Ida B

Ida B	Harper Collins Publishing
Written by Kathering Hannigan	2007
Fiction	256 pages
Reading Level age 9-12

Summary

Ida B is an energetic girl who lives with her parents outside of town. She loves talking to the apple trees, babbling brook and the wise gnarled tree. Most people say that’s silly, they don’t talk. Ida B learned how to listen to their conversations. She loves having a plan and filling her day to the fullest. She has oatmeal with raisins every morning; it’s too early to think of variety. She has a sandwich for lunch, there’s too many things to do to think of what lunch will be. She loves life until she has to go to school. There, the teacher doesn’t say at what time they are going to play outside, read or do anything, and gets impatient when Ida asks when it was time. She hated it. She convinced her mother that school was horrible and home school was better. This continues until her mother comes from a checkup saying she has cancer. Her treatments will make her weak and sick, unable to teach Ida B. So Ida must go to school. Ida is upset because her mother broke her promise and her father agrees she can’t stay at home to help him. She decides to not like school and spends most of her time in her room, avoiding her parents. They have to sell part of the apple orchard to pay for the doctor appointments and treatments. Ida B feels betrayed, those were her friends, and her father always said they had to take care of the land so it could take care of them. She withdraws further and ignores the attempts of her teacher and classmates to befriend her. The land is bought and the beloved trees torn down and a house was built. Ida drew warning signs of the dangerous tornados and poisonous spiders. A girl from her class moved in with her family to the new house. Ida yells and tries to scare them away. At school, she avoids the girl and finally tells her teacher how she felt. She stalks the girl to try ad apologize. Ida B says she is sorry and feels much better. She goes home and forgives her parents. Everything is right, Ida is forgiven and school’s not so bad after all.

Response

I loved this book. Ida B had a whole spectrum of emotions. Her personalities are so relatable. I felt the joy she had running through her orchards, resentment of having to go back to school, and lonely angry shell she wrapped her heart in, and the relief and happiness of resolving problems. This book is a roller coaster ride of adventure and emotion. Ida B grows to understand sacrifice and having to cope with school and having her mother sick. I thought it was well written and had great supporting characters that balanced Ida B’s strong personality.

Potential Problems

I had a hard time finding problems with this book. I thought it was well written and was age appropriate.

Recommendations

I would recommend this to girls who are dreamers and love nature and to children who are angry. The moral might help them see that it can be overcome.