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Katy: A modern version of the much-loved classic, What Katy Did
AS SEEN ON CBBC!Inspired by Susan Coolidge's classic What Katy Did, read Jacqueline Wilson's modern day take on the story about the feisty tomboy heroine. Katy Carr is a lively, daredevil oldest sister in a big family. She loves messing around outdoors, climbing on the garage roof, or up a tree, cycling, skateboarding, swinging...But her life changes in dramatic and unexpected ways after a serious accident.Katy is an irresistible modern version of a much-loved classic. Perfect for young readers of 9+, fans of Hetty Feather and Tracy Beaker will fall in love with Katy and her family too.
471 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2015
160 people are currently reading
1330 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Wilson
399 books5,684 followersJacqueline Wilson was born in Bath in 1945, but spent most of her childhood in Kingston-on-Thames. She always wanted to be a writer and wrote her first ‘novel’ when she was nine, filling in countless Woolworths’ exercise books as she grew up. As a teenager she started work for a magazine publishing company and then went on to work as a journalist on Jackie magazine (which she was told was named after her!) before turning to writing novels full-time.
One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.
Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.
Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!
In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.
Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.
Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!
In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 233 reviews
September 5, 2016
I adored 'Katy'! I loved the beginning when everything was going brilliantly, the middle when Katy was in hospital and a bit depressed, and the end when she learned how to deal with her disability. I thought it beautifully handled depression in children and gave a classic story a properly realistic ending!
November 10, 2015
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Depression, suicidal thoughts, disability slurs, fat-phobia, and fat-shaming.
This is a contemporary reimagining of Susan Coolidge's What Katy Did. Because I haven't read the classic, who's to blame for the problematic aspects of Katy?
The author's note explains that in the original, through prayer and looking after her siblings Katy walks again. Jacqueline Wilson rightly points out that's not a good message, so she takes the story in her own direction.
If only she'd done that earlier. JW says that the events in the first half of her version mirror Coolidge's, so I guess that's who to blame. Katy's first 200 pages are filler, inconsequential to the rest of the plot, like vignettes. And while I understand novels should introduce the character and her world before the plot catalyst, 200 pages is far too much and should've been condensed.
So who's to blame for the character of Dorry? I wasn't prepared for the barrage of fat-phobia and fat-shaming. Dorry is described as "chubby" and "pudgy", but most often he's referred to as "greedy". Pretty much everything he says is about food, and I'm not even exaggerating. His siblings read Dorry's diary, and it's all about what he ate. The kids think there're burglars downstairs, and Dorry worries, "They'll steal the cakes!" I know he's only a side character, but he's one-note and his characterisation needs improvement.
As for the novel's disability aspect, it seems believable. The awkwardness and embarrassment, the anger and frustration, and the depression - it all rings true. Katy's disability doesn't turn her into a saint, but she learns a lot about herself, her friends, and her family (particularly her stepmother).
However, the inclusion of two particular words is questionable. Katy uses the C-word and claims she's only talking about herself, not her fellow patients, but the nurses rightfully say the word should never be used. There's also the I-word, which isn't addressed as much, but rather in a "Katy's not an [I-word]" kind of way. In the days of Metcards, if you used one that was expired, the I-word would describe the ticket. It's upsetting that in the novel, the word is used to describe PEOPLE, rather than things.
My other word complaint is "tomboy". Some may claim it's not offensive, but it still conforms to outdated notions of gender that outdoorsy, active girls are "tomboys", as opposed to just being who they are - girls.
Then there's an action near the end that strikes me as extremely poor judgement. Katy's PE teacher has been working with her on her ball skills, and Katy wants to join in with the rest of the class playing games. Mr Myers asks Katy if she could sit on the floor with her back to the wall, if he helped her. Katy agrees, but then he offers Katy's wheelchair to classmates to try out. NO. Just plain NO. You DON'T (or at least you bloody well SHOULDN'T) invite others to use a wheelchair without first obtaining permission from the wheelchair's regular user - in this case, Katy, who doesn't call out Mr Myers on his shoddy behaviour. Katy shouldn't have to call him out, though, because Mr Myers should have some basic common sense and decency! Ugh, this scene really bothers me.
Jacqueline Wilson probably means well with her contemporary reimagining of Susan Coolidge's classic, but the execution still needs a lot of improvement. Katy's a wonderful character, but those surrounding her need more fleshing out and less faff.
This is a contemporary reimagining of Susan Coolidge's What Katy Did. Because I haven't read the classic, who's to blame for the problematic aspects of Katy?
The author's note explains that in the original, through prayer and looking after her siblings Katy walks again. Jacqueline Wilson rightly points out that's not a good message, so she takes the story in her own direction.
If only she'd done that earlier. JW says that the events in the first half of her version mirror Coolidge's, so I guess that's who to blame. Katy's first 200 pages are filler, inconsequential to the rest of the plot, like vignettes. And while I understand novels should introduce the character and her world before the plot catalyst, 200 pages is far too much and should've been condensed.
