Ivy Takes Care by Rosemary Wells

I listened to this book on audio. It is set in 1949 in Nevada. Ivy's father works on a ranch that hosts people who need to live in Nevada for 6 weeks in order to get a divorce. I thought this was a really unique situation. I looked it up and it was true. It actually carried the people of Nevada through the Great Depression. This isn't the focus on the book but it was noted when Ivy deals with one of the guests of the ranch.

Ivy is a sixth grader who decides to start a business taking care of animals. The local vet helps her with this ambition and she begins to focus on saving her earnings for college. Some of the animals she takes care of are a pony, a German Shepard dog, and a quarter horse. She has a side kick friend named Billy Jo who helps and hinders her along the way.

If a student loves animals and adventures this will be a good suggestion. It has a very old fashioned feeling and it felt like I was reading a book from the weeded pile of an old library. The black and white pencil illustrations that are scattered throughout the book are lovely.

I give this book a 3 out of 4. It would be good for grades 3-5.

Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
Lexile Measure: 830L
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (February 26, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763653527
ISBN-13: 978-0763653521