Journey with Her

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

This is a story of a precocious child on a journey of self-discovery. Oh wait, that's too presumptuous and somehow does not explain the book very well. Let's start again. This is a story about an only child forced to grow up and face the world around her. Hmmm, wait again, that sounds far too grim than it should. How could I even begin to explain Ida B. Applewood of the titular character?

We all know what's it like to be a kid. The normality of everyday routine. Play time. School time. Treats. All that stuff. Ida B takes us back to those early years as we see her go through her daily life, in her eyes. She's a smart kid and loves a lot of stuff - drawing, playing with her dog, eating peanut butter sandwiches, conversing with her parents - again, more of the normal stuff. Except that she's an only child and is used to it. She's also homeschooled. An earlier experiment with the public school system when she was much younger forced her and her parents to take on her education at home. And she loves being homeschooled. The freedom of it not to mention the obvious care and attention given to her by both her parents.

Until the time she was forced back to the public school system because of an illness in the family. That's the time that Ida B had to cope and learn what's it like to live in a much bigger world than her usual circle with her two loving parents living in an apple orchard.

This is a book meant for far younger readers but can be enjoyed by adults in one lovely sitting. For a short read it deals with a lot of emotions that deal with the nature of uh, being a kid like making friends, playing well with others, being mean and selfish, understanding humility and more. Plus, as a kid growing up in an orchard, Ida B shows a lot of love for nature and she understands the responsibility entailed for preserving trees and all that. Again, my words aren't enough to capture the learning curve reached by Ida B in a handful of pages.

I love the fact that it shows the positive side of both homeschooling and the public educational system. I've never been homeschooled but fortunately I never had the sad experience of Ida B the first time she attempted public school. And I understand her very well when she refused to adapt to the public school at the start by merely keeping quiet and refusing to make friends. I mean goodness, we were all selfish and all-knowing once when we were kids, right? Gee, sometimes even upon reaching adulthood!

Lovely, lovely read indeed.

Other interesting point of view:

Book Nut