Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Katy's New World- Book 1, February 21, 2010
I love Kim Vogel Sawyer's books, and this book was no exception! Katy Lambright is a young mennonite girl without a mother and is in essence, trying to find herself. She gets permission to attend a public high school, and makes some new friends there. Kim makes the character of Katy act as any normal teenager with conflicts and adventures. I like Katy. She has spunk, and determination as well as Christian values. The book is a very good read. I will save it for my two daughters to read when they get old enough, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone--not just the younger audience.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blackboard Jungle - Mennonite Style, February 5, 2010
Ok first before we even start, I need to mention this is NOT a book about the Amish. Yes I know the girl on the front looks Amish, but she is not. She is Mennonite which, while similar, is quite different in what they believe and how they act. This book is quite unique because for the first time (that I can remember) a teen character who normally shuns the outside way of life choosing to live in that life. Katy is from a strict Mennonite family but is allowed to pursue her dream of higher education by attending the public high school in her area. I found this to be quite interesting as normally most characters who come from strict lifestyle usually give up and return home by the end of the first book. The story doesn't mention which sect Katy's family is in but from what I gathered in the book they appear to be quite conservative than most other Mennonites. Other books I've read that features Mennonite vs. Amish shows the Mennonites as being practically English other than their dress and what they believe. In this book, it's mentioned that Katy's dad has a truck but other than that I didn't really see what made them different from the Amish other than actual religious beliefs. What makes this book stand out for me was the fact that Katy was NOT portrayed a goody two shoes. Even though she almost always obeys her father and abides by the rules of her community, she does not act passive and reject every unknown idea. For the most part, Katy asks like a regular teen and shows that even though she will always be different there are parts of her that just wants to fit in. Also even if she can't say things because she knows that she would get in trouble, her thoughts are a different matter which really make things more realistic. Basically the story allows Katy to be both Mennonite and a normal teen and shows equal balance without upsetting either party. I felt like this book was targeted at younger teens but older teens will enjoy it as well. I think this book was more of an introduction to the characters as well as Katy getting a first taste of the outside world. Perhaps in future books she'll be faced with more difficult challenges that everyday teens face. It will be interesting to see what her Mennonite perspective will be. I will also find it interesting as to what will happens when tougher school subjects are introduced, like using computer research at home or if we get to the point of Katy graduating and what will happen next. As it stands, I have great hopes for this series and am looking forward to future books.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Old Order mennonite...., February 5, 2010
Katy embarks on a new world when she leaves her small old order mennonite school to attend public high school. She faces scorn and ignorance of her and her lifestyle, yet her desire to learn more overcomes that as she bravely faces her new world. Her father faces some of the same things, but in a different way as he remembers when Katy's mother abandoned them for a different lifestyle. This book expresses well some of the reasons why parents are strict at times and how even though there are differences in lifestyles, many times they are more the same than you realize. This was a nice short story, written for teen girls, but I think girls ages 10-14 would enjoy it. It is nice to see a story where a girl wishes to respect her father, but has normal temptations to do anything but. This book is about an old order mennonite girl, while similar to Amish in many ways, it is very different. Also, very different than most Mennonites as well, who generally always complete high school.
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