So who's to blame for the character of Dorry? I wasn't prepared for the barrage of fat-phobia and fat-shaming. Dorry is described as "chubby" and "pudgy", but most often he's referred to as "greedy". Pretty much everything he says is about food, and I'm not even exaggerating. His siblings read Dorry's diary, and it's all about what he ate. The kids think there're burglars downstairs, and Dorry worries, "They'll steal the cakes!" I know he's only a side character, but he's one-note and his characterisation needs improvement.
As for the novel's disability aspect, it seems believable. The awkwardness and embarrassment, the anger and frustration, and the depression - it all rings true. Katy's disability doesn't turn her into a saint, but she learns a lot about herself, her friends, and her family (particularly her stepmother).
However, the inclusion of two particular words is questionable. Katy uses the C-word and claims she's only talking about herself, not her fellow patients, but the nurses rightfully say the word should never be used. There's also the I-word, which isn't addressed as much, but rather in a "Katy's not an [I-word]" kind of way. In the days of Metcards, if you used one that was expired, the I-word would describe the ticket. It's upsetting that in the novel, the word is used to describe PEOPLE, rather than things.
My other word complaint is "tomboy". Some may claim it's not offensive, but it still conforms to outdated notions of gender that outdoorsy, active girls are "tomboys", as opposed to just being who they are - girls.
Then there's an action near the end that strikes me as extremely poor judgement. Katy's PE teacher has been working with her on her ball skills, and Katy wants to join in with the rest of the class playing games. Mr Myers asks Katy if she could sit on the floor with her back to the wall, if he helped her. Katy agrees, but then he offers Katy's wheelchair to classmates to try out. NO. Just plain NO. You DON'T (or at least you bloody well SHOULDN'T) invite others to use a wheelchair without first obtaining permission from the wheelchair's regular user - in this case, Katy, who doesn't call out Mr Myers on his shoddy behaviour. Katy shouldn't have to call him out, though, because Mr Myers should have some basic common sense and decency! Ugh, this scene really bothers me.
Jacqueline Wilson probably means well with her contemporary reimagining of Susan Coolidge's classic, but the execution still needs a lot of improvement. Katy's a wonderful character, but those surrounding her need more fleshing out and less faff.
November 11, 2022
This is one if the first books I have ever been interested in, plus it's my favourite. There are so many relatable characters and it's a good book if you want to just dive in the world of Jacqueline Wilson. 💙
February 8, 2020
katy was a very good book. a girl falls out of a tree.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2015
I'm a Katy who had the original bought for me as a child because of my name. And I loved it, and read it several times. But as an adult, thinking back to it, and its morals - it's not as relevant or easy to identify with the characters.
Jacqueline Wilson has, in my opinion, done an excellent job on bringing the story into a contemporary family and setting. Her Katy is very familiar from her other books: spunky, clumsy, makes mistakes, strong-willed, very chatty (and of course - a reader). Half the book is her story, setting the scene of her blended family (6 children in total, a stepmother instead of an aunt, still a doctor for a father).
Katy is irrepressible - the big sister who makes up games, gets into scrapes (I loved the update of the school incident), doesn't notice a loving little sister in the annoying hanger-on Elsie. So far, so Wilson - she specialises in family stories that showcase modern families of divorces and death, fights and frolics.
I thought the family members were all well-drawn, the cute LIttlies up to adoring Clover, had-working and much-loved Doctor Carr, and especially Izzy now portrayed as a slightly cold and nagging stepmother whose exasperation with Katy leads to the 'incident' that we all know is coming.
If we've read the original that is. This may be a shock to children coming to this story for the first time. A terrible accident sends Katy to the hospital, and trying to cope with a very different life from that of skateboarding and running around with her siblings. And again, Wilson handles this well, and in a way suited to contemporary life - her injury is treated as serious, her grief and disbelief are heart-breaking, but we can also see the Katy that she can't quite bring herself to admit exists - the slightly spiteful and petty girl, who misses her mother, is jealous of her stepmother and stepsister, and wants to be loved and admired by everyone.
It's an eye-opener for anyone who has never seen the result of a serious accident, as we also see the other children she meets in hospital, especially teenaged Dexter who eventually befriends the younger Katy, despite them both suffering days of despair and self-pity.
Her recovery, such a big part of Coolidge's original, is also well thought through. The difficulties of the family adapting to Katy's new life and disability, a possible return to school (a new secondary school, as well), the reactions of friends and acquaintances. I would have liked a little more of the neighbour's story, and also of Eva's (a rather vindictive and spoiled classmate).
The rather saccharine Helen here becomes a much more likeable and achievable former patient of Dr Carr's, who is still goodness and kindness itself, without being quite so preachy and perfect. Helen, herself disabled, helps Katy to envisage a future with her new situation.
The book ends on a much more realistic note than Coolidge (and without any preaching or lessons learned), for though Katy has learned to accept herself, she has seen her faults and is trying hard to change them, and is also excited about the possibilities the future holds. I smiled at the end and wholeheartedly approve Wilson's ending, as parent and reader.
