Book Report: Ida B… and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World

Name (First Name, Last Initial)

Leila G

Age

10

Book Title

Ida B… and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World

Author(s)

Katherine Hannigan

Genre

Realistic Fiction

What is the setting of the book?

The story starts in Ida B’s house. She homeschools and LOVES it! She tried school in kindergarten for a short time, but despised it. She has a whole lot of property that holds apple orchards, fields, brooks, valleys, and hills nearly touching the sky. She loves it and spends a lot of time talking to the trees and brook. She eventually has to go back to school due to her mom getting cancer. Eventually part of the land that she loves has to be sold to pay for her mom’s treatment.

Who is/are the main character(s)? What are they like?

Ida B is a playful, imaginative, funny, and kind girl. Once she finds out she has to go back to school, she is not happy and gets mad at her parents and acts mean toward everyone. At school there is a really nice girl, Clare, who asks if she wants to play. Ida B just says the simplest answer in the world: NO. Later on she finds out that Clare’s family is buying the property. She is also jealous of Clare for having friends and a healthy mom and dad, so she yells at Clare. Near the end, she realized that her parents didn’t purposely make her mom get sick. Her mom just got sick. And they didn’t want her to go back to school, that was just the result of her mom getting sick. Same thing with the property; they didn’t want to sell it, but they had to for money to pay for her mom’s treatment. She eventually realized that the best thing to do when you realize you did something wrong is to say “sorry.”

What is the conflict of the story?

There are a lot conflicts in the book. The biggest one is that Ida B has to go back to school, because her mom got sick. She has to go against her will. They also have to sell all the land that she loves, which makes her really, really sad. Another big one is that she yells at Clare, who is a nice girl that she is a little bit jealous of. At that time, she thought it was a good choice, but later on she regretted it. She has to find time to tell Clare I’m sorry, which is really hard because Clare is mad at her.

What was the conclusion of the book?

Near the end she realizes that she was blaming everyone for things that they can’t control. For example, she blamed her parents for all of the things that happened because her mom got sick. She realized that they didn’t want to sell the land or send her back to school; it was just the result of her mom getting sick. Clare didn’t really want to hurt Ida B’s feelings when her family bought that property. The land was just for sale and her parent’s decided to buy it. Also near the end she realizes that instead of finding time to blame everyone, she’d rather enjoy her life. She ended up resolving things with her parents by talking to them and apologizing to Clare.

While reading the book, what were your emotions?

I felt connected to the main character. When she was adventurous, I wanted to go outside and be adventurous too. When she was upset, I felt upset for her. When she was sad, I felt sad for her. When she felt like being mean, I understood. When she resolved things, I felt satisfied.

Do you think the book had a moral? If so, what was it?

Try to find good in everything. Also, don’t blame people for things out of their control. Another moral is you can climb your way out of hard situations with loving support.

Star Rating

Selected Value: 10 (0 min / 10 max)

Why did you give the book this rating?

I liked this book because I could relate to the main character. I also loved this book because when she has funny moments, I am laughing. When she has sad moments, I feel with her. When she is angry, I sort of feel with her. It also has a lot to do with nature, which I enjoy.

What was your favorite/least favorite part?

My favorite part of the book is how the main character narrates it. I like how she is so funny and descriptive and I like her beliefs. She is also adventurous. My favorite section of the book is at the time that she homeschools, when her mom tells her a math question about going to the store. Her response is “Which store? How far will I walk?” Then her mom says, “Okay, Billy Rivers went to the store. And Billy Rivers’s mom gives him…” and Ida B answers, “Who’s’ Billy Rivers?” That part makes me laugh a lot.

Would you recommend this book to others? Why?

I recommend this book for 7-12 year olds who like realistic fiction, emotion, and humor. I would definitely encourage others to read it. It has humor, emotional growth, and empathy. I would also encourage others to read this book because it includes a lot of things about nature.

How much action was in the book?

Selected Value: 0 (0 min / 10 max)

How much drama was in the book?

Selected Value: 6 (0 min / 10 max)

How much humor was in the book?

Selected Value: 7 (0 min / 10 max)

How much suspense was in the book?

Selected Value: 0 (0 min / 10 max)