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63rd out of 896 books
—
1,709 voters
Ida B. . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World
Ida B. Applewood believes there is never enough time for fun.
That's why she's so happy to be homeschooled and to spend every free second outside with the trees and the brook.
Then some not-so-great things happen in her world. Ida B has to go back to that Place of Slow but Sure Body-Cramping, Mind-Numbing, Fun-Killing Torture--school. She feels her heart getting smaller and...more
That's why she's so happy to be homeschooled and to spend every free second outside with the trees and the brook.
Then some not-so-great things happen in her world. Ida B has to go back to that Place of Slow but Sure Body-Cramping, Mind-Numbing, Fun-Killing Torture--school. She feels her heart getting smaller and...more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
December 26th 2006
by Greenwillow Books
(first published August 17th 2004)
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THINGS I LEARNED FROM IDA B.
That..there is more than one way to tell each other things, and there's more than one way to listen too.
That...Even when you think you're in heaven, you need to stay alert and have a plan...but some things are very hard to plan for.
That...When your heart changes, you change, and you have to make new plans.
That...Sometimes our head knows something, but our hearts refuse to feel it.
That..Sometimes our unhappiness is the quiet kind, that doesn't do much and says even...more
That..there is more than one way to tell each other things, and there's more than one way to listen too.
That...Even when you think you're in heaven, you need to stay alert and have a plan...but some things are very hard to plan for.
That...When your heart changes, you change, and you have to make new plans.
That...Sometimes our head knows something, but our hearts refuse to feel it.
That..Sometimes our unhappiness is the quiet kind, that doesn't do much and says even...more
Ida B. is an only child in a perfect world. She spends her days making miniature rafts with questions attached like, "What is life like in Canada?" Her best friends are the apple trees, with whom she has long conversations.
Then one day the apple trees are worried, daddy seems worried, and mommy doesn't seem the same. Her parents tell her that her mother is sick and while she's trying to get better, Ida is going to have to stop being homeschooled, and instead go to school in town. Ida is furious,...more
Then one day the apple trees are worried, daddy seems worried, and mommy doesn't seem the same. Her parents tell her that her mother is sick and while she's trying to get better, Ida is going to have to stop being homeschooled, and instead go to school in town. Ida is furious,...more
5 likes · like · see review
In this book, I saw so many similarities between the character and myself. This quote describes how I reacted to things many times growing up.
Quote: "I couldn't do anything except curl up like a ball on the floor of the barn and lie there, crying. The kind of tears that burn your eyes, and the sort of sobs that make your chest ache so that you're sure it's going to bust open. And when the sobs finally ran out, the tears kept coming, so I lay there with my mouth wide open, but I hardly made a so...more
Quote: "I couldn't do anything except curl up like a ball on the floor of the barn and lie there, crying. The kind of tears that burn your eyes, and the sort of sobs that make your chest ache so that you're sure it's going to bust open. And when the sobs finally ran out, the tears kept coming, so I lay there with my mouth wide open, but I hardly made a so...more
7 likes · like · see review
Ida B is a simple girl that loves her mom, dad, and the nature that surrounds her. Katherine Hannigan's book is most appropriate for readers in grades 5th and 6th grade. Ida B talks to the trees in her orchard and the stream that runs through the property, and all is seemingly perfect until her mom becomes sick. Ida is sent to school, some of the land has to be sold and life for her changes so much that she becomes resentful. Throughout the book she is battling with her thoughts and her feelings...more
This book Is a good book. It is a little sad but it turns out to be a great ending!
