Katy’s Box

by Mary Evelyn Notgrass McCurdy

It’s time for a new adventure! Katy Porter is nervous and excited about beginning her first year of homeschooling. The day before school starts, Katy asks her dad if she can keep the empty box he is about to throw away. Katy puts keepsakes from her past inside the box, such as an old necklace and a rock she brought back from the ocean. Katy tucks the box safely under her bed, but the box is not full.

Will the coming year bring good times with her family and fun new treasures to add to her box? Or will homeschooling be just a big stack of boring hard work?

Katy's Box is a story of learning and of learning what matters.

217 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Maggie Sharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

[Laya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book but I liked the first one better.

[Ellie Hollows · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I almost put this book down about three chapters in and wasn't going to finish it. I would have missed out on such a good story.

The book was super sweet and authentic. What would one do without siblings 😅? There were so many things they did that brought back memories of my childhood and teen years. The Christmas scene was probably my favorite.

It was so cute to see Katy grow throughout the story that spanned roughly a year. I love her interactions with Aimee, and I loved seeing what Kary might put in her box next. It reminded me to value the little things. They can be our little reminders of the past. They are more significant than we realize and serve as good memories of how God has blessed us. and how much we have to be thankful for or lessons that we've learned. Though I would probably keep a journal instead 😆😉.

The story also touched on that - what matters is truly what's on the inside. Being bolder in our faith and changing our focus to eternal were also gentle nudges and examples that I needed.

...And I laughed until I cried about her Dad's suit and milkshake mishaps.

CW: None

My Rating/ Age Recommendation:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 8+


This book felt incredibly relatable, whether it was siblings, homeschool, or everything going wrong just before family vacation.

I am definitely thankful I finished this book.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 9 year old daughter loved this book! She kept mentioning all the similarities between Katy’s family and our own. Yesterday she said, “Mom, they’re reading all of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books like us, too!” While I personally haven’t read Katy’s Box, I thought I’d review it based on my daughter’s thoughts. She devoured this 200+ page book over the course of just a few days. I recommend it in particular for girls who are homeschooled. We read a lot and we have yet to come across a book where the main character (or any character for that matter) has been homeschooled.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!