PLUS a behind-the-scenes journey, including an author profile, a guide to who's who, activities and more . . .***

These memories were not mine. I was an English child, and the descriptions of small-town America in bygone years were alien to me, but of course I could enjoy these tales, and up to a point identify with the heroine, the: A character named Katy Carr appears in the first volume of Alan Moore's graphic novel The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. As Katy beats a student at Ms Coote's school, the headmistress says she believes in the "School of Pain". Katy determines to get well again, and makes her room bright and cheerful. Gradually all the children begin to gravitate towards it again, and come to see her whenever they can. Katy becomes loved and admired by her family for her kindness and good cheer, even though her life is now so constrained.What Katy Did was followed by four sequels: What Katy Did at School in which Katy and Clover attend the fictional Hillsover School (set in Hanover, New Hampshire); What Katy Did Next, in which a new friend of Katy's takes her on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe; Clover, in which Katy is married and Clover accompanies her brother Phil to Colorado after he falls ill; and In the High Valley, which shows the lives of a handful of young people living in the High Valley in Colorado, including Clover, Elsie and their husbands. When Aunt Izzie dies two years later, Katy takes over the running of the household, and after a further two years, her spine is healed, and she learns to walk again. What DID Katy do? Oh, Katy does a lot of things. Katy and her little siblings play, and sing, and read, and make messes, and get in trouble, and get hurt, and get well again, and rip their clothes, and get scolded... in other words, Katy and her siblings have childhoods. Full and rich childhoods. Kekecewaan Katy ketika sampai di Inggris bikin nyengir. Dia sudah penasaran dgn rumah yg muncul di Mansfield Park tp kecewa krn ternyata daerahnya tidak seindah dlm buku. Yah maklum, Jane Austen mengarang ceritanya kan sudah nyaris seratus tahun yg lalu, jelas daerahnya sudah banyak berubah. When I was little, I read a ton of older children's books. I read authors like L. M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, Eleanor H. Porter, Kate Douglas Wiggin, Margaret Sidney, and so on. For whatever reason, I totally missed reading any of Susan Coolidge's Katy series, though I was aware that they existed. This is possibly why I did not enjoy them much when I read them at age 24.

Clover Carr: the second-eldest sister adores Katy and follows her in everything she does. Clover is pretty and clever with a cheerful disposition; she is described as loving everyone and is loved by everyone in return. Overall it was so unlike the previous two books that I felt it didn't quite fit into the series. Though it was descriptive and literarily brilliant I did find it boring on occasion. it was almost as if the author was trying to cram as many tourist attractions into the book as humanely possible, which was a shame. Cecy Hall: a pretty and tidy girl, the daughter of a nearby neighbour and a good friend of the siblings. This realization is exactly what motivates the main character of the story to change herself until she can earn the pleasure of God and of those around her. Cool book! I liked it, harder to read than the previous two in the series though. I think I've read these books before but now I remember the stories.stars & 8/10 hearts. I was given this book between 10-13 years old and loved it right away. Since then, I have only loved it more and more each read through! This is the third book in the What Katy Did trilogy (though apparently not the last book about Katy and her family) and surprisingly, it was the one that I enjoyed the most! What Katy Did Next takes place a few years after What Katy Did at School and has Katy travelling to London, France (including Nice!), and Italy after receiving a once-in-a-lifetime offer to tour Europe. What Katy Did Next starts with a good deed – Katy notices that little Amy cannot go home because her cousin is down with scarlet fever. Of course, she and the rest of the family take the little girl in and by the end of the stay, Amy is so fond of Katy that it inspires her mother, Mrs Ashe, to invite Katy to travel with them to Europe.