Ida B. by Katherine Hannigan

I think Ida B. moves into the place that Ramona the Pest occupied for the younger set. She's a kick: an independent-minded, free-spirited, homeschooled girl whose life is full and happy.

Unlike Ramona, her conflicts are more mature. Her mother gets cancer and Ida now has to attend school, which she tried once and hated, and her father sells part of their beloved farm to pay the medical bills.

This causes Ida's strong, stubborn heart to harden right up, and she wrestles mightily with her emotions and behavior. Gradually, certain people, a special teacher, and events work on Ida and help her come to terms with things.

Teaching Moments: I would love to give this 3 Vatican Flags, but one thing that's a bit much is the way trees and water "talk" to Ida. It's not the silly presentation like you see with "Mother Willow" in Disney's Pocahantas, but it has a bit of that New Age feel to it. You could chalk it up to Ida's vivid imagination, but it's a real conversation to her...

See Catechism of the Catholic Church:
God creates an ordered and Good World: paragraph 299
God transcends Creation and is present to it: paragraph 300


Now, thanks to Ida B., I will forever be calling school buses "Yellow Prisons of Propulsion."

Safety Rating: 2 Vatican Flags (minor issue); High Readability