Now that Ivy and Bean are friends, they do gymnastics club together, sit together in Ms. Aruba-Tate's second grade, and tell each other their darkest secrets. And when Ivy discovers a ghost in the school bathroom, it will take both girls' courage and imagination to make it go away. Another entertaining installment in this series about two mischievous, funny, clever girls. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Gr 1-3-This story defies expectations of what an early chapter book can be. When the normally quiet Ivy tells her classmates that there's a ghost in the second-grade bathroom, reactions vary from fascination to fear. When a girl refuses to use the bathroom, though, Ms. Aruba-Tate's gentle reprimand sends Ivy reeling, and she and her friend Bean decide to make the problem go away by performing an exorcism. Barrows keeps the language simple and clear without sacrificing wit and subtlety. While Ivy steadfastly insists that the ghost is real, sensitive readers will see her diversionary tactic for what it is. (She doesn't want anyone to know she can't do a cartwheel.) The author even makes the occasional vocabulary lesson palatable ("Cody had lit two garbage cans on fire and wasn't allowed to come back to school anymore. He was expelled"). The slightly wider than normal format with large print, lots of white space, fun detailing, and Blackall's expressive illustrations make an attractive package that will be welcome in most collections.-Adrienne Furness, Webster Public Library, NY Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

New friends Ivy and Bean return, and this time there's a ghost with them. It's shy Ivy who sees the mist coming out of the girls' bathroom at school, and loyal Bean soon sees it, too. Despite doubting friends and irritated teachers, the girls are determined to rid the bathroom of this malevolent presence. The series, previously so grounded in reality, takes a supernatural turn here, and readers may not know what to make of the ghost. But as before, the series' strong suits are humor and the spot-on take on relationships. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2006 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.