A lovely story about a 12 year old girl narrating her hospital stay to her neighbor and best friend.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

Kasey has just learned she needs to spend an entire month in hospital. She’ll be away from her family and friends and surrounded instead by old people.

“And you know how old people creep me out, Nina. I can’t help it. The slowness. The teeth. The tendency to be super crabby.”

Kasey passes the time by writing a series of letters about the experience to Nina, her best friend. She also has Ivy, who helps her through the lonely and scary nights.

While she’s waiting to be released back into the world outside, Kasey makes some friends and realises how lucky she is. There wasn’t much of a transition between Kasey complaining about her situation and coming to the realisation that she has much to be thankful for.

Sometimes it felt like Kasey was younger than twelve and I wondered if this was because the author was reflecting on their own hospitalisation when they were nine years old.

I also wondered why Kasey was hospitalised and hooked up to an IV before she was even officially diagnosed. There wasn’t really any indication of how she was feeling physically during her hospitalisation either.

In the beginning of the book I wondered why this twelve year old was handwriting letters (this was answered) and why she didn’t spend her time complaining about the lack of internet access.

I had expected much of this story to consist of Kasey visiting the other patients and learning their stories. She did interact with some of the other patients but not as much as I had originally hoped.

I absolutely loved Missy Wong, though, and was delighted to learn that she was based on a real person. I also liked Louise, although I really wish I had learned the details of why she didn’t want to go home.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.

After a doctor's appointment lands twelve year old Kasey in the hospital, she chronicles her experiences through letters to her best friend, Nina. Staying on a ward for adults and without all of her comforts of home, will Kasey's homesickness hinder her recovery?

Kasey & Ivy includes a very heavy subject matter for the target audience, but the author handles it well with bits of levity scattered throughout. Some of the plot points were completely unbelievable, especially regarding Kasey's care. I did not find it to be plausible that Kasey would be put in the hospital for a long term stay that did not have the appropriate area for children. Her parents seemed loving, so it did not ring true that they would just, abruptly, leave a twelve year old alone in an unfamiliar place on her first night. I did like Kasey's unique voice and feel that this book would be a good read for middle grade children.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Kasey & Ivy, courtesy of NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers. The choice to review this book was my own.

Ordering for my library. The voice and the relationships shine right off the page. Certain it is going to be a student favourite.

***I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity.***

This was a great book. The story was captivating and kept me interested throughout. Can’t wait for more from this author.

The story is told through letters 12-year-old Kasey sends her best friend while spending a month in the hospital. It was very sweet, with a cast of interesting characters and an endearing protagonist. I particularly enjoyed Kasey's relationship with Louise and the parts where she talked about her siblings.

I did think maybe it's for a younger audience than 12-year-olds, but it would really depend on the kid.

Kasey & Ivy is an epistolary middle grades novel that follows Kasey, a young girl who is in the hospital for the first time for an infection. She's naturally nervous about being by herself, but she makes herself be strong for her parents (she is the oldest child). While at the hospital, Kasey meets all kinds of people, which is the true adventure in itself. Her trusty IV bag always follows and Kasey cleverly names it Ivy in her letters to her friend.

Full of charm and happy tears. I found myself laughing as well as feeling heartfelt. Kasey is never predictable and the story is fully original. Those looking for a realistic fiction mix with illness will really enjoy this. The daily letters really give you Kasey's perspective throughout her hospital stay.

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'Kasey and Ivy'. This is a book my students would enjoy and I will be recommending it to them. I think the letter-style writing will appeal to early secondary school age girls in particular. I did have a couple of issues with the book though - how is it that Kasey was the only child in the hospital in the month she was there? Even though children were sent to other hospitals, surely Kasey would not be the only child in a similar situation. I also felt that the frequent obsession with germs/cleanliness went a little overboard.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

This book follows 12 year old, Kasey, who has been diagnosed with a bacterial infection that is eating the marrow in her bone. She is writing letters to her friend, Nina, from the hospital during her month long stay as she gets treated with antibiotics. I read most of this in the hospital waiting room and after all the time I have spent in the hospital lately, I could really relate to Kasey's observations, despite being 29 instead of 12. It was a really adorable book and I liked it quite a bit, but I did expect it to be a little deeper than it was.

