Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 4-6. Ida B is happy with her life. She talks to the trees in her family's orchard, enjoys being homeschooled, and is trying to be a good steward of the earth. But after her mother gets cancer, part of their land must be sold, and Ida B is forced to start public school, something her parents promised she wouldn't have to do after a bad kindergarten experience. Once her world changes, Ida B changes, too; her sunny disposition turns steely gray. As Ida puts it, she hardens her heart, and the very resilience of her anger is something to behold. First-time novelist Hannigan avoids many of the pitfalls of new writers, bypassing obvious plotting; Ida's mother's cancer, for instance, is a reference point, not a story line. What this really concerns is the fury children can experience, the tenacity with which they can hold on to their anger, and their inability to back away once the emotion no longer serves them. Hannigan gets it down brilliantly. Sometimes Ida's fourth-grade, first-person voice sounds like Junie B. Jones with a linguistic bent gone wild, but it's definitely unique, and Ida's ability to articulate her feelings will warm children, who will understand just what she's talking about. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
With her bright and youthful voice, Taylor sounds instantly at ease in the role of nine-year-old Ida B Applewood, debut novelist Hannigan's memorable firecracker of a character. By turns sensitive and bursting with energy and imagination, Ida B whiles away the hours communing withthe babbling brook and the apple trees in the orchard of her family's farm. She's been lucky enough to be homeschooled since kindergarten, as her parents understood the suffocation Ida B felt in a traditional school setting. But when Mama is diagnosed with breast cancer, Ida B's "righter than right" life is turned on its ear. She must attend school and sees part of the orchard sold. And toughest of all, she understands the hurt in her parents and steels her heart against all these bad things--and everyone she comes in contact with. Luckily, an understanding teacher provides the right sounding board that eventually gets Ida B to change her plans and her heart. Listeners will want to stay aboard this very realistic emotional roller coaster, made all the more vivid via Taylor's fine reading. Ages 9-up. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-As an only child, Ida B has had plenty of time to indulge her creative bent. She makes miniature rafts, to which she attaches notes with questions such as, "What is life like in Canada?" Acres of apple trees are her friends, and she enjoys long conversations with Beulah, Pastel, Henry VIII, and other trees. She lives life to the fullest, firmly believing there is never enough time for fun. When her mother develops cancer, her parents sell part of the orchard and send Ida B to public school rather than homeschooling her. The changes leave her feeling fiercely angry and betrayed. With the help of a wise and caring fourth-grade teacher and the enduring love of Mama and Daddy, the girl slowly begins to heal. Ida B is a true character in every sense of the word. Through a masterful use of voice, Hannigan's first-person narration captures an unforgettable heroine with intelligence, spirit, and a unique imagination. The rural but otherwise undefined setting works well in taking a backseat to the characterization. With just the right amount of tension in the plot, a spot-on grasp of human emotions, and Ida B's delightful turns of phrase, this book begs to be read aloud. Regardless of how tight the budget, don't pass it up.-Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Intermediate) Ida B lives a bucolic life on her family's Wisconsin farm as a cherished, home-schooled girl, with plenty of time to talk to trees (which, by the way, talk back). But when her mother is diagnosed with cancer, her parents are worried and preoccupied; some of their beloved apple orchard must be sold to pay the bills; and, worst of all, Ida B must attend school. She remembers her regimented and unimaginative kindergarten well, and she is stunned that her parents would send her back. Her anger develops into a steely rage, and even when Ida B is tempted to respond to her kind teacher, to a classmate, or to her parents, she deliberately hardens her heart against them all. What first-time author Hannigan catches extraordinarily well is the realistic depth of Ida's fury. She shows the intention, the cost, and the work required in maintaining deep anger over an extended period, and she skillfully depicts the slow climb back to a point where Ida B can allow herself to express happiness again. Ida B's voice is a little unsettling, ranging from the unbridled whimsy of Anne of Green Gables to the folksy southern twang of DiCamillo's Opal, and her habit of referring to herself in the third person becomes obtrusive. But Hannigan, with her strong insight and her quirky way of putting things (""That cancer was like bugs in a tree: one day you don't see them at all and the next it seems like they're everywhere"") is clearly an author to watch. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
When Ida B's mother undergoes cancer treatment, the idyllically secure world that has informed her character crumbles. With her mother seemingly cut off from her by illness, with the family finances in ruin from medical costs, Ida B's beleaguered parents terminate her home schooling and sell off some of their orchard land for development. Ida B, believing she can no longer trust anyone, hardens her heart to even the kindest overtures and declares war: against her family, against her new teacher and classmates, and most determinedly against herself. Readers are intimate witnesses to her inner struggle. Hannigan has a rich way with metaphor, whether it is describing the natural world of trees, which are literally alive to Ida B, or the ever-deepening anger to which she clings. If the ending is a predictable reconciliation, this preternaturally sensitive and precocious child reaches it, not through the intervention of supportive adults, but through the puzzling out of her own difficulties--even after many false starts. A poignant, affirming, and often funny debut from a promising new author. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
