Katie John is a great character, she makes me think of Grace from the Her Majesty, Grace Jones. She has spirit and heart and her scrapes are not the ones that just frustrate you. She does brave things and silly things and has an active imagination and I just really enjoyed reading this book.

What a character. ?áSometimes it's 'depend on' her to get herself into a scrape, sometimes it's 'depend on' her to come up with a clever solution. ?áSometimes her solutions even work! ?áAnd sometimes her impulsiveness and salesmanship skills remind the reader of the wildest of boy characters we've met.

Interestingly, issues of feminism are very subtly raised. ?áThere's one chapter in which we learn that the fifth-graders are starting to think about boy-girl things, and Katie realizes that tomboys aren't likely to get Valentines from all the boys who see her as a comrade. ?áBut her alter-persona, ladylike Cathy, is no fun, so Katie becomes herself again promptly. ?áOn the other hand, mother points out that all of Katie's hard work taking care of the renters and babysitting a little boy prepare her for more than a career as a housekeeper or nurse, they prepare her for being a woman. ?áOn the third hand, a rich & pretty classmate may seem to have smooth sailing ahead, but as mother says, she'll probably have a pretty boring life.

I think I liked this even better than the first Katie John book - and I wish I could find more. ( )

I remember Katie John from childhood. I loved the illustrations. I remember thinking she looked so grown up and she had very adult responsibilities. As an adult I loved it again. Maybe one for our Vintage Book Circle. ( )

Re-read.
Katie John is a delightful kid. She's confused, conflicted and so real. The books have dated a little, but are still very worth reading. ( )

A sequel to 'Katie John'. Katie John and her family have decided to stay in Missouri and live in the big, old, red house. To make ends meet they have to take in boarders and Katie John has to help out with the housework. At the same time she is the new kid in her Grade 5 class and life at school is just as challenging as life at home.