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Overview
"IwithVY: I told Ms. Gold about how The Evil Three have been after me, feeding off me since fourth grade.
MARCO: It isn't a very pretty story, so if you're looking for 'nice,' you better ask someone else.
ANN: We just have to come up wiht some witnesses for our side. Think! Does anyone owe you any favors?
BRYCE: I figure, Dude, why not make a little spare change on the side? A buck a bet. All's I has to do was explain that liable was civil for guilty, and they swarmed like flies."
Eight first-person narrators give different versions of the same event. Lessons about the inner workings of the judicial system pale beside the insights into human nature. With pathos and a great deal of humor, Amy Goldman Koss keeps you turning pages.
Synopsis
Bad people always get what’s coming to them. Don’t they?
Publishers Weekly
Koss (The Girls), with a fascinating premise, uses the authentic voices of eight diverse teens to create a "mock trial" in an American Government class. When loner Ivy confesses to her teacher that she has been taunted and teased for years by pretty, popular Ann and her sidekicks ("The Evil Three have been after me, feeding off me since fourth grade"), the woman sees the situation as an opportunity to model their study of the judicial system. The names of the lawyers for the plaintiff and defendants are randomly chosen from a paper bag, followed by the rather tedious process of selecting a jury. Distinct personalities emerge from the narratives of the principle players: self-protectively aloof Ivy, who frequently uses fish analogies to describe herself ("so I swam upstream, alone against the current"); painfully shy and insecure Daria (the "best student"), who reluctantly assumes the role of Ivy's attorney; reflective, even-handed Marco, who is simultaneously entranced and disgusted by Ann; and the manipulative villainess herself, a study in superficiality and spite. The interactions among the students in and out of the "courtroom" offer readers intriguing and often disturbing perspectives on popularity, peer pressure, bullying and fairness. In the end, Marco best articulates the outcome: "Beauty wins and truth is irrelevant. Grim, isn't it?" Yes. And, in these pages, it's all too convincing. Ages 11-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Koss (The Girls), with a fascinating premise, uses the authentic voices of eight diverse teens to create a "mock trial" in an American Government class. When loner Ivy confesses to her teacher that she has been taunted and teased for years by pretty, popular Ann and her sidekicks ("The Evil Three have been after me, feeding off me since fourth grade"), the woman sees the situation as an opportunity to model their study of the judicial system. The names of the lawyers for the plaintiff and defendants are randomly chosen from a paper bag, followed by the rather tedious process of selecting a jury. Distinct personalities emerge from the narratives of the principle players: self-protectively aloof Ivy, who frequently uses fish analogies to describe herself ("so I swam upstream, alone against the current"); painfully shy and insecure Daria (the "best student"), who reluctantly assumes the role of Ivy's attorney; reflective, even-handed Marco, who is simultaneously entranced and disgusted by Ann; and the manipulative villainess herself, a study in superficiality and spite. The interactions among the students in and out of the "courtroom" offer readers intriguing and often disturbing perspectives on popularity, peer pressure, bullying and fairness. In the end, Marco best articulates the outcome: "Beauty wins and truth is irrelevant. Grim, isn't it?" Yes. And, in these pages, it's all too convincing. Ages 11-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.VOYA
I liked the format and the topic of this book. It was written like a trial, and it was interesting to read each student's perception about school. Unfortunately the book wasn't descriptive enough, and it was difficult to understand exactly what occurred. Some of the characters were unrealistic and I did not enjoy reading about them. The topic of bullying is a good one for eighth and ninth graders, but the book fails to deliver. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P M J S (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2006, A Deborah Brodie Book/Roaring Brook, 176p., Ages 11 to 18.—Liza M. David, Teen Reviewer
Children's Literature
The high school American Government teacher wants to have a mock trial in class with her students. No one wants to volunteer to be part of it. Nevertheless, one event leads to another and the trial concerning "Poison" Ivy and those that bully her begins. The author has a unique writing style and lets the reader see the firsthand account of each main character in the book by using his or her own words to tell the story. Read how each teen does not want to be part of this trial and voices his opinion about what is going on. Find out what the main character, Ivy, learns about her classmates and teacher. See how each person has their own flaws and how they feel about themselves and their ability in the trial. Read about a scheme that is going on with one of the characters so she can look good in the end. Through the plotting and conspiring, the readers will see if true justice prevails in the end. This attention-grabbing book will keep the reader turning the pages until the end. Children will take pleasure in reading about Ivy and the other characters. They will find that these characters may represent some of their classmates in their own school. 2006, Deborah Brodie Book/Roaring Book Press, Ages 12 to 17.—Cathi I. White
School Library Journal
Gr 6-9-Ivy has been a victim of relentless bullying for years. Nicknamed "Poison Ivy" by Ann, Benita, and Sophie in fourth grade, she can hardly remember what it was like to be just plain Ivy. When earnest Ms. Gold, the middle school American government teacher, finds a depressing poem written by Ivy, she decides to put "The Evil Three" on trial for bullying. She is hoping to create a perfect learning experience to illustrate the American judicial system to the class-and possibly to teach the three girls a lesson. What Ms. Gold does not count on, however, is the power of popular kids and the resulting political leverage. Students are assigned roles: counsel for the plaintiff, process server, judge, jury, etc. The action is related through the multiple voices of the major figures in the mock trial proceedings, and readers see many personalities emerge in the alternate chapters. Of particular interest is the relationship among "The Evil Three." Ann, the leader, clearly enjoys the status that Benita and Sophie give her in their roles as bystanders in the bullying process. Realistic dialogue and fast-paced action will hold interest, and the final verdict is unsettling, but not unexpected. This book will be useful for class discussions along with Koss's The Girls (Dial, 2000), another realistic and equally effective look at the agonizing bullying of a classmate.-Jennifer Ralston, Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MD Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.Kirkus Reviews
Ivy hands the perfect crime to a teacher aching to have a mock trial to educate the students about the legal system. Cut and dried, she's been picked on, bullied and emotionally abused for ages by the "Anns." When Ms. Gold sees an opportunity, she makes the most of it and in no time, has attorneys appointed, the judge selected and, after some negotiation, a jury of peers. Well, no one wants to be Ivy's peer, really. Told in a series of transcripts that are the statements of the interested parties, including Ann, Benita and Sophia, also known as the "Evil Three," Koss delivers the crushing and thoughtless cruelty of adolescents with great accuracy. The words of one of the jurors tell it all: "Popularity is the wrong word. Popularity means everyone likes you. But no one likes sour popular girls; it's more about fear. The word for them is powerful more than popular. Think soulless zombies; think living dead, hungry for fresh blood. If anything I bet my fellow jurors were afraid they'd become the Anns' next victim if they got caught sympathizing with Ivy." (Fiction. 11-14)From the Publisher
“The message is clear: beauty, popularity, and fear are the trinity by which girls rule, and although most teenagers aren’t cruel, many are indifferent to the suffering of their peers and are thankful they aren’t the ones in the spotlight. . . . compelling reading for teenagers in the trenches.”—Booklist
“[Koss] uses the authentic voices of eight diverse teens to create a “mock trial” in an American Government class. . . . The interactions among the students in and out of the “courtroom” offer readers intriguing and often disturbing perspectives on popularity, peer pressure, bullying and fairness. In the end, Marco best articulates the outcome: ‘Beauty wins and truth is irrelevant. Grim, isn’t it?’ Yes. And, in these pages, it’s all too convincing.”—Publishers Weekly
“Realistic dialogue and fast-paced action will hold interest, and the final verdict is unsettling, but not unexpected.”—School Library Journal