I can’t quite remember why I bought the Katy trilogy (this is a very common refrain with me, perhaps I should stop expecting to remember where I hear about books) but I expect I heard something about it being a childhood classic and wanted to give it a go!

What Katy Did is a children’s story about Katy, the oldest of six children. The first half involves the various scrapes that Katy gets into – she’s great fun but she has a bit of a mean streak (e.g. leaving out a younger sister, making fun of her younger brother’s journal by reciting it aloud, etc). The second half is about Katy as an invalid – an accident has bruised her spine and it leaves her confined to her bed. While sick, Katy learns how to make the most of her time and strengthen her relationship with her siblings.

Reading this was an interesting experience; the first half reminded me of E. Nesbit’s Five Children and It (or The Phoenix and the Carpet) for the realistic portrayal of childhood, both the fun and the naughty. There are also some delicious descriptions of food in here; I really wanted to try what they were eating (except, perhaps, water and vinegar drunk through cinnamon straws). The second half made me think of Diana Wynne Jone’s label “Goddy books” because there is clearly A Moral and the narrator isn’t shy about talking about it. Katy has to learn patience if she’s going to be spending all day lying down.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this book. Katy definitely improves her interpersonal skills while she’s ill and it is character growth to be find the good in a bad situation, but at the same time, the moralising of the narrator is not fun. Plus, the two halves of the book feel very different in tone, and I’m not sure what to make of that.

If I only had this book, I probably wouldn’t be tempted to search for the next. However, I bought a boxset of three Katy books so I’ll continue the series and see if my feelings ever settle down into “like” or “dislike”.