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Hannigan, Katherine.
IDA B. : AND HER PLANS TO MAXIMIZE FUN, AVOID DISASTER AND (POSSIBLY) SAVE THE WORLD
New York : Greenwillow, 2004.
IL 3-6, RL 6.3
ISBN 0060730350
(3 booktalks)

Ida B's first days at school were not what she expected.  In fact, she was miserable.  When her mother spends the day in school with her, she agrees that it is not where Ida B belongs.  So, for the next few years, Ida B is home schooled.  She loves spending her free time outdoors talking to the trees and the brook.  And she loves spending time with her parents.  But then the unthinkable happens.  Her mother is diagnosed with cancer.  Now her mother is too tired to teach her and her father is too busy taking care of the farm and his family.  So Ida B has to go back to public school.  Will fourth grade be as bad as she believes?  Can Ida B adjust to all the changes happening in her life?

Booktalk #2

Ida B has always been home schooled. Her friends are the apple trees of the orchard, each with their own personality and name.
When Ida’s mom develops cancer, Ida’s life will never be the same.  Ida’s cherished orchard is sold to help pay the medical bills and Ida now has to attend fourth grade at the public school. Will she forgive her parents for their betrayal as the apple trees fall to make room for their new neighbors?  (New Hampshire Great Stone Face committee, 2005-2006)

Booktalk #3

After a really bad experience in kindergarten, Ida B.’s parents decide to homeschool her and promise she will never have to go to public school again. After her lessons, she is free to play all day, exploring the woods on her family’s farm, playing by the brook with her dog, Rufus, and talking to the trees in her dad’s apple orchard. Now Ida B. is a happy ten-year old who always has a “List of Fun Stuff To Do.” Her life is just about perfect, UNTIL……! Suddenly, Ida B. is angry and hateful toward everybody, especially her parents who break their promise to her. Before she can save the world, Ida B. must save herself from these feelings that are ruining her happiness as well as her relationships with her friends and family.   (Jean B. Bellavance for Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Awards, 2005-2006)