What Katy Did at School

Susan Coolidge was the pen name of Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, who was born in 1835 and died in 1905. She was an American writer, best known for the series of books about Katy Carr, and she wrote for girls with sympathy and a lively sense of humour at a time when books for children were often preachy and dull.

What Katy Did at School appeared in 1873 and continues the story begun in What Katy Did. In that earlier book Katy is a spirited child with a talent for trouble. Here she travels to boarding school with her sister Clover, and the novel follows the pair through a stretch of school life, with its friendships, rules, mishaps and gradual growing up. Readers who have not heard the first volume will still find the story easy to follow, since each book stands comfortably on its own.

The attraction of the series has always been its warm, unforced picture of girlhood in nineteenth-century America. The adventures are modest in scale, but they are told with enough affection that the characters feel real, and the book’s gentle morals sit lightly beside the fun.

This LibriVox recording is made up of thirteen chapters and runs for around four hours and fifteen minutes. It is read by volunteer Karen Savage. It suits an afternoon of quiet listening, a family car journey, or anyone who simply enjoys a classic school story. Even though it is a book for young readers, it has an easy charm for adults. The language is clear, the humour affectionate, and the feelings behind the little disasters ring true. A good choice if you have enjoyed Little Women or the Anne books, or if you want something warm to fall asleep to.