous, affecting story about a wacky, brave, and determined eight-year-old with mixed success. Iva Honeysuckle announces her life’s ambition early on: to become a “famous discoverer,” beginning by “finding the buried gold her great-grandfather Ludwell Honeycutt spent his whole life looking for.” Some of her misadventures are of her own making; others are provoked by her irritating, tattletale, double-first cousin (her parents married siblings), Heaven, and are mildly amusing at best. Iva’s and Heaven’s mothers each bore three children of similar ages and live next door to each other, so their kids could become best friends; only Iva refuses to cooperate, and, given Heaven’s unsympathetic disposition, readers will fully understand why. While the premise of Iva’s family situation, personality, and ambition has potential, the book suffers from a lack of development in both character and plot, and is peppered with distractingly offbeat names (Cazy Sparkle, Euple Free, Walser Compton, Swannanoah Priddy). The reconciliation between the cousins is not very credible. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 7–10. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary.

February 1, 2012
Eight-year-old Iva Honeycutt dreams of being a discoverer--and she's sure her great-grandfather Ludwell's treasure map, if not her unreliable dog Sweetlips, will help make that wish come true. Iva considers herself to be "interesting, different"--even by the standards of Uncertain, Va., and its eccentric cast of characters, from taxidermist and tax man Mr. Priddy to her mouth-breathing cousin Heaven. Iva can't stand Heaven--she tattles, prays out loud and even steals her best friend. Iva's evolving relationship with this long-dreaded cousin and her obsession with finding the gold General Braddock buried during the French and Indian War propel the pleasantly rambling story, but the real treasure here is the fresh, quirky characterization of Iva and the comical reflection of a Southern family that embraces Johnny Cash, Korea, and streaking... and that's just at breakfast. Though crayon colors are contemporary, the excessively applied figurative language feels old-fashioned, with expressions like "one red cent" and "hotter than smoke from a locomotive." Expressions like "marks" (vs. grades) and "a fat lot" even add a curiously English flair to the goings-on. Ross' expressive, cartoonish black-and-white sketches are just goofy enough to fit the story's exuberance. A breezy, wide-open window into the turbulent heart of a dramatic third-grade adventurer and her small-town Virginia community. (Fiction. 9-11)

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April 1, 2012

Gr 2-4-In the summer after third grade, Iva Honeycutt gives herself the new name "Honeysuckle" to go with her new identity as a "discoverer" and vows to find a Revolutionary War treasure she believes is buried in her town. She faces the obstacle of her own inexperience and the ubiquitous and unwanted presence of her cousin, Heaven. The treasure she finally finds is satisfaction in the effort and a realization that Heaven isn't so bad after all. Ransom complicates the story by dipping into her own Southern history to frame the narrative elements. First, the family: sisters, who married brothers, live next door to each other and then synchronized their childbearing so each baby would have a double-first-cousin-best-friend. In their town, Uncertain, grade-school children roam free and run errands on their own and have elderly widows for best friends, and every tertiary character has a memorable Southern name. Without any grounding in a historical period, all the talk of embroidered pillowcases and crocheted toilet-tissue covers will be lost on the intended audience, resonating mostly with middle-aged readers with a soft spot for their own bygone days. The story is well told, despite the confusion, touching on issues of self-sufficiency, pride, and forgiveness. For larger collections.-Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC

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