review; what katy did

What Katy Did (At School & Next)
by Susan M. Coolidge

Katy Carr has ideas of her own — most of which get her into trouble. Most of the first book in the trilogy is about Katy’s response to an accident that leaves her (temporarily) paralysed. The second covers a year at boarding school, and the third follows Katy to Europe, where she spends a year assisting a family travelling there.

Review:

When I look back on these novels, I realize that sometimes, it gets a little tedious, sometimes a little preachy. But as a child, it sucked me in, and while there are flaws, it’s a simple story about growing up, the growth of a child into a young girl, into a young woman, coming into her own as an adult. It’s a tale about a family, about friendships and maturity and it’s sweet and simple.

The characters can be one-dimensional, can be unrealistic, can be annoying – but it embodies a childhood innocence and naivety that I enjoyed delving back into.

My favorite will always be the somewhat realistic way, in What Katy Did Next, Ned goes from infatuated with a girl’s looks, to falling for Katy as a character and as an individual.

The series is outdated in some of the characters’ thoughts and even in the idealistic nature of it, but I still enjoy going back and reading it as it reminds me of my own childhood and the innocence of a child still growing up.