Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World is a 2018 Middle Grade coming-of-age novel by Ashley Herring Blake. The book follows Ivy Aberdeen, an aspiring artist who is coming to terms with her sexual orientation while dealing with the aftermath of a tornado that destroys her house, feeling like an outsider within her own family, and her secret drawings of girls holding hands ending up in someone else's possession.
Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World provides examples of:
- Beneath Suspicion: Ivy never suspected her friend Taryn was the one who had her drawings.
- Coax Them Out of the Closet: "Keeper", as Ivy dubs the mysterious person who has her drawings, tries to get Ivy to discuss her feelings towards girls. While this is done with Ivy's best interests at heart, the fact that Ivy wasn't really ready to discuss her feelings is why she's mad at Taryn for trying to do this.
- Downer Beginning: Ivy's family home is destroyed in a tornado in the first few chapters of the book.
- Entertainment Below Their Age: June is a fan of the children's books Ivy's mother writes and illustrates, and even notes "they're for younger kids".
- Forgotten Birthday: On her thirteenth birthday, Ivy's mother forgets to tell her "happy birthday" at 10:33 (she wishes Ivy a happy birthday at the exact time she was born), which does not help Ivy at all. For what it's worth, she later apologizes for this, and says that she would have called later, but it didn't feel the same.
- Gayngst: The driving force of the book. Ivy is confused about her feelings and is scared of what her friends and family will think.
- In the Blood: Both Ivy and her mother are talented artists.
- It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: The very first line of the book is:"A storm was coming, which was perfect."
- Literary Allusion Title: The title is a reference to the Emily Dickinson poem "This is my letter to the World".
- Mentor in Queerness: Robin, who runs the hotel the Aberdeen family is staying at. She tells Ivy of her own experiences and gives her much-needed advice.
- Parents as People: Ivy's parents are well-meaning and are far from abusive, but being wrapped up in dealing with the aftermath of the tornado and Ivy's baby brothers don't help her situation.
- The Reveal: Ivy's friend Taryn was Keeper.
