Poison Ivy by Amy Goldman Koss

Ivy has always been taunted and cruelly treated by others, especially The Evil Three, better known as the popular girls Ann, Benita, and Sophie. But for how aloof Ivy acts, no one can really tell how much this bullying affects her, if it does at all. Enter in Ms. Gold, teacher of third hour American Government class, desperate for some conflict so she can hold an in-class trial. It seems that justice will finally be served when Ivy’s problem is chosen, because everyone is aware of how Ann and her friends ridicule Ivy at every chance they get, but is anyone actually brave enough to tell the truth and risk Ann’s social wrath? Daria, Ivy’s lawyer may mean well but is much too deathly shy to make a difference; Wayne, practically the only student who cares about the legal process, is just one jury member; and honest Marco is only another. The odds are stacked up. Who will be brave enough to tell the truth?

Poison Ivy provides an interesting peek into the workings of high school students through a very unique government lesson. I enjoyed Koss’s presentation of the story, through a series of interviews because it gave perspectives from all the key players in the pseudo-trial, and a few more. However, I thought only two characters, Marco and Wayne provided the most important content; Marco told the truth, and Wayne gave the moral of the story. The rest was all entertainment, not completely necessary but amusing all the same. It was disappointing how stereotypical characters like Daria and Ann were, and the not confrontational nature of much of the class foreshadowed the ending, eliminating most suspense value this novel could’ve had. Though I liked experiencing the mock trial with the class, I can’t say that Poison Ivy was outstanding in any way.

Social science buffs and lawyer-to-bes will enjoy the content of this novel. Readers looking for the blunt if harsh reality of some aspects of high school will also want to read Poison Ivy.

Rating: 3.25

Review copy from author Amy Goldman Koss