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Joy School (Large Print)
Joy School - Large Print
Author: Elizabeth Berg
Katie has relocated to Missouri with her distant, occasionally abusive father, and she feels very alone: her much-loved mother is unaccepting of her; and her only friends fall far short of ideal companions. When she accidentally falls through the ice while skating, she meets Jimmy. He is far older than she, and married, but she is entranced. As ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9781568653976
ISBN-10: 1568653972
Pages: 261
Rating:
  • Currently 2.5/5 Stars.
 1

2.5 stars, based on 1 rating
Publisher: Random House Inc.
Book Type: Hardcover
Large Print: Yes
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Ladyslott avatar reviewed Joy School (Large Print) on + 113 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This is book 2 in the Katie trilogy by Berg. I recently read Durable Goods, and wanted to see where the story of Katie was going.

The book opens with 13 year old Katie and her dad now stationed on a base in Missouri. She is having a tough time adjusting to her new life. It is difficult for her to make friends, her sister Diane is not with her to help her deal with the problems she is having. Her dad is still very distant and her mothers recent death is still tormenting Katie.

One day Katie meets the man of her dreams, 23 year old Jimmy. He is a gas station attendant who is extremely handsome and nice, although married. This doesnt stop Katie from falling in love with him and planning their life together. As she settles into her new life Katie makes new friends, and has to make some choices about which road to take, without much adult guidance.

Once again, I love the simple but heart felt style of writing that Berg utilizes. The writing is spare but you really identify with many of Katies feelings and actions. A sweet tale of first love and the joy and pain it can bring. I have book three True to Form sitting here waiting to be read. I dont think Ill wait very long.
reviewed Joy School (Large Print) on + 15 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I really enjoyed the story. It is about a 13-year old girl, new to her Missouri town, living alone with a stern, inaccessible father following her mother's death. She forges alliances where she can, and that ultimately offer her more than she had anticipated. A very nice read.
reviewed Joy School (Large Print) on + 94 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Nobody does characters like Elizabeth Berg. This is a great growing up story.
reviewed Joy School (Large Print) on
Helpful Score: 1
Very nice story. I enjoy Berg's books.
reviewed Joy School (Large Print) on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Second in the 'Katie' series, I loved it.
Read All 35 Book Reviews of "Joy School Large Print"

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reviewed Joy School (Large Print) on + 152 more book reviews
I read "Durable Goods" recently and gave it four stars. "Joy School" is also a solid four stars. When the book starts, Katie is 12 years old and a freshman in high school. We learn that she skipped fourth grade. However, if that's the only grade she skipped, I think the author miscalculated. Most students are 14 when they start their freshman year in high school and turn 15 during the school year. Katie started her frosh year as a 12 year old and turned 13 during the school year, thus she was two years younger than most of her classmates--not one year had she skipped only one grade.

This book, like "Durable Goods," didn't have much action in it but it was a little more interesting than its predecessor--there's something going on with Diane, Katie's older sister, who ran off to Mexico (in the first book) with her boyfriend, Dickie, and got married; Ginger, the new housekeeper, becomes interested in Katie's dad and he in her; Katie develops a serious crush on an older man; and she becomes friends with Cynthia and Taylor, two very different young gals.

"Joy School" like "Durable Goods" was a book that I started one day and finished the next. It's not great literature but it's an easy and entertaining read and sometimes that is enough. I plan to request the third book from the local library.
reviewed Joy School (Large Print) on + 16 more book reviews
I always enjoy Berg's take on life, and I think she has a remarkable ability to write from the perspective of a child/young teen. This story invites us to remember those awkward, trying-to-fit-in, early teen years, self-consciousness about one's family, the first blush of love. Good story. Enjoy.
tranquility avatar reviewed Joy School (Large Print) on + 25 more book reviews
Good book. Interesting for young readers.
reviewed Joy School (Large Print) on + 496 more book reviews
Very enjoyable book on growing up.
vprosser avatar reviewed Joy School (Large Print) on + 161 more book reviews
This is a large print edition.


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