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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 smaller and hardening into a sharp, black stone.
How can things go from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong? Can Ida B put together a plan to get things back to just-about perfect again?
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 smaller and hardening into a sharp, black stone.
How can things go from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong? Can Ida B put together a plan to get things back to just-about perfect again?
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Katherine Hannigan
6 books126 followersKatherine 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,866 reviews
July 28, 2007
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 less.
That..A warm heart turned cold can't help but turn warm again if the right people are let in.
That..in books lie a whole other world and sometimes that's where it's nice to be.
That..happiness is best satisfied when shared.
That..just because you make a thought go quiet, doesn't mean you've gotten rid of it.
That..sometimes when you haven't talked with a friend for a while, even if it's strange and stiff and you don't quite know what to say, it can still feel better than ever.
That..letting go can sometimes mean you grow.
That..even if you make things right...all may not be perfect.
That..sometimes a silence between friends needs to be crossed to be comfortable and it may seem dangerous and you might want to plan for it..but just taking that step without to much considering
will put you on the other side in an instant.
That..feelings are words that can go straight to the heart.
Ida B is not just any fourth grade little girl...but little girls with thoughts and feeling like hers exist . A nod to Katherine Hannigan for writing a book for them. Anyone can enjoy Ida B, but a few will understand and learn from her without the words...they'll learn with their hearts. I've seen her compared to Junie B., who my class, (and I have to admit from time to time) I enjoy. However, she is not like Junie B besides the fact that we get to hear her thoughts. She is an old soul in a little girls body...we, I mean they exist . I don't want to say much about the story but I do want to say take a leap of faith and pick it up. By turns you will laugh, cry, hold your breath as you wait for resolution, and finally sigh...(why you sigh would be telling...)I certainly hope that someone...a little girl...or a big one like me will read this, read Ida B, relate and perhaps pass it on.
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 less.
That..A warm heart turned cold can't help but turn warm again if the right people are let in.
That..in books lie a whole other world and sometimes that's where it's nice to be.
That..happiness is best satisfied when shared.
That..just because you make a thought go quiet, doesn't mean you've gotten rid of it.
That..sometimes when you haven't talked with a friend for a while, even if it's strange and stiff and you don't quite know what to say, it can still feel better than ever.
That..letting go can sometimes mean you grow.
That..even if you make things right...all may not be perfect.
That..sometimes a silence between friends needs to be crossed to be comfortable and it may seem dangerous and you might want to plan for it..but just taking that step without to much considering
will put you on the other side in an instant.
That..feelings are words that can go straight to the heart.
Ida B is not just any fourth grade little girl...but little girls with thoughts and feeling like hers exist . A nod to Katherine Hannigan for writing a book for them. Anyone can enjoy Ida B, but a few will understand and learn from her without the words...they'll learn with their hearts. I've seen her compared to Junie B., who my class, (and I have to admit from time to time) I enjoy. However, she is not like Junie B besides the fact that we get to hear her thoughts. She is an old soul in a little girls body...we, I mean they exist . I don't want to say much about the story but I do want to say take a leap of faith and pick it up. By turns you will laugh, cry, hold your breath as you wait for resolution, and finally sigh...(why you sigh would be telling...)I certainly hope that someone...a little girl...or a big one like me will read this, read Ida B, relate and perhaps pass it on.
November 6, 2020
حسناً...لقد أحببتك جداً يا عزيزتي " آيدا بي"...
ولكن بالرغم من إنك يا صغيرتي تضعين خططاً لزيادة المرح وتجنب الكوارث قدر ما تستطيعين بل وربما انقاذ العالم ، إلا إنه يؤسفني أن اخبرك بأن الحياة مُحبطة وستضطرين أن تتخلي عن وضع الخطط للمرح ع��دما تنضمين إلى عالم الكبار ، عندئذٍ ستضعين خططاً مختلفة تماماً ، قد تتحقق بخطى وئيدة متثاقلة، و قد تفسد خططك في أي لحظة ، قد تضطرين الى الهروب عندما تُحاصرك مخاوفك وتغمرك الحياة بقساوتها وعناءها ، وبالطبع ستفاجئك النتائج التي بانتظارك...
أحببت مُعلمتك بالمدرسة ، مثال للشخص المُحب المُثابر ، أن تجلس بجانبك كل يوم وتسألك عما كان هنالك ما تودين التحدث بشأنه وإن لم تلق جواباً إلا " لا شيء" ..هذا يعني انها كانت مُتيقنة من أن ما تحمله بداخلها من الحب سيصلك يوماً ما وعندئذٍ ستبوحين بكل ما يثقل قلبك ، وتتقلص المسافات ، وتشعرين كما لو أن احدهم القى بحجر في نهر ويتبدد الصمت الذي يغمرك وتصبحين أكثر خفة وصفاءً....
رواية عندما تصل لنهايتها كما لو أنك تودع صديقاً عزيزاً ❤
ولكن بالرغم من إنك يا صغيرتي تضعين خططاً لزيادة المرح وتجنب الكوارث قدر ما تستطيعين بل وربما انقاذ العالم ، إلا إنه يؤسفني أن اخبرك بأن الحياة مُحبطة وستضطرين أن تتخلي عن وضع الخطط للمرح ع��دما تنضمين إلى عالم الكبار ، عندئذٍ ستضعين خططاً مختلفة تماماً ، قد تتحقق بخطى وئيدة متثاقلة، و قد تفسد خططك في أي لحظة ، قد تضطرين الى الهروب عندما تُحاصرك مخاوفك وتغمرك الحياة بقساوتها وعناءها ، وبالطبع ستفاجئك النتائج التي بانتظارك...
أحببت مُعلمتك بالمدرسة ، مثال للشخص المُحب المُثابر ، أن تجلس بجانبك كل يوم وتسألك عما كان هنالك ما تودين التحدث بشأنه وإن لم تلق جواباً إلا " لا شيء" ..هذا يعني انها كانت مُتيقنة من أن ما تحمله بداخلها من الحب سيصلك يوماً ما وعندئذٍ ستبوحين بكل ما يثقل قلبك ، وتتقلص المسافات ، وتشعرين كما لو أن احدهم القى بحجر في نهر ويتبدد الصمت الذي يغمرك وتصبحين أكثر خفة وصفاءً....
