Is it necessary to buy the Suzuki cds as well as the book?

Absolutely. You should try to find recordings of every piece you are learning to play. In addition to the Suzuki CD you should also start buying Cd's of famous violinists/pieces so you become accustomed to how a violin should sound. As you progress, I recommend finding recordings of the same piece by a few different artists. Everyone interprets music differently so you can get new ideas of how you would like to play the piece. The Suzuki Cd's are recorded by a few different artists. The one I have is by David Nadien and it seems to be fine. I haven't heard any others. He does take most of the pieces at much faster tempos so just realize that you do not need to go that fast! I wouldn't recommend playing along with them either. Just listen. While you're eating breakfast, doing homework , etc. Listen passively (in the background) and also listen actively (following along with your music). Make mental notes on things such as style, tone, articulation, dynamics. Pay a lot of attention to the tone. As you play try to make your tone sound the same. It is well worth the 12$ or 15$ it will cost. If you want to be a classical musician you better be ready to acquire an extensive CD library! Just think of this as the first of many to come.

BTW, I do recommend the Suzuki method. It is the best method for solo players that I have found.

as a teacher ... absolutely not! it is a good aid but sometimes it can hinder the reading ability of the student .... because instead of reading the notes the students just try to match pitches .... essentially I use Suzuki books as a supplement to the regular lesson book (almost anyone would do) currently using Essential Elements not as slow as some of the others and the DVD is helpful in reminding students of proper positions .... and one more supplement Master Theory by Yoder a very clear and easy reading exercise book (basically they show something then you regurgitate it back in writing)

absolutely hate the way the Suzuki has developed over time (Suzuki wanted the students to learn how to read and the method as it was originally designed incorporated that) but it has become an all ear training method (ear training is good) but I seen too many good players whose reading was so weak that they couldn't even read simple pieces without hearing them first

EDIT to you exclusive Suzuki fans when a 14 year old can't read relatively simple Mozart there is a MAJOR problem especially when the younger ones (11 and 9) have no problem with it! AND looks at you as if are kind of musical genius when you can't supply a recording of it and still know what it is suppose to sound like

Yes and no. I was a Suzuki student all the way through, and I've played for 9 years. The point of the CDs is to get you listening to music, wether or not you listen to THE Suzuki CDs. Plus, I don't like that guys interpritation of some of them. :)

Mariah Carey Christina Aguilera

I did not even know that there were CD's. We only have the books here in Australia.

I do not think it is necessary to buy the CD's ; you cannot buy a CD for every piece of sheet music you get.