1 like · like · see review
Only child Ida B Applewood has figured out a routine that allows her to maximize the good, fun things in life. But her happy life as a homeschooler is disrupted when her mother gets sick. Not only does Ida B have to go to public school, she is devastated because some of the family’s land, along with many of her beloved apple trees, is going to be sold to pay for the hospital bills. Ida B knows she has to come up with her best plan yet, one that will change everything back to righter than right o...more
Feb 15, 2008
Kristin
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone with a sense of humor about kids
Recommended to Kristin by:
Katie - a great student
I wanted to read something yesterday when I was in bed with the flu, and I wanted a story. My currently-reading list is all nonfiction right now, but Ida B, with its brightly colored cover, called to me from the bookshelf. What a fun, quirky character Ida B is! I read the entire book quite quickly. Althought it's a little younger than the other YA books I read (Ida B is a fourth grader), this is a delightful story written in a creative and humorous voice. Just what I needed for an uplifting read...more
3 likes · like · see review
In Novel Ida B. by Katherine Hannigan, Ida B a simple, nature loving nine year old girl who has spent her life seamlessly living in nature with her best friends; but gets her world turned upside down when things change in her family things become difficult for her. Ida B lives at home with her two parents, and lives a carefree life spending most of her time in the fields of her families apple orchard and "believes there is never enough time for fun". But her mom gets cancer and things being to c...more
Summary: This book of Realistic Fiction centers around Ida B. - a young girl who's parents own an orchard where she love imaginative play. Sadly, Ida B's mother (Ida) develops cancer causing them to sell part of the orchard and send Ida B. to public school. She feels angry and betrayed by this development, but with the help of Ms. Washington and her parents, she recovers.
Critique: This book's narration is amazing. I could almost feel Ida B turning from a joyful child into a sullen teenager when...more
Critique: This book's narration is amazing. I could almost feel Ida B turning from a joyful child into a sullen teenager when...more
What an enjoyable book. Ida B Applewood is an only child who lives what can only be described as the best life. She lives on a farm in Wisconsin with her Dad, Mom, Rufus (her dog), and Lulu (her cat). She is home schooled and spends her afternoons outside with the trees and the brook which all speak to her. When her mom contracts cancer Ida B's world is turned upside. Mom is too sick, and Dad doesn't have the time to teach Ida B so now she must return to a regular school. Mom and Dad, in Ida B's...more
Ida B
Katherine Hannigan
I give this book 5 stars because it was fun to read, but it doesn’t have everything I am looking for in a book. I’m not sure how to find the thing that is missing but some day I will.
This book is about a girl named Ida B and she is not normal. She talks to trees and they talk, she talks to the river and the river talks back. There is a rumor going on about Ida B and Paulie T. But Ida B knows that Paulie T. started it. Ida B really likes nature and she likes to invent thin...more
Katherine Hannigan
I give this book 5 stars because it was fun to read, but it doesn’t have everything I am looking for in a book. I’m not sure how to find the thing that is missing but some day I will.
This book is about a girl named Ida B and she is not normal. She talks to trees and they talk, she talks to the river and the river talks back. There is a rumor going on about Ida B and Paulie T. But Ida B knows that Paulie T. started it. Ida B really likes nature and she likes to invent thin...more
Ida B Applewood, an only child, lives with her parents on their Wisconsin farm and apple orchard. She talks to the brook and attaches notes onto miniature rafts requesting information about the world beyond her farm and orchard. Her friends are the apple trees that she named Beulah, Pastel, and Henry VIII. Ida B is always planning for fun until family problems change her life. When her mother develops cancer, her parents are forced to send Ida B to public school rather than continuing to home sc...more
After reading this book, it felt good. This was a nice break from the previous book that I read about the friend’s death because this book was full of laughter and it was a nice easy read. Ida B, who is the protagonist in this book has this idea of a perfect world and how she is an only child in that perfect world. Her only friends in this book are the apple trees and she has very interesting conversations with them, which I thought was a little weird. Ida B’s parents tell her that her grandmot...more
CBN: (246) ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING BOOKS I’VE EVER READ! Ida B. is a little girl who is naturally happy and kind and care-free. She loves her family and learning. However, her life is put at a standstill when she learns her mother is very sick with cancer. Because her mother is sick she is forced to go back to school and do other things she doesn’t want to do. Her character changes and she resolves to lock her heart up and never let anyone in. However, there is a teacher who has a key to unlock...more
Everything is right in Ida's world. Ever since a disasterous two weeks in kindergarten, she has been homeschooled. Ida's favorite place on the family farm is the orchard, where she has named her favorite trees, and talks to them. Because of her deep-seated need for consistency, Ida is a creature of habit. She has hot oatmeal for breakfast every day. She has peanut butter on bread and an apple for lunch every day. Every day when her lessons are done, Ida goes to sit in a tree or walk in the field...more
The book I am reviewing is Ida B… and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World. It’s by Katherine Hannigan. It was a National Bestseller book in 2006. This book is not a movie in the making but I think if it would it would be just as good as the book itself.
