Somebody Stop Ivy Pocket

March 1, 2016
Everyone's favorite maid of mass destruction is back, so baddies beware! Like Oliver Twist but with decidedly more delusions of grandeur, former maid Ivy Pocket (last seen in Anyone but Ivy Pocket, 2015) finds herself newly adopted by a pair of nefarious coffin makers. Not that Ivy, impervious to hints and clues, is capable of noticing their dire deeds, even though she's surrounded by villains on every side (a malicious ghost, a familiar face in disguise, and a vengeful sister). Ivy has two remarkable possessions; a magical Clock Diamond that allows wearers to travel between dimensions and a trademark hubris that lends her a strange sort of invincibility. When she discovers that an old friend is trapped in another world, it's Ivy's headstrong bravery that is both her downfall and her salvation. Ivy's self-delusions have become more comforting than annoying in this second adventure. Though she is drugged, hunted, and trapped in a madhouse, nothing leaves so much as a mark on her chipper worldview. Krisp's writing also proves to be as hilarious as ever ("I...began thrashing the carpet as if it were a wayward son who had just lost the family estate, and quite possibly his pants, in a rather thrilling game of checkers"); his and Cantini's 19th-century London appears to be largely white. After this book, readers will demand to know more about Ivy's background, even as they clamor for her next outing. Please, nobody stop Ivy Pocket. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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April 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-In this sequel to Anyone but Ivy Pocket, Ivy's life has taken a turn for the macabre. Not only has she been recently adopted by a pair of shady coffin makers, she is also seeing ghosts on the streets of Victorian London. Ivy learns her recently deceased friend Rebecca is not actually dead; rather, she's stuck in a limbolike world that happens to be just around the corner. Ever dauntless, Ivy magics her way into this world, only to discover she's fallen into a nefarious trap. If that weren't enough adventure, she has also been enlisted by a pretty stranger to find her missing brother. Krisp takes his time to weave these seemingly disparate mysteries together, and their progress can sometimes sag with the book's hefty page count. However, this story is chock-full of ridiculous pratfalls and thrilling escapes, sure to leave any reader eager to persevere. Observant readers may well anticipate the perils around each corner Ivy turns, but that will not detract from their enjoyment of watching her fall straight down to the bottom. VERDICT The brash and riotous character of Ivy will delight readers through another gripping-and laugh-out-loud-adventure.-Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School Library, Brooklyn

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