Ivy and Bean
Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows takes about 71 minutes to read aloud (7,828 words, about 5 sentences a page), and it lands best with children aged 6-8.
Measured read-aloud timeabout 71 minutes
- Words
- 7,828
- Sentences a page
- 5
- Re-read tolerance
- 4/5survives a fortnight on repeat
- Vocabulary
- 3/5a few new words
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The useful verdict
Why Ivy and Bean works
Bean has been told Ivy is a nice quiet girl she should be friends with, which is why she refuses - and then they team up to put a spell on Bean's older sister. Two girls who are neither sweet nor tidy, and the friendship starts from mutual suspicion rather than instant liking, which is rare at this level.
Before you buy it
At 7,828 words it is a real chapter book with long unillustrated stretches - a big step from Mercy Watson. Bean torments her older sister throughout and is not made to apologise.
Themes: friendship, sisters, neighbourhood, mischief, witches.
Same shape, new story
Books like Ivy and Bean
Matched by length, refrain, sentence density, and listener—not just subject.
Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Busabout 59.5 minutes · 4/5 re-read
Dory Fantasmagoryabout 66.5 minutes · 5/5 re-read
The Princess in Blackabout 19 minutes · 5/5 re-read
Owl Diaries: Eva's Treetop Festivalabout 23 minutes · 4/5 re-read
Miss Daisy Is Crazy!about 58.5 minutes · 3/5 re-read
Dinosaurs Before Darkabout 43 minutes · 3/5 re-read
The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Partyabout 18.5 minutes · 5/5 re-read- Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallowsabout 75.5 minutes · 4/5 re-read
Babymouse: Queen of the World!about 16 minutes · 4/5 re-read
Straight answers
Questions parents ask about Ivy and Bean
- How long does it take to read Ivy and Bean aloud?
- About 71 minutes at an unhurried pace, from a word count of 7,828. Reading it fast shaves perhaps a third off; stopping for questions on every page can double it.
- What age is Ivy and Bean actually for?
- Ages 6-8 in our testing, which is narrower than the publisher's range. With 5 sentences a page and vocabulary at 3 out of 5, it asks for that much attention span and no more.
- Does Ivy and Bean survive being read on repeat?
- Yes. It survives a fortnight of nightly repeats, which is the real test.