I'm not always the greatest fan of journal/letter format novels. While this style allows the reader to really get into the protagonist's head, this can also fall into the trap of telling instead of showing .We're simply told what happened and how people felt about it rather than experiencing it with the characters.

This was a sweet story told in letters by Kasey, a twelve year old girl who needs to stay in her local hospital for a month for treatment for a bone disease. Kasey is bored and nervous, forced to stay in a ward with older people, but befriends Ivey (her IV pole that goes with her everywhere) and several patients and staff.
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It’s rare that you get to see a hospitals as a boring, undramatic place where patients who feel fine need to stay. I found that a really interesting perspective for this story. I also liked sensitivity with which older people and their conditions, like dementia, were presented. It’s a quiet story without a lot of action, but I definitely enjoyed it

Kasey & Ivy tells the story of Kasey. She learns that she is sick and has to spent a month in the hospital.
The story is told through letters that Kasey sends to her best friend Nina, telling her about her days.

I really liked this story. Kasey was very endearing, funny and relatable. I also loved the way the story was told through letters.
I enjoyed the story itself too.
It was pretty short but I liked it that way. It was just what I was in the mood for.

Twelve-year-old Kasey hurts her leg playing soccer, and what started as a bruise ends up with a month in the hospital for Kasey. While she knows she will get better, it does not make her stay any more enjoyable. The children's ward in the hospital is closed for renovations, so Kasey gets to spend her month in the geriatric ward with the old people.

The book is written in a series of letters from Kasey to her best friend on the outside, Nina, letting her know all of the odd thoughts going through her head and what is going on in the hospital. With Kasey being stuck in the hospital for the whole book, though, it means there is not a lot going on. The book is pretty slow because of this, and it makes it hard to get into at spots.

Kasey and Ivy was a well-written book, but the lack of action made it not as great as it could have been. It was definitely worth a read, but make sure you have the patience to enjoy these patients.

Am I glad this was one of my first reads for 2018! Definitely a must-buy book. It was exactly what I’d expected when the publisher, Ocra Book Publisher, so kindly approved my request to read and review it. Thank you!

Now to gush about Kasey’s adventures… :) Where to start?

Twelve-year-old Kasey has to be hospitalized after she finds a red bump on her ankle that just won’t go away, even with her family’s weird way of approaching life with homemade medicinal remedies:

"We’ve been using something called witch hazel on the steadily growing red bump on my ankle. Seriously. Let me tell you, whatever witchcraft this Hazel uses, it doesn’t work."

See?! Kasey was a riot to read. She had this dry humor, though she wasn’t always trying to be funny, she gave me the giggles. A lot.

After discovering she needs to stay in the hospital for a month for the mystery red bump on her ankle, she comforts her lonely self by writing and sending letters to her best friend, Nina. Another funny part were her creative letter closings.

"Your nervous friend with a possibly diseased leg bone,
Kasey"

Really, Kasey?! You’re killing me. xD

"Your slightly radioactive friend,
Kasey"

And my favorite (after a contagion scare):

"p.s. Burn this letter."

Oh, Kasey. :D

This story isn’t Nina’s though. It’s more of Kasey coping with being alone, and being expected to be mature. She’s constantly told to be a big girl. It’s a conflict that exists in most middle grade books, I believe. See, Kasey can’t expect her parents to stay with her in the hospital for the month. They have four other young children (Kasey being their eldest) and all they can do is make her feel at home while she’s away from home.

Kasey’s super imaginative, too. I do believe that’s how she’s able to survive the month-long adventure. That and the friends she makes in the hospital. You’ll like “Ivy”, fellow readers. ;-) *nudge, nudge*

Another thing about Kasey is her germaphobia.

I’m hesitant to call it that, only because she doesn’t actually identify as being a germaphobe, which is a serious mental health disorder (like most mental health). It can be severely crippling, so I don’t use the identification lightly.

And it’s not what the story is about. It’s only mentioned because Kasey is in a hospital, and she imagines all the germs crawling about her temporary home…in humorous way.

