14-year-old Ida wants to be a school teacher, and she undertakes the temporary task of being the schoolmarm for her entire town when the teacher unexpectedly leaves. Without finishing the year, she can not be accepted into high school, so she and the other students make a secret agreement to continue having school with Ida as the teacher.This book shows the pull between desire and duty. It's a good book for characters and giving personality insights... but not much action takes place. The non-standard English makes this fun to read out loud. The children drive their parents' old jalopy to school -- that's fun.We liked this book as a family. The family relationships within the book are very strong. Ida's friend Tom is a great boy character -- clever, inventive, lght-hearted and well-meaning.