This looks long, but really isn't. I love that the old classics that most children would turn their noses up at today are being made fresh and accessible again by talented writers who can keep the spirit and tone of the book present, while making the characters and story more relevant to the very different world of 21st century children. Here we have emails and texts, references to the Great British Bake Off and Patrick Ness but in a story from more than a century past.
I look forward to the next, Ms Wilson.
Jacqueline Wilson has, in my opinion, done an excellent job on bringing the story into a contemporary family and setting. Her Katy is very familiar from her other books: spunky, clumsy, makes mistakes, strong-willed, very chatty (and of course - a reader). Half the book is her story, setting the scene of her blended family (6 children in total, a stepmother instead of an aunt, still a doctor for a father).
Katy is irrepressible - the big sister who makes up games, gets into scrapes (I loved the update of the school incident), doesn't notice a loving little sister in the annoying hanger-on Elsie. So far, so Wilson - she specialises in family stories that showcase modern families of divorces and death, fights and frolics.
I thought the family members were all well-drawn, the cute LIttlies up to adoring Clover, had-working and much-loved Doctor Carr, and especially Izzy now portrayed as a slightly cold and nagging stepmother whose exasperation with Katy leads to the 'incident' that we all know is coming.
If we've read the original that is. This may be a shock to children coming to this story for the first time. A terrible accident sends Katy to the hospital, and trying to cope with a very different life from that of skateboarding and running around with her siblings. And again, Wilson handles this well, and in a way suited to contemporary life - her injury is treated as serious, her grief and disbelief are heart-breaking, but we can also see the Katy that she can't quite bring herself to admit exists - the slightly spiteful and petty girl, who misses her mother, is jealous of her stepmother and stepsister, and wants to be loved and admired by everyone.
It's an eye-opener for anyone who has never seen the result of a serious accident, as we also see the other children she meets in hospital, especially teenaged Dexter who eventually befriends the younger Katy, despite them both suffering days of despair and self-pity.
Her recovery, such a big part of Coolidge's original, is also well thought through. The difficulties of the family adapting to Katy's new life and disability, a possible return to school (a new secondary school, as well), the reactions of friends and acquaintances. I would have liked a little more of the neighbour's story, and also of Eva's (a rather vindictive and spoiled classmate).
The rather saccharine Helen here becomes a much more likeable and achievable former patient of Dr Carr's, who is still goodness and kindness itself, without being quite so preachy and perfect. Helen, herself disabled, helps Katy to envisage a future with her new situation.
The book ends on a much more realistic note than Coolidge (and without any preaching or lessons learned), for though Katy has learned to accept herself, she has seen her faults and is trying hard to change them, and is also excited about the possibilities the future holds. I smiled at the end and wholeheartedly approve Wilson's ending, as parent and reader.
This looks long, but really isn't. I love that the old classics that most children would turn their noses up at today are being made fresh and accessible again by talented writers who can keep the spirit and tone of the book present, while making the characters and story more relevant to the very different world of 21st century children. Here we have emails and texts, references to the Great British Bake Off and Patrick Ness but in a story from more than a century past.
I look forward to the next, Ms Wilson.
October 20, 2025
This book is honestly great and left me so emotional. Katy is a young girl full of spunk personality and courage. She considers herself extremely independent and strives to car care of the littlies, her younger siblings. She has a best friend called Cecy who she is extremely close to however she constantly misses her dear mother. This puts her relationship with her stepmother in a strenuous position. She cannot dare to like her as she feels this is betraying her late mother. After her accident Katy struggles to find herself and get back to normal life. Her peers now see her differently. Even Cecy. You should definitely read this before book because a little hope can go a long way.
June 22, 2016
Video review: https://youtu.be/2g9Pr3QsZuY
March 17, 2020
Think I might be the unpopular opinion here when I say I really had problems with this. I get the message it was trying to send but there were so many moments executed poorly.
October 17, 2020
This is based on a classic that I have not read, What Katy Did, so I cannot comment on that. However, this had all the hallmarks of Jacqueline Wilson's writing, which includes vivid description and strong, empathetic characterisation.
Jacqueline Wilson's Katy is impulsive and bold, moody and unforgiving. Her first day of summer between elementary school and middle school, which occurs somewhere close to the middle of the book, is catastrophic. I wasn't prepared for it. I have never read anything like this, not because it is unique speculative fiction, but because it is completely realistic and outside of my experience. I read it to my daughter, who is in third grade, and I'm glad I did.
Jacqueline Wilson's Katy is impulsive and bold, moody and unforgiving. Her first day of summer between elementary school and middle school, which occurs somewhere close to the middle of the book, is catastrophic. I wasn't prepared for it. I have never read anything like this, not because it is unique speculative fiction, but because it is completely realistic and outside of my experience. I read it to my daughter, who is in third grade, and I'm glad I did.
