Kitty from the Start [Hardcover]

Judy Delton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 1987 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Kitty moves to a new neighborhood and eventually makes a successful transition into her new third grade.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this joyful prequel to Delton's series about Kitty, a girl growing up Catholic during the Depression, Kitty faces her first disaster. Her family is moving to another part of town, and she has to change schools. On the first day, a nun tells Kitty that she is not on her list and makes her leave that third grade. Luckily, this school has two third grades, and Kitty is in the other one. She still feels conspicuous, though, because she has no uniform yet. Kitty finds her religious choice clear: she wants to be a saint. But the girls she meetsMargaret Mary and Eileenhave theological viewpoints that may mean the three of them can't be friends. The moral dilemmas are taken care of by an understanding father; those issues set off funny events but remain mostly in the background. The heart of this is Kitty's yearning not to be the "new girl" anymore, and of this Delton writes with warmth, realism and insight. Ages 7-10.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5 Delton captures exactly the way children think and feel in this prequel to her other three books about Kitty (Houghton). Set near Minneapolis during the Depression, the story concerns third-grade Kitty's adjustment to a new school when her family moves to another part of town. In the new Catholic school, she meets Margaret Mary, who is religious and determined to be perfect, and Eileen, who enjoys playing ``Confession'' and disregarding rules. Kitty, a worrier and a thinker, struggles to be holy and is torn between her two new friends. In realistic dialogue and short, easy sentences, Delton addresses concerns common to most children, and in so doing she brings to life three spirited young girls, each with her own viewpoint about life and her own personality. A book with some very funny episodes, as well as some touching moments. Trev Jones, ``School Library Journal''
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; 1St Edition edition (March 30, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395428475
• ISBN-13: 978-0395428474
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,144,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS MY FAVIRTE BOOK EVER, April 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Kitty from the Start (Hardcover)

KITTY FROM THE START IS A GREAT BOOK. ITS ABOUT A GIRL WHO HAS TO MOVE TO A DIFFERENT CITY AND START HER LIFE IN A DIFFERENT CITY AND SHE DOES NOT LIKE IT BUT SHE GETS USE TO IT. WHEN YOU READ THIS BOOK YOU WILL LOVE IT BECAUSE ITS ABOUT A GIRL OUR AGE. SO READ THIS BOOK YOU WILL LOVE IT.

5.0 out of 5 stars What a treasure to rediscover!, September 25, 2009

By 

Anyechka (Rensselaer, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kitty from the Start (Hardcover)

I loved this series as a preteen, and read it many times. I was very pleased that, as an adult revisiting it, it's lost none of its sweetness, joy, interest, and charm, as often happens when we revisit things we remember only from a child's undiscerning eyes. As an adult, it even had an added dimension for me, as I'm now able to notice things that I might not have paid attention to as a child, like the era's at best benevolent racism in how the class has a geography book about a little African boy named Bambo and what A, B, and C movies really meant. (I was one of those kids who read too much and understood too little, and so thought for years that in those days, movies were actually rated A, B, and C in lieu of G, PG, PG-13, and R, not grasping that those ratings were solely a Catholic thing.) The book is full of wonderful touches bringing the era alive, like streetcars, movies having newsreels and short subjects before the main feature, some people not having cars, the idea of $40 a month to rent a house being highway robbery (I wish they were still that cheap!), Latin Masses, and children actually being able to entertain themselves with simple things like paper dolls and games of Confession, without needing the instant gratification of electronic things like TV and computer games. It also really brings to life what it was like to go to Catholic school, or just be Catholic period, in this pre-Vatican II era. I'm really looking forward to revisiting the other three books in the series!

5.0 out of 5 stars Still Remember this Book, April 4, 2008

By 

C. Walsh - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kitty from the Start (Hardcover)

I read this book when I was in 4th grade and now over 15 years later I still remember it. I remember thinking I had a whole lot in common with this character. I was trying to remember the name of the book who's plot I still remember and was delighted to find Kitty again.