رواية عندما تصل لنهايتها كما لو أنك تودع صديقاً عزيزاً ❤
July 13, 2020
الأطفال لا يقتنعون بأن للكبار مشاعر مثلهم، وأنهم طيبون مثلهم، وأنهم يستطيعون أن يخفوا أحزانهم مثل الأطفال بل بشكل أكثر صرامة عنهم.
آيدا بي علمتني أننا كنا قساة جدًا جدًا على والدينا، على الأقل مرتين أو ثلاثًا في أصعب المواقف وأكثرها شدة عليهما.
آيدا بي علمتني أن الصغار مهما تسببوا في الأذى، فهم غير مدركون لما سيتكبده الكبار من مشقة وألم.
إن انتفى العقاب، فهل ينتهي ألم الضمير؟
آيدا بي علمتني أن كثيرًا من المخلوقات الصامتة، كالأشجار، والنجوم، والسماء، والنهر، خلقت لتعتني بنا، وبالتالي يتوجب علينا رعايتها.
آيدا بي ذكرتني أنَّ سعادة بعضنا تقوم على أطلال أحزانِ آخرين، وأن هذا لا يعني بالضرورة أن "بعضنا" سيِّئون.
آيدا بي علمتني أننا، دون قصد، قد نكون سبب حزنٍ وعذابٍ لأحب الناس على وجه الأرض إلينا.
آيدا بي، أبكتني..
...
أنا ممتنة لهذه الرواية، لتأثري بالمشاعر الصادقة على شكل كلمات، لآيدا بي "حلوتي" التي وإن لم تتمكن من "زيادة المرح وربما إنقاذ العالم" فقد أثبتت أن الأمر في النهاية يعتمد علينا نحن، وأن قوة الحب الدافئة موجودة فينا على الدوام.
كتاب آخر يصبح من أعز أصدقائي.
آيدا بي علمتني أننا كنا قساة جدًا جدًا على والدينا، على الأقل مرتين أو ثلاثًا في أصعب المواقف وأكثرها شدة عليهما.
آيدا بي علمتني أن الصغار مهما تسببوا في الأذى، فهم غير مدركون لما سيتكبده الكبار من مشقة وألم.
إن انتفى العقاب، فهل ينتهي ألم الضمير؟
آيدا بي علمتني أن كثيرًا من المخلوقات الصامتة، كالأشجار، والنجوم، والسماء، والنهر، خلقت لتعتني بنا، وبالتالي يتوجب علينا رعايتها.
آيدا بي ذكرتني أنَّ سعادة بعضنا تقوم على أطلال أحزانِ آخرين، وأن هذا لا يعني بالضرورة أن "بعضنا" سيِّئون.
آيدا بي علمتني أننا، دون قصد، قد نكون سبب حزنٍ وعذابٍ لأحب الناس على وجه الأرض إلينا.
آيدا بي، أبكتني..
...
أنا ممتنة لهذه الرواية، لتأثري بالمشاعر الصادقة على شكل كلمات، لآيدا بي "حلوتي" التي وإن لم تتمكن من "زيادة المرح وربما إنقاذ العالم" فقد أثبتت أن الأمر في النهاية يعتمد علينا نحن، وأن قوة الحب الدافئة موجودة فينا على الدوام.
كتاب آخر يصبح من أعز أصدقائي.
July 29, 2021
إنها تنتمي إلى أمها وأبيها، وإلى الغدير وإلى الجبل والشجرة البيضاء العجوز وإلى الأشجار في بستان التفاح والعصافير والنجوم، وإلى كلبها روفوس وقطتها لولو،
فكيف لا أحبها وأمنحها مكانًا دافئًا في قلبي؟!
ليلة سعيدة يا آيدا بي،
بصوت هادئ يحمله إليكِ نسيم الليل من الغدير والجبل والأشجار والقمر والنجوم
ومني ومن كل الأشياء الجميلة ~💜🌌💜
29.07.2021
فكيف لا أحبها وأمنحها مكانًا دافئًا في قلبي؟!
ليلة سعيدة يا آيدا بي،
بصوت هادئ يحمله إليكِ نسيم الليل من الغدير والجبل والأشجار والقمر والنجوم
ومني ومن كل الأشياء الجميلة ~💜🌌💜
29.07.2021
September 14, 2019
Ida B. Applewood has been home-schooled for the last five years. She tried kindergarten but was so unhappy with the rules and regimentation that her parents, apple farmers, decided it would be best if they educated her at home. She’s been blissfully happy ever since. However, now that she’s nine, a big and terrible change has come. “Mama” has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and the treatments she must undergo will not allow her to attend to Ida B.’s instruction. Furthermore, without Ida B.’s mother’s help, “Daddy” will have to do all the farm work himself. The girl has to attend school. What’s more, she has to cope with the fact that in order to pay for her mother’s medical treatment, her father has to sell some of the family’s beloved orchard.
Ida B. is not so self-centered that she is not distressed by her mother’s illness and her father’s sadness, but she feels she must harden her heart and sharpen its edges against the blows she has been dealt. It’s the only way to cope with returning to school.
Once at school, she rejects the warmth of her teacher and the friendliness of the students in her class. She discovers, as well, that it is the family of one of her classmates who has purchased the Applewood land. They’re building a house on the property, and they have cut down the lovely apple trees that were Ida B.’s friends.
It takes effort for Ida B. to maintain her hard-heartedness, and the author is very good at depicting the confusion of emotions in her young protagonist as the girl attempts to cope with significant life changes.
At first, I didn’t like this novel at all. Ida B. is more than a bit precious. She names and talks to trees and brooks, who answer her back, and she’s obviously intended to be a darling, nature-loving eccentric. I don’t see any reason why the author couldn’t have left out these annoyingly twee verbal and behavioral tics. It would have made for a far better novel.
So, in the end, I’ve got mixed feelings about this book for girls 8 to 12 years of age. The strengths of the novel include its sensitive rendering of a child’s emotional turmoil, but, unfortunately, they’re coupled with some of the most irritating and sentimental characteristics of American children’s literature.
