What Katy Did (Acc Childrens Classics) [Hardcover]

Susan Coolidge (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Acc Childrens Classics

The story of Katy Carr's adventures has delighted generations of readers since its first publication in 1872. Katy, the eldest of an endearing family of five, is determined to overcome her habitual mischievousness and untidiness and become ' beautiful and beloved, and amiable as an angel '. Katy's childhood exploits growing up in a small, late 19th-century American town, and her subsequent battle to come to terms with a debilitating injury are written with great compassion and humour and continue to hold much appeal for young readers today.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Twelve-year-old Katy is constantly making and quickly breaking resolutions about how she will change her ways and treat others, especially her five younger brothers and sisters, with more respect and compassion. When Katy meets her Cousin Helen, an invalid, Katy is awed by her kindness, prettiness, and generosity. Katy is determined to become more like Helen, a resolution that lasts only a few hours. Soon, however, Katy gets a chance to become more like cousin Helen than she ever wished as she finds herself confined to her bedroom for four years as a result of an accident. Much of the story is focused on the change Katy undergoes during her illness. Helen visits again to advise Katy to learn from her experience and to try to become the center of the house by making her room and herself more attractive to others. One way Katy decides to take Helen's advice is through assuming the responsibility of running the house, a job that consists of giving the servants instructions and ringing her bell to summon her sisters when she has a task for them. As soon as Katy has learned the lesson about how to care for others, she recovers and regains the ability to walk. Barbara Caruso's expressive narration is well done. She has given each character a distinct voice that helps portray his or her personality. This is a lengthy audiobook, but Caruso's pleasant narration helps to keep listeners' interest. Written by Susan Coolidge (Viking Penguin pap. 1997) and originally published in 1872, this work is dated and offers a limited vision of the roles of girls and women within the world and the family. Although there are moments of good storytelling, this title is too dated to be recommended for purchase.
Erin Drankwalter Wyatt, Palombi School, Lake Villa, IL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Susan Coolidge was an American from Ohio State who started writing after serving as a nurse in the Civil War. In total, there are 5 books about the irrepressable Katy Carr.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Antique Collectors Club Dist (January 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851497056
• ISBN-13: 978-1851497058
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,364,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Make Room for Katy..., May 12, 2005

By 

L. M Young (Marietta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What Katy Did (Acc Childrens Classics) (Hardcover)

...on your bookshelf! WHAT KATY DID is the lively story of Katherine Carr, the eldest of six children-the others are Clover, Elsie, Dorry (a boy), Johnnie (Joanna, a girl), and Phil. Her father, Dr. Carr, doesn't mind Katy being lively and adventurous, but she is also heedless, untidy, and sometimes unkind to her siblings and doesn't care about the work she causes her Aunt Izzie, who cares for the motherless brood. Katy's days are full of "scrapes" like playing "the game of the Rivers" at school and the hide-and-seek game in the dark, Kikeri, until she is involved in a terrible accident. From there she must learn to rebuild her life; she is helped by Cousin Helen, who has not let the paralysis of her legs affect her mind or her heart. While it is true that Katy is "tamed" by her accident, she eventually still remains the innovative, fun-loving girl she was before. The chapter about Katy's Christmas and Valentine's Day plans, especially the latter, make you wish we celebrated the holidays the way they did 100 years ago!

This is a great book-for a long time I liked it much better than LITTLE WOMEN-because Katy is even more lively and ingenious than Jo March. The sequels are also good, especially the first.

There are four sequels to KATY, only two of which are in print, sadly. WHAT KATY DID AT SCHOOL follows Katy's and Clover's adventures at Hillsover, a boarding school in the East. Here they meet one of the KATY books most memorable characters, the mischievous "Rose Red" who makes their year's stay lively, to say the least. The girls play wonderful games in their spare time, including something called "Word and Question" that sounds like great fun, and Katy even "tames" Miss Jane, the humorless hall monitor, and lives down an accusation. Here we meet the Carrs' cousins the Pages, Olivia and her husband and children, the selfish Lilly, who's at school with the girls, and Clarence, a teasing boy who takes a shine to Clover.

In WHAT KATY DID NEXT, Katy accompanies her neighbor Mrs. Ashe and her daughter Amy on "the Grand Tour" of Europe. This is a wonderful portrait of how people traveled to England, France, Italy, and other European countries 100 years ago. It also paints a not-so-pleasant picture of a time when many diseases were rife, and of all the troubles Katy has when Amy comes down with "Roman fever" (typhoid, I believe). But is also there Katy meets Ned Worthington, Mrs. Ashe's brother, and discovers something new to do next!

The out-of-print sequels-please, someone republish!--follow the adventures of Clover and the rest of the family. In CLOVER, she and Phil, who has been sick and has been prescribed "good mountain air" as the best cure, move to a little town high in the Colorado Rockies, where they discover new friends and some old ones-to the person who wondered what happened to Clarence, he is coincidentally living nearby on a ranch with his British partner Geoffrey. It is there Clover realizes Clarence would like their old friendship to be something more.

IN THE HIGH VALLEY is the fifth and last title in the sequence. In this story, Geoffrey's brother Lionel and sister Imogen come to live at the ranch with him. Imogen is prepared to hate the West but gradually warms to the Colorado countryside and grows to love the Carr family, perhaps one more than the other. Note: in this book we finally find out what "Dorry" stands for: Theodore!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely - just what books in this genre should be, August 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: What Katy Did (Puffin Classics) (Paperback)

The Carrs have always been my family friends, so to speak... I recently re-read this book, having loved it as a pre-teen, and I found out that it was still able to make me laugh and cry. The plot follows the growth of young Katy, focusing on her unfortunate accident and the consequences it has on her and her family.

Naturally, a part of my strongly positive reaction was nostalgia, but nevertheless this is a beautifully written story, both moving and humorous, full of imaginative magic and the cosy warmth of a loving home at the same time. The characters are lovable and memorable - is there a girl who couldn't identify herself with the clumsy, unfortunate Katy or admire the saint-like, yet fully human cousin Helen?

At the risk of sounding like a walking cliche, I must say that they just don't write books like this any longer: clean, wholesome and still totally satisfying and entertaining. But even if the whole world ran after the latest shock values, I would always be coming back to books like these - books for a girl who loves to read.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A childhood staple, November 22, 2001

By 

"cayjess" (Grand Cayman BWI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Katy Did (Wordsworth Children's Classics) (Wordsworth Collection) (Paperback)

I can remember my mother reading this book aloud to me as a child; one chapter a night. It didn't take long for me to decide that I couldn't wait for her to get to the next installment. I credit this book (one of many) that led to my lifelong, love affair with reading. It's among the top five books I'm collecting now to read aloud to my own daughter. She may only be 2 months old; but, it's never too early to introduce little girls to Katy and family. This book will never go out of style...life lessons are always in vogue.