This book is about a fourth grader named Ida B Applewood. She’s been homeschooled for 1, 2, and 3rd grade but then has to go to school for 4th grade. She spends almost all of her time in the orchard and trees...more
This book is about a fourth grader named Ida B Applewood. She’s been homeschooled for 1, 2, and 3rd grade but then has to go to school for 4th grade. She spends almost all of her time in the orchard and trees...more
Ida, or Ida B as she prefers to be called, is a fourth grade home-schooled girl living in Wisconsin. Although she lives on her family’s apple orchard with few people other than her family to interact with, Ida B is not at all lonely. Readers learn that Ida B had a pretty negative experience her first few days at school, including an awful teacher who would not let her be called Ida B instead of just Ida. After witnessing how Ida B was in school, her parents decided homeschooling would be a bette...more
This is the kind of book that would have depressed the heck out of me for weeks when I was little.
Ida B. is a very charactery character. She is precocious. A trait I have never enjoyed in others. As an only child she has had a lot of indulging. Her imagination is lovely. She loves a good plan, which I can totally get with! She has the run of a large piece of land with trees, and water, and mountains.
Ida B.'s mom becomes ill with breast cancer and Ida B.'s bubble of perfectness pops. She must g...more
Ida B. is a very charactery character. She is precocious. A trait I have never enjoyed in others. As an only child she has had a lot of indulging. Her imagination is lovely. She loves a good plan, which I can totally get with! She has the run of a large piece of land with trees, and water, and mountains.
Ida B.'s mom becomes ill with breast cancer and Ida B.'s bubble of perfectness pops. She must g...more
1 like · like · see review
I read this book so long ago, I can't remember much about the when. What I do remember is how much I loved the story and the quote that was printed at the top of the front cover from Kate DiCamillo that caused me to read the book in the first place. It read, "I feel a deep gratitude that Ida B exists." At least, that's how I remember the quote having gone. In any case, it's a good quote and a true one. I feel the same way. Ida B is one of the few unparalleled joys that children's literature has...more
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Ida B is a character! Pure and simple. Yes, she's spoiled. Yes, she's annoying and selfish, and yes, she's immature. But Ida B is about 9 years old and in the 4th grade. I don't know of any 9 or 10 year olds, in the fourth grade who have their lives completely together. Frankly, there are adults that I know that are about the same maturity level of Ida B.
But, the thing about Ida B is: she learns. Perhaps she doesn't learn as much as some would like her to or maybe learn as quick. She does, howe...more
But, the thing about Ida B is: she learns. Perhaps she doesn't learn as much as some would like her to or maybe learn as quick. She does, howe...more
I began a journey into Children's Literature a few weeks ago. I want to rekindle my knowledge and background in children's lit and prepare myself for my CL conference in March. I decided to re-read and read for the first time some youth books...I had never read Ida B...what a great kids book I was missing. This book centers around a sassy and fun and adventurous young lady called Ida B. Ida B has a unique relationship with nature. She talks to trees, the brook, etc...she loves her land...land th...more
Ida B. has a plan. She is not going to go to a traditional school, the kind where you sit in a stuffy classroom all day, where teachers don't call you by your real name, and where you're not allowed to do anything until it's "time" to do them. She's going to be home-schooled, where she can spend time with her favorite people, her mama and daddy, and talk about things that matter and have plenty of time to do the many interesting things there are to do in any given day. Ida B's plan is perfect, t...more
Katherine Hannigan’s Ida B. is such a beautiful story. Ida B. (not just Ida, that’s her mom) lives with her mom and dad. She loves the nature that surrounds her home, making friends with the apple trees and stream. She has a beautiful dialog with the trees. During one of her night time walks with her father he talks about how they must be caretakers of the earth. Ida B. says, “the earth takes care of us too.” This is very much a theme in this book. Ida is home schooled and lives a beautiful life...more
Lexile: This book is intended for primary school students but contains good stuff for high school students as well. It's lexile must be wrong; it comes up as 970 but reads more like 600 or lower.