Ida B. is not so self-centered that she is not distressed by her mother’s illness and her father’s sadness, but she feels she must harden her heart and sharpen its edges against the blows she has been dealt. It’s the only way to cope with returning to school.
Once at school, she rejects the warmth of her teacher and the friendliness of the students in her class. She discovers, as well, that it is the family of one of her classmates who has purchased the Applewood land. They’re building a house on the property, and they have cut down the lovely apple trees that were Ida B.’s friends.
It takes effort for Ida B. to maintain her hard-heartedness, and the author is very good at depicting the confusion of emotions in her young protagonist as the girl attempts to cope with significant life changes.
At first, I didn’t like this novel at all. Ida B. is more than a bit precious. She names and talks to trees and brooks, who answer her back, and she’s obviously intended to be a darling, nature-loving eccentric. I don’t see any reason why the author couldn’t have left out these annoyingly twee verbal and behavioral tics. It would have made for a far better novel.
So, in the end, I’ve got mixed feelings about this book for girls 8 to 12 years of age. The strengths of the novel include its sensitive rendering of a child’s emotional turmoil, but, unfortunately, they’re coupled with some of the most irritating and sentimental characteristics of American children’s literature.
April 9, 2008
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, hurt, and betrayed.
It takes the loving, and patient help of a 4th grade teacher, her parents, and ultimately Ida herself to break down the stony exterior she builds up, and find a way to heal.
There is an element of environmentalism and protecting the earth's natural resources in the book, too, which works well with older elementary students.
The voice of Ida B. is amazing and poignant. The book absolutely screams to be read aloud. Ida will make you laugh, shake your head in amazement, and probably shed a tear or two for an amazing little girl who tries to find a way to be herself when her world is turned upside down.
From the first page:
" 'Ida B,' Mama said to me on one of those days that start right and just keep heading toward perfect until you go to sleep, 'when you're done with the dishes, you can go play. Daddy and I are going to be working till dinner.'
'Yes, ma'am,' I said back, but I said it like this, 'Yes, MAY-uhm!' because I couldn't wait to get on with my business. I could already hear the brook calling to me through the back door screen, 'C'mon out and play, Ida B. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up.' I had three places I wanted to visit, six things I wanted to make, and two conversations I hoped to have before dinnertime."
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, hurt, and betrayed.
It takes the loving, and patient help of a 4th grade teacher, her parents, and ultimately Ida herself to break down the stony exterior she builds up, and find a way to heal.
There is an element of environmentalism and protecting the earth's natural resources in the book, too, which works well with older elementary students.
The voice of Ida B. is amazing and poignant. The book absolutely screams to be read aloud. Ida will make you laugh, shake your head in amazement, and probably shed a tear or two for an amazing little girl who tries to find a way to be herself when her world is turned upside down.
From the first page:
" 'Ida B,' Mama said to me on one of those days that start right and just keep heading toward perfect until you go to sleep, 'when you're done with the dishes, you can go play. Daddy and I are going to be working till dinner.'
'Yes, ma'am,' I said back, but I said it like this, 'Yes, MAY-uhm!' because I couldn't wait to get on with my business. I could already hear the brook calling to me through the back door screen, 'C'mon out and play, Ida B. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up.' I had three places I wanted to visit, six things I wanted to make, and two conversations I hoped to have before dinnertime."
May 24, 2017
Reading this book made me feel that maybe, just maybe I've been reading too many MG books of late. It did get better after a point and has its heart in the right place, but it made me want to break the monotony in my reading habit.
I couldn't help but compare the protagonist to the one in Flipped, and while the character of Juli Baker is one you cannot help falling in love with, the love for nature somehow seemed forced in Ida B.
That said, it made for an easy read and also carried an important lesson, that sometimes all it takes to fix things is a heartfelt apology.
I couldn't help but compare the protagonist to the one in Flipped, and while the character of Juli Baker is one you cannot help falling in love with, the love for nature somehow seemed forced in Ida B.
That said, it made for an easy read and also carried an important lesson, that sometimes all it takes to fix things is a heartfelt apology.
February 6, 2015
After finishing this book and failing to find words for how much I loved it, I checked out some other people's reviews here and on Amazon for inspiration. I was surprised to discover that a lot of people think of it as a book about environmentalism. I can kind of see that if I squint, but for me the message about loving nature was a much softer undercurrent, not the main point of the book at all.
For me, this is a book about Big Feelings, and about a child going through those feelings for the first time and not knowing how to cope with them. It's about feeling so angry and disappointed and betrayed that you don't even remember how to be a friend anymore, and about going through months of life with that hurt being the only thing animating you. And then it's about how to come back alive from that place, how to apologize and forgive, and how to let joy and love back into your life even when the paradise you once had is lost forever. This is very heavy and very deep subject matter for kids, but it's important even at a young age. The way it's presented in the book is very relatable, and often quite a lot of fun.
As I was reading and saw the plot start to unfold, I was worried that this was going to be an "I used to be homeschooled but now I'm in public school and it turns out to be even better" story. I was pleased to find that that didn't turn out to be the message at all. Ida B learns to get along in public school, and even to like it a bit, but it's clear that she's remaining there because of her family situation, not because it's a better option than homeschooling. And I think that's a very important message as well -- that an ideal situation may not be possible, or that the best available solution may be different as time goes on and circumstances change.
I read this for myself, but I'm going to read it aloud to my six-year-old too. He's definitely too young to read it on his own, and he might be too young to fully grasp the insights in the novel, but I think these are messages he could benefit from hearing, and I want to give it a try.
For me, this is a book about Big Feelings, and about a child going through those feelings for the first time and not knowing how to cope with them. It's about feeling so angry and disappointed and betrayed that you don't even remember how to be a friend anymore, and about going through months of life with that hurt being the only thing animating you. And then it's about how to come back alive from that place, how to apologize and forgive, and how to let joy and love back into your life even when the paradise you once had is lost forever. This is very heavy and very deep subject matter for kids, but it's important even at a young age. The way it's presented in the book is very relatable, and often quite a lot of fun.