December 17, 2015
Actual rating: 3.5
This book was good and it really showed how it is like to be in a wheel chair. Jacqueline Wilson has a talent of really developing characters and showing things from a character's point of view.
We see a lot of Katy's siblings and developed a liking for Clover as she is very loyal to Katy.
The themes is the book can be quite depressing, but it will really make you aware of how it is to be in a wheelchair. I like Helen quite a bit and it is good that she and Katy can connect.
The only reason this is rated 3 stars is because it is quite sad, but near the end, things become quite happier.
This book was good and it really showed how it is like to be in a wheel chair. Jacqueline Wilson has a talent of really developing characters and showing things from a character's point of view.
We see a lot of Katy's siblings and developed a liking for Clover as she is very loyal to Katy.
The themes is the book can be quite depressing, but it will really make you aware of how it is to be in a wheelchair. I like Helen quite a bit and it is good that she and Katy can connect.
The only reason this is rated 3 stars is because it is quite sad, but near the end, things become quite happier.
October 28, 2019
Katy was in my favourite section. It was fantastic i almost cried when it got to the part when she falls off the tree. I haven’t read a lot of Jaqueline Wilson but now I’m sooooooo into it. At the end Izzie starts to get really interesting and nice. My favourite character was Katy because she always took risks and was always strong and interesting. Sparkle... OUT!!!!
March 15, 2016
Great retelling. Captured a lot of the feelings I had as a child who suddenly had to have a lot of time off school and adapt to a different life than expected. Although I've always been more of an Elsie than a Katy.
August 23, 2015
This is an amazingbook. I wish it never ended. I could not stop reading it today.
January 30, 2019
As a kid I loved Jacqueline Wilson so much so when I spied this in the charity shop I thought I’d read it for nostalgic purposes. Very cute book and Ten year old me would have loved it
September 15, 2025
when i was in year 6 i had this friend (who was lwk a twat now that i think about it but was in a sense my only friend cause that was the year my family lived in hamilton and genuinely every tween down there had to be biblically cursed or something cause why oh why were they all such enormous cunts), let's call her jane, who really matched my reading freak and liked books probably more than i did. anyway setting the scene here, jane had her quirks and everything, as people do, but she was sort of always in a competition of some kind with me which i found really fucking annoying, but i was ten yrs old and she was my first friend in hamilton so there was nothing much i could do.
there are heaps of gaps in my memory relating to what leads up to the events of the story im gradually telling so maybe there's some important context i'm leaving out who knows. what is important to note is that our bags in my class at my hamilton school were all stored inside the class in these cubbies, which imo is so much better than bag hooks cause i remember just shoving shit in my cubby and then putting it all in my bag at the end of the day, and then the next year when i was back in auckland (thank god lol) and we had bag hooks at RI i was totally peeved. ANYWAY getting off topic here. at some point jane comes across this book (the one this review is about) when my class was in the school library and shows it to me and i read the blurb and liked it yk. i'd tried reading jacqueline wilson books b4 but none of them really hooked me and i didn't really naturally enjoy her writing style that much, but this book seemed different so i was highkey keen. but ofc since jane found it first she just had to read it before i did, even though im pretty sure i was distinctly more excited to read it than she was, but whatever that's fine i can respect the rules of finders keepers.
weeks go by and this girl is taking her sweet time to finish this book, and im asking after it and pestering her bcus even tho this book's lwk long as hell for a children's novel, im about 95% sure jane was a really quick reader (another of the reasons she wanted to read it first bcus apparently i'd 'take forever to finish it', whatever jane sybau). FINALLY like a month later jane tells me that she finished katy and i was like awesome sweet can i read it and she goes yeah nah. huh? sorry? jane says that she's gonna hold onto it for a bit cause she might want to reread it. i say just give me the book cause ive been waiting ages for it and u can just reread it after ive finished it. she says nah cope. my blood starts boiling bro im seeing red. i go like wtf jane what's wrong with u u know i want to read it really bad. she says she doesn't care and that she can return it to the library whenever she wants and i can't do anything about it cause it's checked out under her name. oh hell nah!!! i go gtfo jane u dirty rat and scurry away to the cubbies where i see the book clear as day in her unzipped bag and so i swipe it (and i'd do it again idc!) cause mind you this is a point in my childhood when injustice and fairness is very important to me. anyway jane sees me take the book and she goes and snitches to our teacher who comes over and tells me off and i think jane's crying or smthn and im like wtaf can't you see how unreasonable jane's being and our teacher goes uhhh yeah idrc give her her book back and i say smthn along the lines of you're all wankers hope u choke gtfo of my face and then i give the book back to jane who looked really smug about it and broo u won't believe the grudge i formed against her bcus of this. hell i lwk still carry it now. so yeah friendship with jane becomes a wee bit strained after all that wonder why aha
the mildly happy ending to this story is that jane never gives the book to me and so my mum just orders a copy from the public library and when i finally got my mitts on it i really liked it so felt pretty justified with my reaction.