"[My dad] doesn’t seem fussed by this germy hospital, Nina. Not at all. He touches everything. It’s almost as if he makes a point of touching everything just to annoy me. Magazines, walls, the nursing desk, the underside of his chair. Seriously, I half expect him to actually lick something. Or try out a somersault, just so he can sample the floor germs. And then he pulls out a pack of gum, puts his hands all over it while opening it and offers me a piece! As if, Dad. As if."

See that snark. I love it. I can’t blame her either. She’s twelve. I imagine she’d have a different mindset, a more tolerant one, if she’d been older. I also can’t fault her because I’d probably be wrestling the same thoughts. So, yeah, I’m with you, Kasey.

As for the other friends I mentioned, Kasey meets all sorts of people at the hospital. Since she’s been sent to the geriatric ward because the children’s ward of the big hospital is being renovated, most of those people are old (not including the nurses). From old Missy Wong to the red-haired, nice Nurse Rosie, and the teen hospital volunteer, Louise—Kasey discovers plenty of people to keep her letters to Nina rich with details from her encounters.

There were some weird parts too, with the professionals being…um, seriously questionable unprofessional.

One nurse doesn’t know how to do her job. Like I’m not even exaggerating. I might as well be sticking patients with needles if she has her license. Meet the Fussbudget (even her name is weird).

"The Fussbudget is one of the nurses. A worrier. A ditherer. She’s always dropping things, papers flutter out of the charts she carries, she takes ages to do things other nurses do in seconds, and her frizzy hair is always in her eyes. Worse, she talks about how bad she is at things, which, from a patient’s perspective, is really terrible. You can be bad at your job. fine. But telling everybody about it—specifically, people who are affected by it—is way, way worse."

Egads! Then she proceeds to fail at finding a vein to reinsert Kasey’s IV and pokes her like a million times (I’m exaggerating now) but she’s bad. Like needs-to-find-a-new-profession bad.

And then there’s lovely Dr. Robot (Dr. Roberts) master of the “awkward, robotic small talk” when patients could probably use more cheer injected in their doctor’s tone. Oh, and his unprofessional residents (these students…yeesh).

"[Kasey’s Mom]: So what do we—how can we cure it, Doctor?

Dr. Robot: Well, of course she has to go on a lengthy course of antibotics. Many years ago, you wouldn’t have been walking out of this hospital on two legs, young lady. [Uncertain laughter among the student doctors, quickly stopped as Dr. Robot whirled around at them]. Yes? Yes? Who here thinks the amputation of limbs is some big joke??"

*facepalm*

I’m scared for the future of our doctors (in Kasey’s world). Just, why? Did I miss the joke somewhere in there? The morbid, messed up joke. What was the purpose of their laughter? I’m cringing all over again as I type this.

Moving on…

I also would have liked not being able to predict the ending to this story. That’s the only gripe I had about it. But it was a short read, and for all its predictability in its closure, I still enjoyed myself, and I left this story feeling as if Kasey were writing me. And I’d lived vicariously through her. I like to think that’s what author Alison Hughes was getting at with her novel.

I’m going to close off this review with a nod at the acknowledgements. I’m not sure why I got a bit teary-eyed, but I did. And, yes, I do usually read the acknowledgements page of books. I like all that mushy-gushy business about it “taking a community to write a book”.

"I would also like to acknowledge the real Missy Wong, who was a friend of mine when I was in the hospital when I was nine years old. I hope she’s dancing in the stars."

The author actually knew Missy Wong! I mean, not sure if that was her real name, but awwwww! I love love LOVE this. ❤ Makes me totally nostalgic for my own childhood memories, and reminds me how blessed I am to have had such an awesome, happy (maybe a bit boring) one.

Kasey & Ivy by Alison Hughes is dropping this Tuesday (March 20th)—so mark your calendars! And review! Please review. Authors make this magic happen in words, and you can too with a thoughtful, honest review. 🙂

My rating breakdown:

Cover* – 5/5 (don’t you love how the ivy intertwines with the IV—get it?! Haha.)