As I was reading and saw the plot start to unfold, I was worried that this was going to be an "I used to be homeschooled but now I'm in public school and it turns out to be even better" story. I was pleased to find that that didn't turn out to be the message at all. Ida B learns to get along in public school, and even to like it a bit, but it's clear that she's remaining there because of her family situation, not because it's a better option than homeschooling. And I think that's a very important message as well -- that an ideal situation may not be possible, or that the best available solution may be different as time goes on and circumstances change.
I read this for myself, but I'm going to read it aloud to my six-year-old too. He's definitely too young to read it on his own, and he might be too young to fully grasp the insights in the novel, but I think these are messages he could benefit from hearing, and I want to give it a try.
September 19, 2007
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 sound. Just air going into me, and a heavy wind full of sorrow coming out. But as I cried, my heart was being transformed. It was getting smaller and smaller in my chest and hardening up like a rock. The smaller and harder my heart got, the less I cried, until finally I stopped completely. By the time I was finished, my heart was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. It was so hard nobody could break it and so sharp it would hurt anybody who touched it." (p.86)
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 sound. Just air going into me, and a heavy wind full of sorrow coming out. But as I cried, my heart was being transformed. It was getting smaller and smaller in my chest and hardening up like a rock. The smaller and harder my heart got, the less I cried, until finally I stopped completely. By the time I was finished, my heart was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. It was so hard nobody could break it and so sharp it would hurt anybody who touched it." (p.86)
April 7, 2012
I am getting old. All I could think as I was reading about Ida B. proceeding from one bratty, precocious, stereotypical only child action to the next was "Get this kid stricter parenting!"
The story is this: Ida B, her parents, and their many animals live on many acres of land with trees and a brook. Ida B loves to take her animals to the brook and talk to the brook and the trees, which she has given names and which talk back to her. She went to school (for like three days btw) and hated it, so her parents chose to homeschool her. Then her mom gets cancer, her dad has a hard time managing time and money, and he has to both stop homeschooling her and sell the land that Ida B's tree friends are on. He sells the land to a family that ends up cutting them down. Ida B freaks out and is mad at everyone about the trees and about the fact that she has to go to public school.
Now. I know that it is totally normal for 9 and 10 year olds to only be thinking of their own needs. And maybe my ability to read stories like these is tarnished by being closer to the parent's age than the kid's age now (which still seems like an odd thing to say in one's mid-20's).
But that doesn't make Ida B. an enjoyable read.
I was hedging towards finding it OK around the time when she starts to see that her cruel actions were an offshoot of the anger she had from her mom being sick. Then I lost all that goodwill at the part where she apologizes to trees for her behavior, but not really her parents (I swear I did not make that up) and then she and her dad are talking about how "nature takes care of us" and I'm like, "Wait, wasn't she a super brat to her cancer-stricken mother? Was that not actually the point of this book???"
The story is this: Ida B, her parents, and their many animals live on many acres of land with trees and a brook. Ida B loves to take her animals to the brook and talk to the brook and the trees, which she has given names and which talk back to her. She went to school (for like three days btw) and hated it, so her parents chose to homeschool her. Then her mom gets cancer, her dad has a hard time managing time and money, and he has to both stop homeschooling her and sell the land that Ida B's tree friends are on. He sells the land to a family that ends up cutting them down. Ida B freaks out and is mad at everyone about the trees and about the fact that she has to go to public school.
Now. I know that it is totally normal for 9 and 10 year olds to only be thinking of their own needs. And maybe my ability to read stories like these is tarnished by being closer to the parent's age than the kid's age now (which still seems like an odd thing to say in one's mid-20's).
But that doesn't make Ida B. an enjoyable read.
I was hedging towards finding it OK around the time when she starts to see that her cruel actions were an offshoot of the anger she had from her mom being sick. Then I lost all that goodwill at the part where she apologizes to trees for her behavior, but not really her parents (I swear I did not make that up) and then she and her dad are talking about how "nature takes care of us" and I'm like, "Wait, wasn't she a super brat to her cancer-stricken mother? Was that not actually the point of this book???"
July 18, 2020
"آيدا بي" كم أنتِ عنيدة و جميلة..
دومًا أقول لا حلول مع الأطفال أصحاب الخيال الواسع، الذين يفكرون بقلوبهم إلا النظرة الحانية، والأسف..
الاعتذار لهم عن كون الحياة لا تسير كما رسمتها أرواحهم البِكر..
أفهمك جيدًا يا صغيرة، وكل لحظة غضب مرّت أشعر بكِ.
فاسمي رضوى، وأنا دومًا صديقة الأطفال غريبي الأطوار عن أقرانهم.. مثلي في صغري.
رواية دافئة كلها نقاء طيب افتقدتهُ.
تمت.
دومًا أقول لا حلول مع الأطفال أصحاب الخيال الواسع، الذين يفكرون بقلوبهم إلا النظرة الحانية، والأسف..
الاعتذار لهم عن كون الحياة لا تسير كما رسمتها أرواحهم البِكر..
أفهمك جيدًا يا صغيرة، وكل لحظة غضب مرّت أشعر بكِ.
فاسمي رضوى، وأنا دومًا صديقة الأطفال غريبي الأطوار عن أقرانهم.. مثلي في صغري.
رواية دافئة كلها نقاء طيب افتقدتهُ.
تمت.
September 1, 2015
I. Love. This. Book. Why didn't it win an award? It's brilliant, and it has all the right pieces: a loveable main character, gorgeous prose, and a plot so realistically drawn that it's easy to fall into. It struck a chord with me, and I found myself laughing even as tears poured down my face. Such a beautiful, beautiful novel--first novel, especially.
This book is made of win, and everyone (especially teachers!) need to read it. Now.
5/5 on here, 10/10 for myself
This book is made of win, and everyone (especially teachers!) need to read it. Now.
5/5 on here, 10/10 for myself
April 4, 2022
It's not easy to be an Ida B in our world. From an early point in this book, it's plain to see that Ida B's quirkiness extends beyond that of most other kids, into a range of idiosyncrasy that will always make it difficult for her to accept when her well-laid plans don't go the way she envisions. Most people shrug off unwanted changes and deviations to their plans with relative ease, knowing that our world is too crazy and unpredictable for us to ever realistically expect everything to go our way, but not Ida B. I know the burden of how it feels to always care too much, to dream so big that a letdown is crushing beyond one's ability to cope, because I'm an "Ida B", too. And the positives of being an Ida B are indescribably wonderful, emotions so vivid and sweeping that they can carry a person off in their wake on a thrill ride the likes of which few will ever experience. But in our world, where the ability to scramble when plans change and to adapt to the bitterness of unmet expectations are the ultimate survival mechanisms, being an Ida B can be a wobbly tower that is destined for a hard crash to the ground, often sooner than later. And how does one, being an Ida B, recover from that?
