Customer Reviews

Joy School

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A Good Book That Should Receive Some Kind of Award

For one project in my English class this quarter, I spontaneously decided to read Joy School by Elizabeth Berg. I could not put this book down. It might as well have been tied to my hand, as it rarely saw the bookshelf, a table, or a desk in two weeks.

This book was mainly about a girl named Katie, a teenager whose mother has died, so now she is living with her father. To make times worse for Katie, she has moved from her Texas home to Missouri. She doesn't fit in at her new school or in her neighborhood. She has one friend, Cynthia, in her new town. One day she goes ice skating at a nearby pond, and falls through the ice. She manages to get out of the water, and wanders to a gas station across the street. The gas station is run by a man named Jimmy, who Katie develops an instant crush on. Jimmy is ten years older, however, so Katie only tells a few people.

Later on in story, Katie meets Taylor Sinn, a new girl at school. Taylor and Katie become friends, and Katie learns some things about Taylor that she would rather not be a part of. For instance, Taylor steals outfits from stores and doesn't pay for meals when she eats out. Taylor also does other things, which I will not go into detail on. I can't say much more without giving away some key plot points, so I'll stop here with the plot outline.

I find this book excellent. On a scale, one being awful and ten being the best thing I ever read, this book is way off the chart and has found its way into the twenties. This is in all probability the best book that I ever read to date. I think that everyone should read this book, unless they are under 13 or 14, due to some (a-HEM) adult language/scenes. Otherwise, this book was excellent and if you are looking for a good book, try this one.

As her readers have come to expect, Elizabeth Berg's book, Joy School, is a wonderful sequel and continuation of the story about Katie, whom we first meet in Durable Goods. And while this book can easily stand alone, I do suggest that both books be read.

Joy School now finds Katie once again living with her father but this time on a different army base and in a different part of Texas. Her sister is still off with her boyfriend and instead of her neighbor and confidant Cherylann, Katie now has a housekeeper who becomes her close friend.

Although Katie has found it difficult to find true friends, after an accident she does meet an older man, and he becomes her main interest.

As Katie forms a serious crush on this 25 year old, it's as if all of the bad in her life is somehow being erased and she thinks to herself that "He will be my joy school."

This is a poignant and memorable story of young love which I imagine many readers will identify with from their own first love experiences.

I absolutely love Elizabeth Berg and started to fall in love when I first read her novel "Open House". I was soooo excited to finally read "joy school". Well, it did not add up to Berg's other books at all, and I was very disappointed. Since I am in my early 20s, I found the character Katie to be nothing like a 13 year old. Her character was very unbelieveable. I constantly felt like I was rolling my eyes at Katie while I was reading. In Berg's other books, the characters are dynamic and interesting and believeable. This book was not all I hoped!

Please read Durable Goods first as Joy School is the sequel. While you can probably get by without reading the prequel, I think you'll appreciate the continuation of 12 year old Katie's life more if you know her history. In Joy School we find Katie relocated from Texas to Missouri. It's now just Katie & her dad. In this novel we share in Katie's experience of her first crush and the trials and tribulations of trying to fit in to a new school as a teenager. Berg introduces us to some unique friends for Katie and how she struggles to discover her own identity. Once again, Berg excels at viewing the world from a young girl's perspective. It will remind you of your own youth. Katie feels like a new friend-I only wish we could hear more from her!

I was able to read this book in one day (this is with two small children to keep up with). It was an interesting story about a young girl trying to figure life out. The storyline is minimal and it all from her perspective. Interesting book but not fabulous, more like three and a half stars.

"Joy School", written by Elizabeth Berg, is a heartfelt and captivating story for the teen and adult audience. It explores the adolescent life of a thirteen-year-old girl, Katie, and her many adventures and transitions in life. Previously living in a small, hot, Texan town near a military base, Katie makes the very difficult move to Missouri where her new neighbors find pleasure in tormenting her with cruel, hand-written notes propped outside her window on her bushes. At school, Katie is a social outcast and with her older sister Diane no longer living at home, the somewhat recent death of her mother, and the fact that her stern militia father understands very little about women, she seeks comfort and feminine influence in her housekeeper--Ginger. Katie's few friends at school include an overly obsessive misfit named Cynthia and a stunningly beautiful rebel named Taylor; both holding many of Katie's secrets, loves, and lies. Elizabeth Berg explores the different sides and traits of Katie using the two very different friends. Cynthia brings out the child in Katie at times and helps preserve her innocence, where as Taylor shows her how to find thrills in dangerous and exciting things; such as shoplifting and meeting boys. But, Katie has her own unique interests, too; including the 23-year old, gorgeously handsome gas station owner who just so happens to be married. Although age is a large factor in many relationships, it is not for Katie who has fallen completely head-over-heals in love. Katie must learn to move on and that a broken heart can be mended in this hilarious and unbelievably realistic tale of heartbreak and growing up.

