Wild Mountain Ivy
Months after catching a common virus, twelve-year-old Ivy still hasn’t recovered.
Ivy doesn’t even have the energy to play music. Hoping a change of scenery will help, she’s spending the summer in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, where her uncle has converted an old house into a bed and breakfast. The Everly House has a long history—including a stint as a sanatorium, a treatment center for tuberculosis patients, in the 1920s.
Ivy starts having dreams about a girl named Jessie Pearl, a TB patient who stayed at the house a hundred years ago. Like Ivy, Jessie was an adventurous musician who struggled to adapt to her sickness. But at the Everly House, she was able to rest, listen to her body, and find new ways to fill her time.
As Ivy delves into the history of the house, hoping to find out what happened to Jessie, she makes other discoveries that turn her summer in the mountains into a new beginning.
| Format | Your Price | Add |
|---|---|---|
|
979-8-7656-7082-8
On pre-order until 03/03/2026
|
$18.99 | |
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979-8-7656-9171-7
On pre-order until 03/03/2026
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$23.99 |
| Interest Level | Grade 5 - Grade 8 |
|---|---|
| Reading Level | Grade 6 |
| Category | Diverse Books: Physical Disability & Illness, Diversity, SEL: A Self-Awareness, SEL: B Self-Management, Social Emotional Learning |
| Copyright | 2026 |
| Publisher | Lerner Publishing Group |
| Imprint | Carolrhoda Books ® |
| Language | English |
| Number of Pages | 272 |
| Publication Date | 2026-03-03 |
Author: Shannon Hitchcock
Shannon Hitchcock grew up on her grandparents’ farm in rural North Carolina. She is the author of numerous middle grade novels including Flying Over Water, cowritten with N.H. Senzai which was selected as a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, and Dancing in the Storm, cowritten with Amie Darnell Specht which was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.
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Wild Mountain Ivy
Months after catching a common virus, twelve-year-old Ivy still hasn’t recovered. Ivy doesn’t even have the energy to play music. Hoping a change of scenery will help, she’s spending the summer in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, where her uncle has… View available downloads →
Reviews
School Library Journal
“A first purchase for collections in need of stories centering young people with chronic illness.”—School Library Journal
Sarah Scheerger
“A sensitive, haunting, and timely tale about the impact of debilitating illnesses that force us to pivot—leaving us somehow stronger, wiser, and more connected than before.”—Sarah Scheerger, author of Operation Frog Effect
Kerry O’Malley Cerra
“Imaginative and rich in detail, this novel flows between timelines as seamlessly and soulfully as a mountain ballad.”—Kerry O’Malley Cerra, author of Make a Little Wave and Hear Me
Debbie Reed Fischer
“Shannon Hitchcock deftly weaves a moving tale of friendship between a ghost and a girl, each navigating life during a pandemic while sharing a passion for music and the strong bonds of family. Part mystery, part ghost story, and an absolute must-read!”—Debbie Reed Fischer, bestselling author of This Is Not the Abby Show
Sheila Turnage
“Shannon Hitchcock interlaces a Covid-era coming-of-age tale of hope and determination with a lyrical ghost story set during a long-ago tuberculosis pandemic. Her plotlines and heartlines rise and fall as gracefully as the harmonies of a bluegrass ballad sung on an Appalachian porch.”—Sheila Turnage, New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Honor winner
Bobbie Pyron
“Shannon Hitchcock’s timely and timeless story about the heartbreak of loss and the healing power of love and family will make your heart sing!”—Bobbie Pyron, award-winning author of Octopus Moon and Stay