Characters – 5/5

Dialogue – 4/5

Conflict – 4/5

Readability – 5/5

Conclusion – 5/5

Overall rating: 4.5 stars

It’s been a minute since I read a Middle Grade novel! I’m a sucker for an eye-catching cover and Kasey & Ivy‘s instantly appealed to me. Told in a series of letters, Kasey writes to her best friend while stuck inside a hospital room. For the entire summer. What initially seemed like a bruise from a hit at soccer practice instead is a bit more serious – serious enough for Kasey to be admitted. If that wasn’t bad enough, the children’s wing is currently closed, so she’s spending her summer vacation on the geriatric floor.

Kasey & Ivy is a super short, super quick read that I tore through in a single sitting. Kasey developed into a great character, initially afraid, but by the end she helped the nurses and befriended several of the other patients. One moment in particular was SO sweet and totally made the book for me. Though the writing is a bit younger than what I normally find in Middle Grade, I can easily see this one finding readers!

Kasey is a brave twelve-year-old girl with severe germophobia who has been diagnosed with a rare bone disease that requires a month-long stay in the hospital to receive the treatment necessary to cure it. Her being forced to stay in the hospital for a month is not the result Kasey had expected from her doctor appointment, but she puts on a brave face so her parents and younger siblings do not worry too much. One of the ways Kasey passes the time and possibly a method of dealing with the situation is to write letters about the experience to her next door neighbour and friend, Nina.

It is through these twenty-six letters that Kasey's story is told and it I believe it was done really well. The language and point of view were how I would imagine a child to speak and view situations. I also liked that, while the letters were always respectful, they did detail the most undesirable aspects of Kasey's hospital stay, such as the unpleasant bathing experience and the hospital wing going into quarantine.

The characters she meets during her hospital stay are all interesting in their own ways and I like that with little effort these characters had backstories. These characters have different purposes - some to entertain her, others to look after her and a few to teach her some valuable life lessons. It was also great that Kasey had some personal growth evident in her letters. She left the hospital with a much better understanding of life and a slightly different view of the world. 

While the letter style originally seemed simplistic, I soon fell in love with the style and feel that the format was probably the best way to tell this deep and meaningful story while keeping it light and easy for younger audiences to read. It was an emotional read and had me tearing up in parts, but it was also extremely humbling to read. I recommend this book to everyone though it does come with the warning that it may tug at your heartstrings.

This was a fun and cute story...
Kasey has to spend a month in a hospital after been diagnosed with a bone infection. During this time in the hospital Kasey writes letters to her best friend about her experience.
The story really feels that is written by a 12 year old girl. I really like Kasey's personality, she remained me a lot of my daughter (who is 11), during her 'healing' process she learns to be grateful with the life she has, which probably she never had chance to analyze, also to see the elders with different eyes.
I found myself enjoying the story, Kasey was funny and brave, she grow empathy, gratefulness and self conscience.

Yep. This one gave me happy tears.

Kasey was such a wonderful narrator. I swear, that kid charmed the pants off of me. She was witty and sassy, and her every day observations often made me laugh. Yes, her letters were quite humorous, but what really delighted me was the way Kasey grew, and how that month in the hospital really gave her a new perspective.

When Kasey found out she would be the only child on the geriatric floor, she was less than thrilled. She harbored a lot of preconceptions about older people, and it was lovely seeing her view of them change as she spent more time getting to know her floor mates. There was one really special relationship she developed with the oldest patient, Missy Wong. It was very beautiful and quite touching seeing her affection for this woman grow.

I was even more touched when I found out Missy Wong was based on a real person, who the author met when she spent a month in the hospital at the age of nine. Hughes' past really shows in this story, because she did such an amazing job conveying Kasey's fears and worries, as well as the boredom a 12 year old stuck in a hospital without wifi would experience.

Kasey also grew to realize how much she loved her chaotic family, and I must admit, I sort of loved all of them too. They were loud and messy, but you could tell there they all had a lot of love and affection for each other.

This book was a little gem, that could bring comfort to a child, who may have to spend some time in a hospital or give a little insight to younger people, who have ailing older relatives.

Lovely reflective observations from a girl in the geriatric ward of a hospital. Funny, sweet, touching. Some may say it's overly beautiful prose for a 12-year-old, but who says pre-teens can't be eloquent?