now that i've finished writing this i realise this story isn't even that crazy but ykw this event had an impact on me so whether or not it's objectively a big deal it was largely significant to me and probably helped sculpt a part of the person i am now or some shit idk anyway jane hope ur well and you don't hoard books like a twat anymore ok bye
there are heaps of gaps in my memory relating to what leads up to the events of the story im gradually telling so maybe there's some important context i'm leaving out who knows. what is important to note is that our bags in my class at my hamilton school were all stored inside the class in these cubbies, which imo is so much better than bag hooks cause i remember just shoving shit in my cubby and then putting it all in my bag at the end of the day, and then the next year when i was back in auckland (thank god lol) and we had bag hooks at RI i was totally peeved. ANYWAY getting off topic here. at some point jane comes across this book (the one this review is about) when my class was in the school library and shows it to me and i read the blurb and liked it yk. i'd tried reading jacqueline wilson books b4 but none of them really hooked me and i didn't really naturally enjoy her writing style that much, but this book seemed different so i was highkey keen. but ofc since jane found it first she just had to read it before i did, even though im pretty sure i was distinctly more excited to read it than she was, but whatever that's fine i can respect the rules of finders keepers.
weeks go by and this girl is taking her sweet time to finish this book, and im asking after it and pestering her bcus even tho this book's lwk long as hell for a children's novel, im about 95% sure jane was a really quick reader (another of the reasons she wanted to read it first bcus apparently i'd 'take forever to finish it', whatever jane sybau). FINALLY like a month later jane tells me that she finished katy and i was like awesome sweet can i read it and she goes yeah nah. huh? sorry? jane says that she's gonna hold onto it for a bit cause she might want to reread it. i say just give me the book cause ive been waiting ages for it and u can just reread it after ive finished it. she says nah cope. my blood starts boiling bro im seeing red. i go like wtf jane what's wrong with u u know i want to read it really bad. she says she doesn't care and that she can return it to the library whenever she wants and i can't do anything about it cause it's checked out under her name. oh hell nah!!! i go gtfo jane u dirty rat and scurry away to the cubbies where i see the book clear as day in her unzipped bag and so i swipe it (and i'd do it again idc!) cause mind you this is a point in my childhood when injustice and fairness is very important to me. anyway jane sees me take the book and she goes and snitches to our teacher who comes over and tells me off and i think jane's crying or smthn and im like wtaf can't you see how unreasonable jane's being and our teacher goes uhhh yeah idrc give her her book back and i say smthn along the lines of you're all wankers hope u choke gtfo of my face and then i give the book back to jane who looked really smug about it and broo u won't believe the grudge i formed against her bcus of this. hell i lwk still carry it now. so yeah friendship with jane becomes a wee bit strained after all that wonder why aha
the mildly happy ending to this story is that jane never gives the book to me and so my mum just orders a copy from the public library and when i finally got my mitts on it i really liked it so felt pretty justified with my reaction.
now that i've finished writing this i realise this story isn't even that crazy but ykw this event had an impact on me so whether or not it's objectively a big deal it was largely significant to me and probably helped sculpt a part of the person i am now or some shit idk anyway jane hope ur well and you don't hoard books like a twat anymore ok bye
January 3, 2025
I read this book back in 2018/2019(?), and I thought it was actually a pretty good book.
I identified with Katy's struggles with her disability and I liked how realistically they were portrayed.
Back then, I hadn't become disabled yet.
I was at the beginning of my journey with chronic illness and disability.
(Gotta love having multiple illnesses/disabilities 😑)
Back then, I could still walk without a mobility aid or a wheelchair, so thinking about this book now, being in a similar position to Katy, it really makes me emotional.
Whilst me and Katy's disability experience is very different- she was always healthy up until the accident that paralysed her, whereas I was always unwell as a child, and it all just got worse as I got older, I feel really glad this book was around and that I read it when I did.
It feels so surreal to think about the version of me that read that book and the person I am now, I wonder if they would like each other?
Thinking about this book now, as a wheelchair user I really appreciate the little things in the book.
Like how at the end of the book, Katy finally gets a cool looking, lighter wheelchair and goes off speeding down the street, laughing and happy because she feels like she's running again.
This scene made me cry back then, and it still does now because I actually had the same experience when I finally got a lighter wheelchair that was the right size for me.
It really did feel like I was flying compared to the standard heavy nhs one. It was exactly like I was running again!
(In fact, it was better because I got the feeling of running without fainting or having heart symptoms)
I really appreciate how Jacqueline Wilson saw that the older version of this story was just offensive and outdated.
In the old story, Katy gets paralysed and somehow 'earns' her legs back by being good and kind and sweet...
(!!!🤨)
If it worked like that, I'd be out running marathons by now!
I mean, really...?
So I'm very glad that she wrote this book!
I also liked how the story talks about grieving/depression as a disabled person.
I feel like it isn't talked about enough.
Grieving the life you had, the things you could do.
I went through my stage of grieving too, and it was very hard, but just like Katy, I think I'm near the end of it.
