Ivy & Bean: What's The Big Idea? by Annie Barrows

Ivy and Bean are marginally less loathsome in this, the 7th of the series, but the book itself was depressing, shallow, and, well, depressing.
Ivy and Bean learn about GLOBAL WARMING from the seemingly dim witted 5th graders in their school, and when the whole 2nd grade class goes into deep funks about the planet's impending DOOM, their teacher assigns them all to do projects that will help save the planet.
Ivy and Bean waste a lot of time, energy (both theirs and consumer fossil-fuel based energy) on a lot of different ideas, before coming to their inevitable and sappy and insulting-to-adults conclusion.
Hideous, on about 20 levels.

Ivy and Bean Doomed to Dance, by Annie Barrows

Children's book that reminded me why I don't read more of them- or at least more recent ones. Ivy and Bean were wily, sly, manipulative, sarcastic, clever, and unpleasant. I appreciate that ballet is not for everyone (it wasn't for me) but overly demanding brats is not what I want to read about, and I can't help but think that children's books like this only add to The Problem.