If I were to select a handful of the freshest voices in literature from the 2000-2010 timeframe, Ida B's would certainly make the list. Sort of a cross between Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones and Caitlin from Kathryn Erskine's Mockingbird, Ida B's manner of speaking is as memorable as it is indelible, and it's her unique personal style, more than anything else, that will make this book unforgettable to readers. Just take her beginning school experiences in kindergarten, for example: Ida B needed more freedom than the conventional education system allowed, and being made to sit through regular school everyday was a drain on her bright and beautiful spirit that simply could not go unchecked. This is why, from the first pages of Ida B, she is home-schooled by her parents, who understood as far back as when she was in kindergarten that their daughter's needs were different from those of other kids, and took the necessary measures to provide her with what she needed. However, it was only a matter of time before Ida B's fragile peace with her immediate world would be broken, and that is the story we find in this book.
I won't spoil the story for anyone by telling exactly how things begin to go wrong for Ida B once she reaches fourth grade, but the demise of her meticulously planned home existence is quick and leaves her with a horde of changes to adjust to, changes that to a girl like Ida B seem absolutely unacceptable. Whatever happened to all of her careful planning for the future, both long-term and short-term? Why is it that now, years after the kindergarten debacle that ended so nicely, Ida B must confront the issue of public school yet again, but this time without another option to fall back on if she can't stand the requirements of conformity? For Ida B, whose enthusiasm for life as she knows it is as pure as it comes and who lives, truly, just how she wants to, the trials that are now coming her way are enough to cast her down from her tower of happiness, to leave her back on the ground floor after she had planned so long for what she wanted and how she wanted it to happen. She is a true Ida B, and the rigidity of her idealism has now become the greatest obstacle to her happiness. But then, that's the price one pays for being an Ida B...
To survive the changes coming so quickly to the life she once knew, Ida B learns what all human beings must in order to function in an imperfect world for the long haul: our existence on planet earth will never be something that we can arrange perfectly, will never be under our control enough to allow us to dictate terms as if we were in charge. The truth is, not one of us is the boss of even our own life, and only by the grace of Providence can we hope, not expect, for the tide to eventually turn and a few good things to begin coming our way again after a string of bad luck. To expect that the plans we lay out so carefully will be followed at all by the narrative of our personal history is to ensure stress and strife, and to think that we can have it made if we just figure out what we want and then present the world with our schematic is a blueprint for disaster. And as Ida B comes to terms with the truth that in a broken world filled with broken people there's no way we can ever hope for our story to proceed in unbroken fashion, her "Ida B" heart doesn't fundamentally change; rather, she simply keeps on going forward because she knows that's the only thing to do, and tries to set right the parts of her life that she knows she can fix even while assimilating the inevitability of change to her once-perfect existence, recognizing that nothing stays the same forever, so we must cherish the goodness that our lives do offer for as long as it stays with us. It's the only way to hold on, even for but a transient moment in time, to our happiness.
Ida B is one of those books that has Newbery written all over it, despite not being rewarded for it by the 2005 committee. The book's emotion is keenly relevant to the reader's life, the rich wisdom of experience coming through in every facet of the narrative as we observe Ida B's reaction to change in her life and realize that we are faced every day with the same sorts of decisions that she has to make. Our real-life stories don't usually have clean endings, easily recognizable moments of transfer from unhappiness to happiness, and this book is completely faithful to that reality, not giving readers a synthetic happy ending that would compromise the poignancy of the story and its honest emotions up to that point. The life that Ida B enters into as the book closes is as realistic as the one she had always lived, and gives us not an end to a story, but another jumping-off place by which more life is about to begin. As in our own lives, the end of a road is never just the conclusion of a story, but the beginning of what happens next. Even if we can't know where the next road might take us.
Would I recommend Ida B? I most certainly would. For readers who love to hear a fresh narrative voice, or who read because stories are the best way to receive a full emotional education, Ida B is a junior novel that should not be missed. Katherine Hannigan is an excellent writing talent, and I'm looking forward to immersing myself in more of what she has to offer. If it's as good as Ida B, then I know it will be worth it.
If I were to select a handful of the freshest voices in literature from the 2000-2010 timeframe, Ida B's would certainly make the list. Sort of a cross between Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones and Caitlin from Kathryn Erskine's Mockingbird, Ida B's manner of speaking is as memorable as it is indelible, and it's her unique personal style, more than anything else, that will make this book unforgettable to readers. Just take her beginning school experiences in kindergarten, for example: Ida B needed more freedom than the conventional education system allowed, and being made to sit through regular school everyday was a drain on her bright and beautiful spirit that simply could not go unchecked. This is why, from the first pages of Ida B, she is home-schooled by her parents, who understood as far back as when she was in kindergarten that their daughter's needs were different from those of other kids, and took the necessary measures to provide her with what she needed. However, it was only a matter of time before Ida B's fragile peace with her immediate world would be broken, and that is the story we find in this book.
I won't spoil the story for anyone by telling exactly how things begin to go wrong for Ida B once she reaches fourth grade, but the demise of her meticulously planned home existence is quick and leaves her with a horde of changes to adjust to, changes that to a girl like Ida B seem absolutely unacceptable. Whatever happened to all of her careful planning for the future, both long-term and short-term? Why is it that now, years after the kindergarten debacle that ended so nicely, Ida B must confront the issue of public school yet again, but this time without another option to fall back on if she can't stand the requirements of conformity? For Ida B, whose enthusiasm for life as she knows it is as pure as it comes and who lives, truly, just how she wants to, the trials that are now coming her way are enough to cast her down from her tower of happiness, to leave her back on the ground floor after she had planned so long for what she wanted and how she wanted it to happen. She is a true Ida B, and the rigidity of her idealism has now become the greatest obstacle to her happiness. But then, that's the price one pays for being an Ida B...