The second in the trilogy about young Katie, daughter of a distant, sometimes kind of abusive, Army father, this book begins where "Durable Goods" left off -- Katie and her father are moving to a new town (in Missouri) and Katie's sister has run off to Mexico with her boyfriend to get away from her dad and his totalitarian rule over their family. Katie isn't too happy with her new school, where she is having trouble making solid friends, or with her new neighbors, who keep putting mean notes in the bush outside her window. And she struggles with the confusion of puberty and the fact her sister left her right when she needed her most. But when she accidentally falls through the ice while skating by herself, she meets Jimmy and immediately falls in love with him. He's much too old for her, and also married, but she is entranced. As their relationship unfolds, so too does Katie's awareness of the pain and intensity first love can bring. Especially when that first love is unrequited.

This is another wonderful exploration of what it means to be a girl growing up without a mother and raised by a father who just doesn't really understand. Berg is a beautiful writer and her characters spring to life with a single sentence, a single thought, a single motion. All three books in this series are really short (about 200 small pages), but they are jam-packed with intensity, hilarity, and agony. I highly recommend the full set to anybody who loves coming-of-age novels.

This is the fourth Elizabeth Berg book I've read, and it has cemented my admiration for this writer. "Joy School" is actually a follow-up to "Durable Goods", but I wasn't aware of this when I commenced this book. You don't need to have read the first book to enjoy this one. Ms Berg has a real gift for creating wonderfully three-dimensional characters. In this case she's writing in the first person as a teenage girl (often a curly one for some writers) and she pulls it off beautifully. There are funny moments, sad moments, and moments so poignant you feel as though you're the main character yourself. I've just started another of Elizabeth Berg's books, "Range of Motion" and so far, so good. I'll certainly keep buying books by this author - long may she write!

'Joy School' is the continuing story of Katie, whom we were introduced to in 'Durable Goods.' Army brat Katie now lives in Missouri with her father and a housekeeper Ginger.

The reader can see how Katie has grown up since her move from Texas and the problems that plague her as a teenager like her classes at school, friends (good and bad) that aren't all true and a crush on an older man. This novel expands more about Katie's life, what she is thinking and how her life has changed since she's moved away from her best friend, Cherylanne. 'Durable Goods' seemed to introduce us to the characters and 'Joy School' expands on them. However, this book can be read on its own without reading the first novel.

I enjoyed this book more than 'Durable Goods.' I feel that Elizabeth Berg was able to tell us more about how Katie was feeling and there were more scene actions than the first book. The author also leaves the ending open so that there could be a continuing story of Katie's family.

First of all, the marketing of this book made a serious error. The cover of the book does not reflect the fact that this is the sequel to _Durable Goods_. I read _Durable Goods_ many months ago and I bought this book much later. After reading _Joy School_ I still did not make the connection that this was the sequel. Tonight, I read comments of other readers in preparation for writing a reader's review. I discovered to my dismay that I missed a very important fact that this indeed was the sequel! I then closely examined the book and the editorial comments, but no where was a reference to _Joy School_ being the sequel to _Durable Goods._ I felt cheated, as I would have pulled out _Durable Goods_ and reviewed it quickly so as to make the _Joy School_ a more pleasurable experience.

However, I must admit that the book stood well enough on it's own.

It is a subtle coming of age story of a young preteen faced with a disfunctional family life and the uncertainty of being constantly relocated due to her father being in the service. She falls in love with a man too old for her and is challenged by some neighborhood bullies that leave disgustingly rude notes in the bushes in front of her bedroom. Like a ship trying to find a port in a storm, she is challenged by the friends she meets and heart broken by the problems her family faces.

Hopefully, other readers will catch on quicker than I did and make the connection between the two books.