Ida B -- Katherine Hannigan

The book's subtitle (which I couldn't fit into the title field is:

...and her plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World

I should let everyone know up front that I had a bad attitude about this one from the first page, because I could hear Hunter (I swear to god, I could) saying, "This book is charming, just charming.  I can't believe that an American wrote it."  (Okay, okay.  I made up the last part.  But the charming part is totally and completely true.  She probably would have talked like the main character for a few weeks, or subsisted on apples or something).

Anyway.

Ida B. is a homeschooler.  Not just a homeschooler, but a homeschooler that lives a completely idyllic existence with her perfect parents, lots of land, trees that she talks too (and that talk back), her dog Rufus and other perfections.  It was so treacle-y that I really wasn't sure if I was going to make it.  (I will completely admit that this probably has more to do with me than the book.  That still doesn't erase the fact that I almost barfed a couple of times).

Around page 65, everything changes.  Her mom gets cancer, they have to sell some of the land to pay the hospital bills, and Ida B. has to go to regular school. 

She's pissed.

Which, as far as I was concerned, made her a whole lot more interesting.  After the turning point, I enjoyed the book a whole lot more.  Which isn't to say that I didn't have issues with it--the teacher she gets is the ultra-dream teacher, and no one in the class gives her a hard time, even though she's pretty much completely rotten to everyone at the beginning.  Not so realistic. 

Of course, as far as I know, trees don't talk, either.