To survive the changes coming so quickly to the life she once knew, Ida B learns what all human beings must in order to function in an imperfect world for the long haul: our existence on planet earth will never be something that we can arrange perfectly, will never be under our control enough to allow us to dictate terms as if we were in charge. The truth is, not one of us is the boss of even our own life, and only by the grace of Providence can we hope, not expect, for the tide to eventually turn and a few good things to begin coming our way again after a string of bad luck. To expect that the plans we lay out so carefully will be followed at all by the narrative of our personal history is to ensure stress and strife, and to think that we can have it made if we just figure out what we want and then present the world with our schematic is a blueprint for disaster. And as Ida B comes to terms with the truth that in a broken world filled with broken people there's no way we can ever hope for our story to proceed in unbroken fashion, her "Ida B" heart doesn't fundamentally change; rather, she simply keeps on going forward because she knows that's the only thing to do, and tries to set right the parts of her life that she knows she can fix even while assimilating the inevitability of change to her once-perfect existence, recognizing that nothing stays the same forever, so we must cherish the goodness that our lives do offer for as long as it stays with us. It's the only way to hold on, even for but a transient moment in time, to our happiness.
Ida B is one of those books that has Newbery written all over it, despite not being rewarded for it by the 2005 committee. The book's emotion is keenly relevant to the reader's life, the rich wisdom of experience coming through in every facet of the narrative as we observe Ida B's reaction to change in her life and realize that we are faced every day with the same sorts of decisions that she has to make. Our real-life stories don't usually have clean endings, easily recognizable moments of transfer from unhappiness to happiness, and this book is completely faithful to that reality, not giving readers a synthetic happy ending that would compromise the poignancy of the story and its honest emotions up to that point. The life that Ida B enters into as the book closes is as realistic as the one she had always lived, and gives us not an end to a story, but another jumping-off place by which more life is about to begin. As in our own lives, the end of a road is never just the conclusion of a story, but the beginning of what happens next. Even if we can't know where the next road might take us.
Would I recommend Ida B? I most certainly would. For readers who love to hear a fresh narrative voice, or who read because stories are the best way to receive a full emotional education, Ida B is a junior novel that should not be missed. Katherine Hannigan is an excellent writing talent, and I'm looking forward to immersing myself in more of what she has to offer. If it's as good as Ida B, then I know it will be worth it.
October 9, 2018
#تحدي_القراءة_2018
#الكتاب_رقم_20
خمس نجمات.. والكثير الكثير من الحب ❤️
آيدا بي هي طفلة مدهشة في الصف الرابع الابتدائي.. ذات ضمير يقظ و فطرة نقية تميز بهما الأشياء.. تمضي وقتها في اللعب مع الغدير ومصادقة أشجار التفاح والتحدث إليهم.. تحب وضع الخطط وتخترع العديد من الأشياء المضحكة عن منطق قوي واقتناع تام.. حياتها هادئة لكنها شديدة الخصوصية وتمثل لها قمة السعادة.. إلي أن يأتي مرض أمها فيقلب سعادتها رأساً على عقب ويُحدث العديد من التحولات بقلبها وعقلها فتمر بفترة عصيبة تنفصل فيها عن حقيقتها وتصدّر للعالم صورة عن نفسها لا تمت إليها بصلة.. لكن ما تلبث فطرتها القوية أن تعود فتتغلب علي كل شئ.
تؤمن آيدا بي أنه ليس هناك أبداً وقت كاف للمرح.. وأن الأرض تعتني بنا كما نعتني بها.. وأنه يتوجب عليك دائما أن تمتلك خطة.. ومخيلتها شديدة التشعب والاتساع حد الضحك والإعجاب.
أحببت بشكل خاص تواصلها مع مشاعرها وطريقة وصفها لها.. كيف تبدأ وكيف تمتد لتسري في أطراف جسدها و كيف تتحول أو تنتهي.. و أعجبت بيقظتها المدهشة وتحليلها للمواقف والطريقة الاستثنائية التي تصف بها وقع الأصوات.
رواية مدهشة ذات منظور خاص.. مفرحة ومحزنة وبها الكثير من المشاعر وتفاصيل الطفولة.. تستحق القراءة.
#الكتاب_رقم_20
خمس نجمات.. والكثير الكثير من الحب ❤️
آيدا بي هي طفلة مدهشة في الصف الرابع الابتدائي.. ذات ضمير يقظ و فطرة نقية تميز بهما الأشياء.. تمضي وقتها في اللعب مع الغدير ومصادقة أشجار التفاح والتحدث إليهم.. تحب وضع الخطط وتخترع العديد من الأشياء المضحكة عن منطق قوي واقتناع تام.. حياتها هادئة لكنها شديدة الخصوصية وتمثل لها قمة السعادة.. إلي أن يأتي مرض أمها فيقلب سعادتها رأساً على عقب ويُحدث العديد من التحولات بقلبها وعقلها فتمر بفترة عصيبة تنفصل فيها عن حقيقتها وتصدّر للعالم صورة عن نفسها لا تمت إليها بصلة.. لكن ما تلبث فطرتها القوية أن تعود فتتغلب علي كل شئ.
تؤمن آيدا بي أنه ليس هناك أبداً وقت كاف للمرح.. وأن الأرض تعتني بنا كما نعتني بها.. وأنه يتوجب عليك دائما أن تمتلك خطة.. ومخيلتها شديدة التشعب والاتساع حد الضحك والإعجاب.
أحببت بشكل خاص تواصلها مع مشاعرها وطريقة وصفها لها.. كيف تبدأ وكيف تمتد لتسري في أطراف جسدها و كيف تتحول أو تنتهي.. و أعجبت بيقظتها المدهشة وتحليلها للمواقف والطريقة الاستثنائية التي تصف بها وقع الأصوات.
رواية مدهشة ذات منظور خاص.. مفرحة ومحزنة وبها الكثير من المشاعر وتفاصيل الطفولة.. تستحق القراءة.
November 9, 2020
هي قصة للاطفال ، خيالية لطفلة صغيرة ايدا بي ، صدقا لم تعجبني و لم تجلب لي البهجه .
