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CHAPTER ONE
Ivy

Ivy’s first memory was the birthday party.
   There was music and bright balloons. A girl’s face lit up with joy.
   “A doll!” Anne had cried. She cut the strings and untwisted the ties that held Ivy in her store box. “I’ll name you Ivy,” Anne whispered into Ivy’s dark braids.
   After that, it was always the two of them: Ivy and Anne.
   On warm summer days, Anne played with Ivy outside in the garden. Ivy’s tiny blue boots left footprints in the mud.
   On gray, rainy afternoons, Anne made new clothes for Ivy. She stitched soft dresses and pants from scraps of fabric and lace. She made belts from string and rubber bands. She knit sweaters from leftover bits of yarn. Ivy loved them all.
   On icy winter nights, snow fell outside the windows. Anne tucked Ivy into blankets and read fairy tales to her. Ivy’s favorite part was always “happily ever after.”
   And every night before she fell asleep, Anne whispered her most secret worries and hopes to Ivy. Ivy always listened.
   She never imagined it could change.
   As Anne grew up, trips to the garden stopped. Ivy’s tiny blue boots stayed clean.
   She wore the same white pants and gray sweater for years.
   On icy winter nights, Ivy stayed on the shelf. She watched snow fall outside the window while Anne slept.
  Missing someone hurts, Ivy thought. This is how it feels to be forgotten.
   Then one day Ivy was brought to the attic. She was placed in a box with some old clothes.
   Ivy went to sleep. Memories came and went, like dreams. Over and over, Ivy remembered the birthday party, the trips to the garden, new clothes, and icy nights, tucked in blankets.
   Until one day . . .
   The box opened again.
   Anne’s eyes were older now, but they lit up with joy.
   “Ivy!” she cried. “I remember you.”
 
CHAPTER TWO
The Library

Ivy peeked out of Anne’s tote bag. Everything was very bright after the dark box. There was so much to see!
   There were books on long shelves, in bins, and on bookcases. Shiny posters were on the walls.    There was even a shelf of stuffed animals and toys with a sign: book buddies.
   Ivy had never seen so many children. Some played games. Some did puzzles at little tables. Others sat in beanbags, listening to their parents read.
   “Welcome to the library,” Anne called to everyone. “Story time will start in five minutes. Today I’m reading books about bears. Get ready to growl!”
   Anne carried Ivy to the Book Buddies shelf. A little girl with pigtails and overalls was patting the toy unicorn’s tail.
   “Hi, Sophie!” Anne said to the girl. “I have a surprise. I helped my mom clean out her attic yesterday, and look who I found!” She took Ivy from the tote bag. “It’s my old doll, Ivy.”
 Old doll? Ivy’s heart broke.
   “Today she’ll join the Book Buddies,” Anne said. “Children can borrow her and read stories to her, like I did.”
   Ivy didn’t want to be borrowed. She wanted to belong to Anne. She wanted to be her favorite toy again.
   Sophie smiled. “She can meet the other Book Buddies.”
   “That’s a great idea!” Anne turned Ivy toward a brown bear with a black nose. “Ivy, this is Banjo.” Next was a fluffy black-and-white hen with her yellow chick. “Here are Olive and little Roger.”
   Banjo and Olive looked sweet. Roger had mischief in his eyes. Ivy liked them all.
   Homer the owl had brown feathers, fierce yellow eyes, and white tufts on his head. Ivy tried to smile bravely.
   “And here’s Dazzle!” Sophie pointed to a snow-white unicorn with a sparkly pink tail. “Dazzle is a boy,” she told Ivy. “He likes stories with magic.”
   Piper was a gray-and-white flying squirrel. Next to him was a tiny mouse wearing a wool vest and an acorn-cap hat. “That’s Marco Polo,” Anne said. “He likes to explore.”
   “And this is Lilyanna. She’s my favorite!” Sophie said.
   Lilyanna was another doll. She had a gold crown and long sunshine-colored hair. She wore a glittery purple dress with laces up the front.
   A princess! Just like in the fairy tales.
   “They can be friends,” Anne said. “Lilyanna will love having another library doll.”
   Ivy thought she heard Lilyanna give a tiny sniff, like that wasn’t true.
   Ivy had always loved her own black braids, little garden boots, homemade pants, and gray sweater. But next to Lilyanna, she felt plain and not even a little bit glittery.
   Anne set Ivy gently on the shelf between the hen and the unicorn.
   “Come on, Banjo!” Anne picked up the brown bear. “You’re the guest of honor at story time today. Our first book is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”
   Anne carried Banjo over her shoulder. He smiled back at the other toys.
   Ivy wished she could hear the stories, too. Maybe if she closed her eyes and listened really hard . . .
   “Are they gone?” a deep voice asked.