In my opinion, this book is one of the better ones, more in the league of Book 3 and Book 9, my other favorites.
I really like Ms. Aruba-Tate. She's such a great teacher. I loved the way she put words to the way the class was feeling (on page 33): "I'm hearing that you are very worried about global warming. I'm feeling sorry that you're worried, but I'm also feeling glad that you care so much about the earth."
The entire school is having a science fair, and everyone in Ms. Aruba-Tate's class needs to come up with an idea on how to solve the global warming problem. Ivy and Bean's classmates came up with some pretty amusing ideas, and I have to say, Ivy and Bean's final idea was creative while also making a good point.
I like that this book shows the girls engaged in science, and it also introduces an important real-life issue. At one point, Ivy mentions "Lisa Something", and once again, I wondered why the actual historical figure (in this case, Lise Meitner, a woman who helped discover nuclear fission) wasn't mentioned by name. (Book 5 neglects to mention St. Francis of Assisi by name.) As it turned out, though, Lise Meitner was identified in the book's appendix, in which the author further discussed global warming. I thought the Q & A format of the appendix was effective, and that the book was enhanced by the additional information provided.
In this book, I was pleased to see Bean entertain herself using only her natural curiosity for life science. She diligently observes some ants, and she even conducts something of an experiment. (At first, I thought her experiment was a little bit cruel, especially considering the way she seemed to admire the ants, but towards the end of the book, she showed that she understood the outcome of her experiment. On page 95, Bean knows, in regards to ants, "They looked so sure of themselves, but...if she dripped water on them, they'd go nuts.")
On page 96, Ivy and Bean even articulate a pretty valid lesson for adults that I can appreciate: "What really freaks grown-ups out is not being in charge... Grown-ups and ants are a lot alike. If they relaxed a little, they'd have a better time."
As usual, though, the book falls short of a higher rating from me because of its inclusion of mean-spiritedness and disregard for safety. Ivy and Bean's neighbor Katy plays a game called Bad Orphanage, which seemed to have no redeeming value at all. At least games of "cops and robbers" have nominal "bad guys", but Katy was just bullying poor, helpless orphans! And at another point in the story, Ivy and Bean wildly wield hammers unsupervised.
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