Katy blossoms during her one year at boarding school, showing girls that it's possible to have fun, make friends, be true to oneself, have courage, and also be studious, patient and kind. I will play the game Word and Question" - but I can't imagine any of us being able to come up with all the lovely verses all these girls, not just the scholars, do. Oh, and how can anyone not fall under the spell of Rose Red...." ( )

This is the sequel to 'What Katy Did', and features a year when Katy, now recovered from her long illness, goes to a boarding school for a year with her sister Clover. There they meet the fascinating and rather daring Rose Red, and find themselves involved in various scrapes.

There's very little about the education in the school, and a great deal about the girls and their various friendships. The author's biases come through rather clearly, seeing flirting with the boys' college next door as being decidedly unladylike, and causing Katy to form a society that considers itself above such things.

Some mildly amusing sections, and what seems now like very interesting American social history, since the book was first published in 1873, so was contemporary for about 140 years ago.

I had forgotten most of the anecdotes and very much enjoyed re-reading this classic on my Kindle. I'm not sure it would appeal to today's teenagers, but older children might like it, and it's certainly worth re-reading by those of us who remember it fondly from our own childhood.
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This is a classic children's book which I first read when I was about six, in a nice hardback edition which I still have. This time, I read it (free) on my Kindle. The medium hardly matters. The story is about Katy Carr and her five siblings, who live with their busy doctor father and his rather frazzled and frequently cross sister, Aunt Izzy. Katy is good-hearted but frequently heedless, and hates being told what to do.

The first half of the story lets us into the lives and personalities of the children, particularly sweet Clover, Katy's helpmate and the rather envious Elsie, who longs to be part of Katy's circle. We see Katy getting into mischief at home and at school, and continually wishing to be a better person.

Their father's cousin Helen, a life-long invalid, comes to stay and exerts a good influence over the children despite being rather too good to be true. Then, when Katy has a horrible accident, Helen helps her move out of her initial depression and anger. This part of the book is a little cringeworthy; I skimmed some of it, but it wasn't too long. The last part of the book, as I remembered, was very encouraging.

Recommended as a classic to confident readers of about six and upwards, although probably intended for young teenagers originally. ( )

This is one of those 'Whiskey Tango Hotel' kind of title for a book. I fear I shall never know what Katy did at school. The cover looks so much like the artwork from the 1970's. I was flabbergasted when I discovered that more than 400 people on LibraryThing also have this book.

good kid's book. kind of preachy. timeless. I always liked the preachy ones myself. ( )