This book was genuinely a good book, its heart wrenchingly sad, Katy feels trapped for most of the book, but in the end, she finally feels free and its extremely joyful!
What I took away from this book is this it's ok to be disabled, you can still experience joy, your life hasn't ended, it's just changed.
And I think that's good enough reason to read it!
My one problem with the book was this:
I think they should have had Katy in her wheelchair on the front cover.
It would have been great.
It doesn't really make sense that she isn't, imao.
⭐️ 4.0
12+
cws: trauma, depression, hospital setting, abelism, major accident causing disability.
I identified with Katy's struggles with her disability and I liked how realistically they were portrayed.
Back then, I hadn't become disabled yet.
I was at the beginning of my journey with chronic illness and disability.
(Gotta love having multiple illnesses/disabilities 😑)
Back then, I could still walk without a mobility aid or a wheelchair, so thinking about this book now, being in a similar position to Katy, it really makes me emotional.
Whilst me and Katy's disability experience is very different- she was always healthy up until the accident that paralysed her, whereas I was always unwell as a child, and it all just got worse as I got older, I feel really glad this book was around and that I read it when I did.
It feels so surreal to think about the version of me that read that book and the person I am now, I wonder if they would like each other?
Thinking about this book now, as a wheelchair user I really appreciate the little things in the book.
Like how at the end of the book, Katy finally gets a cool looking, lighter wheelchair and goes off speeding down the street, laughing and happy because she feels like she's running again.
This scene made me cry back then, and it still does now because I actually had the same experience when I finally got a lighter wheelchair that was the right size for me.
It really did feel like I was flying compared to the standard heavy nhs one. It was exactly like I was running again!
(In fact, it was better because I got the feeling of running without fainting or having heart symptoms)
I really appreciate how Jacqueline Wilson saw that the older version of this story was just offensive and outdated.
In the old story, Katy gets paralysed and somehow 'earns' her legs back by being good and kind and sweet...
(!!!🤨)
If it worked like that, I'd be out running marathons by now!
I mean, really...?
So I'm very glad that she wrote this book!
I also liked how the story talks about grieving/depression as a disabled person.
I feel like it isn't talked about enough.
Grieving the life you had, the things you could do.
I went through my stage of grieving too, and it was very hard, but just like Katy, I think I'm near the end of it.
This book was genuinely a good book, its heart wrenchingly sad, Katy feels trapped for most of the book, but in the end, she finally feels free and its extremely joyful!
What I took away from this book is this it's ok to be disabled, you can still experience joy, your life hasn't ended, it's just changed.
And I think that's good enough reason to read it!
My one problem with the book was this:
I think they should have had Katy in her wheelchair on the front cover.
It would have been great.
It doesn't really make sense that she isn't, imao.
⭐️ 4.0
12+
cws: trauma, depression, hospital setting, abelism, major accident causing disability.
November 18, 2020
Katy the novel by Jacqueline Wilson is modeled on the most beloved classic story ‘What Katy Did’ written by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, writing under the pen name Susan Coolidge in 1872.
The story follows the original Katy until the accident. In the original, Kathy recovers from the accident but Wilson’s Katy will never recover and will be a paraplegic her entire life.
Wilson leads us step by step through Katy’s agony of never being able to walk nor do any of those wonderful things other teenagers do.
Seen through the eyes of Katy it is torture for us too.
Wilson does not spare us; she even drags us into the toilets exposing us to Katy’s most intimate moments.
Katy hated her stepmother, this close proximity however shows both how there can be a life of understanding a life of give and take without too much hostility.
I need to ask a question though, what is it with this ‘grounding’ or ‘you are grounded for a ---‘
In Katy’s case it proved to be her undoing.
Isn’t it dangerous to leave an angry Child/Teenager in a room/ house all alone?
The story follows the original Katy until the accident. In the original, Kathy recovers from the accident but Wilson’s Katy will never recover and will be a paraplegic her entire life.
Wilson leads us step by step through Katy’s agony of never being able to walk nor do any of those wonderful things other teenagers do.
Seen through the eyes of Katy it is torture for us too.
Wilson does not spare us; she even drags us into the toilets exposing us to Katy’s most intimate moments.
Katy hated her stepmother, this close proximity however shows both how there can be a life of understanding a life of give and take without too much hostility.
I need to ask a question though, what is it with this ‘grounding’ or ‘you are grounded for a ---‘
In Katy’s case it proved to be her undoing.
Isn’t it dangerous to leave an angry Child/Teenager in a room/ house all alone?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
xx-dnf-skim-reference
June 20, 2020I actually remember liking the original.
This is written by a very prolific author who writes to her current readers (not necessarily a bad thing, but suspect) so I want to see what was done.
.....
After a hundred pages or so of Katy being so extremely irresponsible that I suspect she really needs special counseling for impulse control, I gave up. I do not remember that from the original, and I do not want it here. It's not even funny. And poor Dorry, of course he's going to be greedy for more comfort food, with nobody giving him comfort for being a smart nice little boy. Ah, well, no.
