A timeless story about a young girl who wants to be sweet natured, good and easy to love. Somehow she never is. Instead, her dress is always torn, her hair is always a tangle and she doesn’t care whether she’s thought good or not. But then Katy has a terrible accident and has time to find out what really matters to her and to change. A trifle moral in parts, this is none-the-less a memorable story about a strong willed but likeable heroine.
This edition is part of the Vintage Children's Classics series which is aimed at and shaped by 8-12 year olds, and the adults in their lives. It is a broad, affordable selection of books that will inspire a life-long love of reading; these stories that have secured a place in the hearts of thousands. They are all unabridged. To view all the Vintage Children's Classics titles click here. They are books to be given as gifts, and passed down the generations.
In addition, story hungry children often don't want the adventure to end, so why not take a look at the fully interactive website - World of Stories - which contains lots of extra material - the backstory: with quizzes, activities and fascinating facts about the books and their authors.
Times were tough for tomboys in nineteenth-century America. In an era during which the prescribed notions of proper behavior for women and girls were much stricter than they are today, the rough-and-tumble types who couldn't get enough of team sports and the great outdoors were often shunned. This fun and engaging juvenile novel is a great introduction to the period for young readers and adults alike.
Susan Coolidge lived in America from 1835 to 1905. She was born into an upper class family and her real name was Sarah Chauncy Woolsey. She worked as a nurse in the American Civil War and then began her writing career. Her editor was also the editor of Louis M Alcott who was having huge success with her book Little Women. The editor suggested that Susan try her hand at the same kind of family story and the five books about the irrepressible Katy Carr followed. They followed the fortunes and misfortunes of the Carr family, from childhood, through school and travels in Europe, to marriage. The books: What Katy Did, What Katy Did at School, What Katy Did Next, Clover and In the High Valley brought fame to Susan Coolidge. The titles of the first three books are a pun on the North American grasshopper-like insect, the katydid, whose noise was not only responsible for its name but inspired Susan Coolidge!
The characters in the books are especially life-like because, without doubt, they’re based on members of the author’s family. Susan herself was tall, quick-witted and impatient – like Katy; Katy’s three sisters are Susan’s three sisters, and Katy’s two brothers are Susan Coolidge’s brother and cousin.
Susan Coolidge devoted her life to her literary and social activities. As well as children’s books, she wrote poetry and edited the letters of Jane Austin and Fanny Burney.
