Book Review of Ida B.

Ida B. By Katherine Hannigan, Read by Lili Taylor 3 CDs, 5 hours. Listening Library, c2004. $18.00

Ida B. Applewood is one of my favorite characters.  She is an imaginative fourth-grader with more plans than she can possibly accomplish.  Unfortunately she is hit with some tough circumstances and this book shows how she deals with this from her perspective.  She makes plans "to have fun, avoid disaster, and possibly save the world."
 
I couldn't imagine a better reader than Lili Taylor.  My son said, "Boy, she really sounds like a little kid." If you haven't ever listened to a book in the car, this is a good one to start with.  It's not too long and it appeals to all ages.  While my kids occasionally groan at the site of another book on CD hitting the car, their minds are being filled with great stories rather than the top music of today and yesterday.