Read this review, by Tez who finished the darn thing, if you're not convinced that the rating for this is too high:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
April 30, 2016
I loved this book for the simple fact that it is not a fairy tale and it is very realistic. My daughter read half the book and was in floods of tears so I promised her I would catch up and then we would finish together. I felt she needed to read how the main character got on with her life. And she did. There was no huge happy ever after and that shows how life is, but it was done in a gentle way. Hats off to Jacqueline Wilson for her realistic writing. I have to admit that the part where my daughter was in tears I was in floods of tears. I was reading to my daughter and I could barely say the words and had to keep stopping and taking deep breaths. My daughter actually asked at one stage "are you alright mummy?".
May 29, 2016
I absolutely adored Four Children and It so when Wilson announced ANOTHER book inspired by classics I was over the moon. Katy is a modern version of the classic What Katy Did, mirroring the beginning but with an more realistic ending. I was reluctant to continue with this in the beginning (hence the four stars) but it picked up and got more interesting. Izzie was one of my favourite characters, growing a closer bond with Katy. Katy herself was very realistic, resolving to be strong yet still upset about the accident. I liked how JW showed how friendship and family can change - good and bad. Really made me think about the main dilemma in this book and was intriguing to read about a new perspective and experience.
September 11, 2017
I really love Jacqueline Wilson as an author and all her books, but one of my favorites is Katy. It has a really great and inspiring ending. Katy is a rough and skinny 11 year old girl who loves nothing no more than playing with all her siblings and inventing imaginary games for them. But a tragic accident leaves her bound to her wheelchair. This story is how she copes with her new life; secondary school, discos, getting dressed, going to town and everyday things. A must read i love this book
April 19, 2018
I have read this book for the second time and it still seems to hook me especially near the end! I read ‘what Katy did’ a few days ago and it was quite interesting comparing and seeing where Jaqueline’s have come from. Katy is a amazing, bossy girl with a strong personality. She has here ups and downs but finds herself a way through it all. I recommend you read this book as well as ‘what Katy did’ to do a clear comparison of you are into that sort of thing.
January 28, 2024
Jacqueline Wilson was my favourite author when I was a tween. I was feeling nostalgic and wanted something super easy to listen to on my walks/runs/drive and this hit the spot. I’m definitely well above the target audience age range but still thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story features 11 yo boisterous Katy who goes through a shocking life event and learns to physically and mentally adapt to these unexpected changes. If you want something super easy yet with emotions and heart to it, then this is worth a shot.
4-star rating as 11 yo me would have probably been obsessed with this book.
4-star rating as 11 yo me would have probably been obsessed with this book.
April 11, 2023
This book. The first book to make me cry. This book proper traumatised me cos I haven’t been on a swing since. 😭 This was my IT book in 2018.
February 13, 2024
Very good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2024
An old favourite that I was very pleased to revisit!! 😊😊
January 5, 2025
i really liked this because she wasnt disabled for the whole thing and it really speaks about peoples insensitivity to disabled people :))
May 25, 2025
just as good as when i was 11
July 7, 2021
4.5 stars
So cute, heartwarming and emotional.
So cute, heartwarming and emotional.
February 24, 2018
TRIGGER WARNING: SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, DEPRESSION, COMMENTS ON ANOREXIA, FAT-SHAMING AND DISABILITY SLURS.
This book I have very mixed feelings on.
I love contemporary books featuring families, they are some of my favourite books to read, but this family lacked depth. Dorry is often referred to as “pudgy” and “chubby”, which could actually be damaging to the kid's self esteem. I am not being hyperbolic when I say everything he said was about food. ALL. HIS. DIALOGUE. He wasn’t a main character, but to fat-shame a six year old? It’s disgusting. It might have been out in there for comedic purposes but it definitely didn’t come across that way. The rest of the family didn’t really seem realistic either. Clover was said to be young for her age but to me she seemed too mature. She’s ten and acts more grown up than most people I know at sixteen. Katy, the protagonist was nice. She's a rebellious tomboy but nothing I haven't seen before, she lacked depth which didn't allow me to really connect with her. She didn’t stand out from any of Wilson's other characters, but they all just seem to blend together because they all have one thing in common: boring.
However, I did appreciate how we get to see Katy's life after her accident and how it has impacted things such as school and home. It was interesting to see because it shows that just because you're disabled, it doesn't mean you aren't the same person anymore and you can't do the things everybody else can do. It was a refreshing view on it and I'm glad I got to read about that view of disability than a harsh one (like the one in 'me before you' by JoJo Moyes)
That being said, with every book there are things I didn't like and my dislikes definitely outweighed my likes, and one of those was the insensitive comments on mental health. For the sake of the person reading this, I won't write exactly what Katy had said, but I think it is absolutely unacceptable that Jacqueline Wilson wrote that in her book for a ten year old audience. It was insensitive and triggering, and since her audience are so impressionable, they may think it's okay to say things like that, and it isn't. There were also a few comments on anorexia. I understand that most people think anorexia is 'being skinny' and it's nothing more than that, I get that because nobody is really educated on such an awful topic. But anorexia is a disease and it’s so much more than being skinny. So much more. I understand that Wilson isn't going to go into the nitty gritty horribleness of the eating disorder because the book is for children. But she shouldn't comment on it at all. The places where she wrote about it seemed irrelevant and didn't need to be put in there. It could seriously trigger and upset her audience because anorexia effects all ages, even those in her target audience. She's writing for children, just keep those topics out.