August 16, 2020
Ida B. is the story of what happens when the magic of childhood gets tainted by the harshness of life. Ida B. is an only child living with her parents on their farm. Her life is idyllic and her friends are her dog, cat, the apple trees, a babbling brook and a wise old tree. Ida B. loves everything about her life and never wants a thing about it to change. But one day her mama gets sick and Ida B. struggles, dealing with changes she doesn’t know how to prepare for and the anger she feels as bits of her happiness are slipping away.
I enjoyed Ida B.’s story very much. Sure, she’s a precocious child but what child asks to be precocious? She just is and that’s not her fault. But she also has to find a way to find her place in a world with other people and learn that sometimes bad things happen even when you don’t deserve them. And that our words and actions, despite the reasons behind them, have consequences. Sounds like Life 101 to me and still just as hard a lesson as any your ever gonna learn.
I enjoyed Ida B.’s story very much. Sure, she’s a precocious child but what child asks to be precocious? She just is and that’s not her fault. But she also has to find a way to find her place in a world with other people and learn that sometimes bad things happen even when you don’t deserve them. And that our words and actions, despite the reasons behind them, have consequences. Sounds like Life 101 to me and still just as hard a lesson as any your ever gonna learn.
December 18, 2019
كتاب رقيق خفيف الدم مناسب لليلة قراءة سريعة
آيدا بي الجميلة المشاكسة ، أحبك .
آيدا بي الجميلة المشاكسة ، أحبك .
March 6, 2019
داستان درباره یک دختر کلاس چهارمی و از زبان اون روایت میشه ولی به نظرم همونقدری که میتونه برای نوجوون ها جذاب باشه، برای بزرگترها معنا داره.
راوی، همون آیدا بی، داستان رو با زمان گذشته نقل می کنه، ولی احساسات و افکار لحظه لحظه اش رو چنان شفاف و ملموس در قالب کلمات میریزه که انگار در زمان وقوع، دستی غیبی مشغول نوشتنشون بوده که این مساله باعث شده یک روایت خیلی زنده و با جزییات از احساسات انسانی داشته باشیم.
من موقع خوندنش، هم بارها خاطرات کودکی خودم برام یادآوری شد، و هم خیلی بیش از اون، احساساتی که همین الان و در سال های اخیر تجربه کرده ام؛ گویی که اون دختربچه ی ۱۰ ساله درون من هم هنوز زنده است و همینطور، شبیه قهرمان این داستان، درون من جایی به حیات خودش ادامه میده. من هم زمان هایی که احساس رانده شدن و قربانی شدن داشته ام، قلبم مثل آیدا بی، سخت و فشرده شده و برای تنبیه آدم ها با محروم کردن خودم از شادی نقشه کشیده ام.
به خاطر ندارم قبلا در مورد این جنبه از احساسات، که شاید کودکانه به نظر برسند و اعتراف به وجودشون چندان مطلوب آدم ها نباشه، جای دیگری خونده باشم. به همین خاطر خوندن این کتاب و زندگی دوباره اون افکار و احساسات لطیف، همراه با یک دختر فوق العاده، تجربه ی بسیار شیرینی بود.
راوی، همون آیدا بی، داستان رو با زمان گذشته نقل می کنه، ولی احساسات و افکار لحظه لحظه اش رو چنان شفاف و ملموس در قالب کلمات میریزه که انگار در زمان وقوع، دستی غیبی مشغول نوشتنشون بوده که این مساله باعث شده یک روایت خیلی زنده و با جزییات از احساسات انسانی داشته باشیم.
من موقع خوندنش، هم بارها خاطرات کودکی خودم برام یادآوری شد، و هم خیلی بیش از اون، احساساتی که همین الان و در سال های اخیر تجربه کرده ام؛ گویی که اون دختربچه ی ۱۰ ساله درون من هم هنوز زنده است و همینطور، شبیه قهرمان این داستان، درون من جایی به حیات خودش ادامه میده. من هم زمان هایی که احساس رانده شدن و قربانی شدن داشته ام، قلبم مثل آیدا بی، سخت و فشرده شده و برای تنبیه آدم ها با محروم کردن خودم از شادی نقشه کشیده ام.
به خاطر ندارم قبلا در مورد این جنبه از احساسات، که شاید کودکانه به نظر برسند و اعتراف به وجودشون چندان مطلوب آدم ها نباشه، جای دیگری خونده باشم. به همین خاطر خوندن این کتاب و زندگی دوباره اون افکار و احساسات لطیف، همراه با یک دختر فوق العاده، تجربه ی بسیار شیرینی بود.
February 15, 2008
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!
February 7, 2022
"و كنت أقول لا شئ لأنه لم يكن لدي ما يكفي من أي شئ في داخلي حتى لأشكتي."
"لذا فعندما لايكون أحد منتبها كنت أذهب إلى غرفتي و أجلس وراء السرير و أبكي و أبكي."
"و لكن الحزن هو عدو قوي و من الأصعب أن تكبح الكآبة من أن تكبح السعادة."
الجميل في الروايات أنها احيانا تذكرك بجزء ما من شخصيتك تعرفه أو لا تعرفه يصيغه لك في كلمات كنت تعجز أنت عن إيجادها. غضب آيدا بي و صراعها بين نفسها القديمة، و قلبها الجديد، ذكرني بي و هذا مبهج على نحو حزين.
لطيف، و دافئ، و حزين، و مضحك.
الجميل أن الكتاب مطبوع بالكامل على ورق معاد التدوير، و كأن آيدا بي بنفسها من أشرفت على هذه الفكرة الصديقة للبيئة و للأشجار على رأسها.
"لذا فعندما لايكون أحد منتبها كنت أذهب إلى غرفتي و أجلس وراء السرير و أبكي و أبكي."
"و لكن الحزن هو عدو قوي و من الأصعب أن تكبح الكآبة من أن تكبح السعادة."
الجميل في الروايات أنها احيانا تذكرك بجزء ما من شخصيتك تعرفه أو لا تعرفه يصيغه لك في كلمات كنت تعجز أنت عن إيجادها. غضب آيدا بي و صراعها بين نفسها القديمة، و قلبها الجديد، ذكرني بي و هذا مبهج على نحو حزين.
