What Katy Did Next

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The novel has 26 chapters, in two sections, so is an absorbing read for this age. It starts out explaining about the six children of Dr. Carr, or “Papa”, who live in a fictional little lakeside town of Burnet in Ohio, in the 1860s. Katy is the eldest at twelve years of age, and a tall untidy tomboy. The children’s mother, Mrs Carr is dead, and Katy only has faint memories of her. The children’s Aunt Izzie now lives with them. She is kind, and does her best to look after the children, but she is old-fashioned and rather strict: Likened to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, What Katy Did Next is a timeless classic for both children and adults to enjoy. For a girl a little younger than this, the premise was irresistible. As was this quotation, for me at least: I'll concede that it's enjoyable for the first few chapters. Katy Carr is a tall, rambunctious tomboy who's constantly getting into "scrapes". Her prissy and dignified Aunt Izzy despairs of her wild, messy, nature, but her younger brothers and sisters all think she's the greatest thing ever. Katy is a writer and storyteller with zillions of great ideas, and she's the ringleader of the family, and Papa's favourite.

Nothing every stays the same, however, and Katy meets with an accident that results in her becoming bed-bound. The book takes us through a period of Katy's varying emotions from an expectation that she will soon recover, to self pity and depression when she realises that she will be invalided for a lengthily period. Fortunately for Katy, she has a wonderful cousin, Helen, who is a permanent invalid, and, with Cousin Helen's help, Katy is able to find a way to be useful to her family again and rediscover the joy of life, living and studying, even if it is from her bedroom. As an adult, I appreciated the leadership lesson and the fact that people who have strong leadership qualities can lead other people astray. Having these qualities actually means that you have a responsibility to learn to use them wisely and not lead others off the cliff.

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: This is recorded in an early ‘60s style, with the “Shoop Shoop” lyrics a reference to the 1964 hit “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)” and the mention of “Mrs. Brown” conjuring “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter.” This is done with a hint of irony. Katy Carr is now 21 years old, and gets a chance to visit Europe. Mrs Ashe is a slightly older widow friend with a little girl named Amy, and she asks Katy to be their travel companion. Of course Katy jumps at the opportunity. Mrs Ashe has a younger brother named Ned Worthington; a dishy naval lieutenant she hopes to touch base with over there. (Are your romance antennae twitching?)

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. Set in c. 1868 in a tiny town in West America, this story is a mixture of happy home life + a coming-of-age/internal-journey story. The writing style is a sort of cross between Louisa Alcott and Frances Hodgson Burnett. The first half sets the stage of Katy’s life as a thoughtless but well-meaning child, and then the next half chronicles her change after a terrible accident. It isn’t preachy; and people may find the spiritual change very sudden, but honestly I find it’s just the right pace. It’s sweet and funny and realistic and heart-warming and oh-so-full of great messages and truths! There is some mention of Santa Claus & a few mentions of fairies, but that can be changes/skipped. The basic theme is that illness can be used in so many great ways to help others and ourselves. There’s also smaller themes of how to manage a house, how to be a good sister, and how to make a difference.I am quite quite certain this is the verso of What Katy Did Next's dedication: "To the many little girls (some of them grown to be great girls now), who, during the last twelve years, have begged that something more might be told them about KATY CARR, and what she did after leaving school." A wonderful, family story, with an inspiring introduction from Cathy Cassidy, author of The Chocolate Box Girls and other hugely popular fiction for young teens.

This is the third in the series of books about the Carr family which began with “What Katy Did”. I felt that What Katy Did Next, was the weakest of the three, perhaps because it introduced concerns about which I was not interested, namely exclusively female chitchat, and a predictable romantic element. It was written in 1886, thirteen years after the second one, and intended for a more mature audience. This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.

ILLUSTRATIONS

This song is not about Kate Moss, it is about Peter Doherty’s other girlfriend Katie Lewis. After leaving The Libertines, Doherty formed Babyshambles, and released the song “What Katy Did Next” on their 2005 album Down in Albion, which is about his fling with Kate Moss.