Another thing I didn't like was the first two hundred pages seem irrelevant. There was no point in them. I understand the writer wanted to introduce us to Katy's life and family, but surely she didn't need 200 pages to do that? It made the book drag and made it tedious because I just kept waiting and waiting for something to happen. It should have been condensed because they weren’t relevant for the book. They were boring and unnecessary.
The writing style also bored me. It's just the same, tedious style in every single one of her books which makes them feel like they are blending together into one because nothing is really standing out. Her vocabulary is very limited and juvenile and yes, I know it’s a children’s book but surely she can write better than that?
Paralysis is a subject that most people don't write about because they don't want to offend anyone, but since Wilson clearly doesn't give a crap about hurting people, she wrote about it, and she did an alright job. Katy becomes paraplegic after a fall from a tree, and I feel like Wilson was able to capture how Katy felt in a respectful manner, which I liked. But that was one of the only things I liked about this book because the rest was a major disappointment.
Overall, I give this book 2/5 stars, although if she wasn't so disrespectful, made the book shorter, made most of it relevant and developed her characters, It probably would have been higher.
Love Lucy x
This book I have very mixed feelings on.
I love contemporary books featuring families, they are some of my favourite books to read, but this family lacked depth. Dorry is often referred to as “pudgy” and “chubby”, which could actually be damaging to the kid's self esteem. I am not being hyperbolic when I say everything he said was about food. ALL. HIS. DIALOGUE. He wasn’t a main character, but to fat-shame a six year old? It’s disgusting. It might have been out in there for comedic purposes but it definitely didn’t come across that way. The rest of the family didn’t really seem realistic either. Clover was said to be young for her age but to me she seemed too mature. She’s ten and acts more grown up than most people I know at sixteen. Katy, the protagonist was nice. She's a rebellious tomboy but nothing I haven't seen before, she lacked depth which didn't allow me to really connect with her. She didn’t stand out from any of Wilson's other characters, but they all just seem to blend together because they all have one thing in common: boring.
However, I did appreciate how we get to see Katy's life after her accident and how it has impacted things such as school and home. It was interesting to see because it shows that just because you're disabled, it doesn't mean you aren't the same person anymore and you can't do the things everybody else can do. It was a refreshing view on it and I'm glad I got to read about that view of disability than a harsh one (like the one in 'me before you' by JoJo Moyes)
That being said, with every book there are things I didn't like and my dislikes definitely outweighed my likes, and one of those was the insensitive comments on mental health. For the sake of the person reading this, I won't write exactly what Katy had said, but I think it is absolutely unacceptable that Jacqueline Wilson wrote that in her book for a ten year old audience. It was insensitive and triggering, and since her audience are so impressionable, they may think it's okay to say things like that, and it isn't. There were also a few comments on anorexia. I understand that most people think anorexia is 'being skinny' and it's nothing more than that, I get that because nobody is really educated on such an awful topic. But anorexia is a disease and it’s so much more than being skinny. So much more. I understand that Wilson isn't going to go into the nitty gritty horribleness of the eating disorder because the book is for children. But she shouldn't comment on it at all. The places where she wrote about it seemed irrelevant and didn't need to be put in there. It could seriously trigger and upset her audience because anorexia effects all ages, even those in her target audience. She's writing for children, just keep those topics out.
Another thing I didn't like was the first two hundred pages seem irrelevant. There was no point in them. I understand the writer wanted to introduce us to Katy's life and family, but surely she didn't need 200 pages to do that? It made the book drag and made it tedious because I just kept waiting and waiting for something to happen. It should have been condensed because they weren’t relevant for the book. They were boring and unnecessary.
The writing style also bored me. It's just the same, tedious style in every single one of her books which makes them feel like they are blending together into one because nothing is really standing out. Her vocabulary is very limited and juvenile and yes, I know it’s a children’s book but surely she can write better than that?
Paralysis is a subject that most people don't write about because they don't want to offend anyone, but since Wilson clearly doesn't give a crap about hurting people, she wrote about it, and she did an alright job. Katy becomes paraplegic after a fall from a tree, and I feel like Wilson was able to capture how Katy felt in a respectful manner, which I liked. But that was one of the only things I liked about this book because the rest was a major disappointment.
Overall, I give this book 2/5 stars, although if she wasn't so disrespectful, made the book shorter, made most of it relevant and developed her characters, It probably would have been higher.
Love Lucy x
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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