لطيف، و دافئ، و حزين، و مضحك.
الجميل أن الكتاب مطبوع بالكامل على ورق معاد التدوير، و كأن آيدا بي بنفسها من أشرفت على هذه الفكرة الصديقة للبيئة و للأشجار على رأسها.
May 15, 2015
I love this book a lot I like how Ida B was a different girl from the regular ones. She had a thing that no one can change about her. I really like the part when she talked to the apple trees and when they respond back to her and when she had really long conversations with them. When you are reading the story it makes you feel that you are living the life that Ida B is living. Sometimes she had her bad days and stuff with her mom when she was sick of cancer and when Clare and her became friends from all the means stuff they trough. I like hoe the author describe the setting when she was in her land. I would recommend this book to kids this is great book.
March 7, 2014
Another gift from a dear friend... I read this to my children. At first, we had a hard time following Ida B's conversations with the trees, but once we had a feel for Ida B., we figured it out. I loved seeing into Ida B.'s heart, and I appreciated how it reminded me that we don't always understand what is hurting others or why they act as they do... I cried bucketfuls at a couple different spots--I think it made me hard to understand.;)
February 21, 2019
I read it in the car so it wasn't a terrible waste of time. Perhaps I was too old for it...but the narrator was annoyingly childish most of the book, the writing style really bothered me, and I never really connected. And in my opinion, as a reader of middle grade, middle grade books should be able to be enjoyed by all ages.
March 21, 2019
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK! Katherine Hannigan writes from a child's point of view, but unlike many other authors, it actually FEELS like a kid's perspective.
It's a story of new beginnings, bitterness, and a cold, sharp heart becoming new. A MUST read!
Ava-2017
It's a story of new beginnings, bitterness, and a cold, sharp heart becoming new. A MUST read!
Ava-2017
December 21, 2014
Thank you, Ida B, for all of your words. Thank you, Katherine Hannigan, for writing all of them down. Thank you, Mrs. Washington for your wisdom. Thank you Ronnie for being so persistent.
April 27, 2015
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH, EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ IT, IT'S SO ADORABLE AND I LOVE IDA B. READ IT. NOW.
July 13, 2021
Picked this up from a used bookstore because 1) it was only $2 and 2) I remember really enjoying this book as a kid. I probably read it around 10 years old, maybe even younger, so I didn’t remember what it was about, minus a vague detail about trees.
I came here for a fun time of rereading childhood books. This was not fun. This made me cry multiple times at work…and I loved every second of it, even though it was painful.
Checklist for a 5 star read:
✅ made me cry
✅ made me stop & question my own mortality
✅ rightfully sad and angry main character
✅ talking to trees
✅ also the trees have names of course
✅ understanding teachers
✅ friendship troubles
✅ an overall sense of being misunderstood
✅ but also finding your place in the world
✅ i finished the book and i still want to cry
TWs: cancer
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of july≫
╰┈➤ 1. the ones we're meant to find by joan he
╰┈➤ 2. rise to the sun by leah johnson
╰┈➤ 3. some girls do by jennifer dugan
╰┈➤ 4. a heart in a body in the world by deb caletti
╰┈➤ 5. you've reached sam by dustin thao
╰┈➤ 6. radio silence by alice oseman
╰┈➤ 7. swimming in the dark by tomasz jedrowski
╰┈➤ 8. bruised by tanya boteju
╰┈➤ 9. ida b…and her plans to maximize fun, avoid disaster, and (possibly) save the world by katherine hannigan
I came here for a fun time of rereading childhood books. This was not fun. This made me cry multiple times at work…and I loved every second of it, even though it was painful.
Checklist for a 5 star read:
✅ made me cry
✅ made me stop & question my own mortality
✅ rightfully sad and angry main character
✅ talking to trees
✅ also the trees have names of course
✅ understanding teachers
✅ friendship troubles
✅ an overall sense of being misunderstood
✅ but also finding your place in the world
✅ i finished the book and i still want to cry
TWs: cancer
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of july≫
╰┈➤ 1. the ones we're meant to find by joan he
╰┈➤ 2. rise to the sun by leah johnson
╰┈➤ 3. some girls do by jennifer dugan
╰┈➤ 4. a heart in a body in the world by deb caletti
╰┈➤ 5. you've reached sam by dustin thao
╰┈➤ 6. radio silence by alice oseman
╰┈➤ 7. swimming in the dark by tomasz jedrowski
╰┈➤ 8. bruised by tanya boteju
╰┈➤ 9. ida b…and her plans to maximize fun, avoid disaster, and (possibly) save the world by katherine hannigan
July 3, 2022
2.3: first 1/3-to-1/2
4: last 1/2
The first part of the book sounded too much like a tall tale, which isn't a style I enjoy.
ex, p 3:
"Daddy," I said, and I waited till he was looking at me before I went on,
"Yes, Ida B" he answered, turning toward me.
And staring right into his eyeballs, I told him, "There is never enough time for fun."
By the last half, I'd grown to like Ida B. She has an independent nature, and is a caring young person, inquisitive, with a vivid imagination. And she talked to trees.
on p 29, her father "preaches":
"I want you to remember this: We don't own the earth. We are the earth's caretakers, Ida B." Here he took another one of those deep breaths. "I'm grateful we have this land and grateful that you'll have it, too. But we don't own it. We take care of it and all of the things on it. And when we're done with it, it should be left better than we found it."
4: last 1/2
The first part of the book sounded too much like a tall tale, which isn't a style I enjoy.
ex, p 3:
"Daddy," I said, and I waited till he was looking at me before I went on,
"Yes, Ida B" he answered, turning toward me.
And staring right into his eyeballs, I told him, "There is never enough time for fun."
By the last half, I'd grown to like Ida B. She has an independent nature, and is a caring young person, inquisitive, with a vivid imagination. And she talked to trees.
on p 29, her father "preaches":
"I want you to remember this: We don't own the earth. We are the earth's caretakers, Ida B." Here he took another one of those deep breaths. "I'm grateful we have this land and grateful that you'll have it, too. But we don't own it. We take care of it and all of the things on it. And when we're done with it, it should be left better than we found it."
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