I liked this book a lot, especially the unique, confident, and creative voice of the narrator and its central theme about the power and necessity of apologizing. She reminded me a little of Stargirl (Spinelli). One criticism: One of the three main subplots of the story gets the most development. I happen...more
I liked this book a lot, especially the unique, confident, and creative voice of the narrator and its central theme about the power and necessity of apologizing. She reminded me a little of Stargirl (Spinelli). One criticism: One of the three main subplots of the story gets the most development. I happen...more
This is a great book. I wasn’t very impressed at all with the first several chapters. The book struck me as being just like many others I have read at this level geared toward girls. But then the plot thickened and I ended up being very touched by the overall story. Ida B is a happy-go-lucky, carefree, spirited only child who really enjoys her family’s simple farming lifestyle. Everyday she rushes outside with her dog to talk to the trees and the brook, which is a little strange but also somewha...more
The writing of this book reminded me a bit of Ingrid Law's Savvy, which I absolutely love, so I was pleased when I began this one. The prose is quirky and youthful, with lots of originality and imagination.
Ida B. is a girl who absolutely positively loves to have fun, and plan out all the fun things she wants to do each day. It helps that she's homeschooled and can spend her time in an environment that nurtures her creative spirit. But one day Ida B.'s world is turned upside down and her family's...more
Ida B. is a girl who absolutely positively loves to have fun, and plan out all the fun things she wants to do each day. It helps that she's homeschooled and can spend her time in an environment that nurtures her creative spirit. But one day Ida B.'s world is turned upside down and her family's...more
book on CD
This was a fun and humorous look at a 9 year old girl’s adventures through an apple orchard in Wisconsin, my home state. The book had real meaning for me, because I was familiar with the smells and sights of the scenes in the book.
It is a sentimental book, with some melodrama in it. It is a book about change and how to overcome it. This would be a great book for students going through illness of a loved one. Yet the book is light hearted and easy to read, never becoming too dark or mo...more
This was a fun and humorous look at a 9 year old girl’s adventures through an apple orchard in Wisconsin, my home state. The book had real meaning for me, because I was familiar with the smells and sights of the scenes in the book.
It is a sentimental book, with some melodrama in it. It is a book about change and how to overcome it. This would be a great book for students going through illness of a loved one. Yet the book is light hearted and easy to read, never becoming too dark or mo...more
Katherine Hannigan tells this beautiful tale from the viewpoint of child in an almost magical way. The reader gets to see the thinking process of a child whose blissful world is blown to bits when her mother is stricken with cancer. Ida B. has been home-schooled up until this point so when she is made to go to school she views it as punishment from her parents. Ms. Washington (her teacher) is the most patient person on the planet! (Don't you love it when teachers get a good representative!!!) Sh...more
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Ida B is very happy with her life. She lives on her ranch with her mom and dad. She talks to the trees and the brook and they are the only friends she needs. She is homeschooled because school just didn't work out for her. And life is perfect. Then one day her momma gets sick and everything changes. Her daddy has to sell part of the ranch and part of her trees are gone. And worse yet she has to go to public school. Ida B thinks her life is in ruins and she hardens her heart to everything around...more
Katherine Hannigan's first novel, Ida B . . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World was a New York Times bestseller, a Book Sense bestseller, and a Parents' Choice Gold Award winner, and it appeared on more than twenty-five state award lists. She (and several wild rabbits) live at the edge of a meadow in northeastern Iowa.
More about Katherine Hannigan...
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“...if a child waited to speak until all the grown-ups settled down and gave her some room to say her piece, the most important things would never get said.”
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33 people liked it
“Apologizing is like spring cleaning.”
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Sep 02, 2012 04:52pm
Oct 12, 2012 06:54am