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Cathy Leonard #1
A Room for Cathy
When Cathy's family moves to a house from a cramped apartment, she is thrilled at the idea of having her own room. But when family finances are threatened, she must swallow her disappointment and give up her room to share with sister Chris.
191 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1956
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200 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Woolley
61 books28 followersA prolific writer of over eighty books, Catherine Woolley published so many children's books that her publisher recommended using a pen name for some of her works. Ms. Woolley's Ginnie Fellows series was and continues to be a reader favorite across generations.
Pen name: Jane Thayer.
Pen name: Jane Thayer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
July 16, 2012
Nostalgia! I read this when I was about eight, and ever since then the idea of a yellow bedroom has just struck me as so delightfully cozy and sunny and welcoming. (I then forgot the title, and it took me more than fifteen years to find it again...) It's somewhat outdated -- I wonder now why my teacher had a copy -- but very sweet.
September 17, 2021
Even better than I remembered. Nine-year-old Cathy is a relatable if selfish heroine; she endures a lot of character growth over the course of the novel, which is never preachy, but always a delight to see. As the oldest of three children in a two-bedroom apartment (she shares a room with her sister, while her brother sleeps on the couch!) Cathy longs for nothing more than her own room. When her family moves to a large house in the countryside, her dream is fulfilled--but financial troubles make it necessary to turn their home into a boarding house, and she must decide how to respond.
In a way similar to The Secret Garden, the late winter into spring setting mimics Cathy's character growth. Cathy is only slightly less annoying than early-book Mary Lennox, and her story is more focused on the indoors than the outdoors, but the books share similar stories of young girls learning to open themselves to love by abandoning self-pity. I deeply related to Cathy when I was her age, and I still find her story meaningful as an adult. Thanks to Goodreads, I know this is a series, and I am stoked to read the rest of the books.
A Room for Cathy is a great standalone, but it would be a lovely read-aloud, especially in a life situation like moving or giving up a desired lifestyle. There are lots of points in the story to talk about, especially regarding Cathy's choices of how to respond to her younger siblings and the changes her family endures. Heartily recommended to all who enjoy mid-century American middle-grade fiction.
In a way similar to The Secret Garden, the late winter into spring setting mimics Cathy's character growth. Cathy is only slightly less annoying than early-book Mary Lennox, and her story is more focused on the indoors than the outdoors, but the books share similar stories of young girls learning to open themselves to love by abandoning self-pity. I deeply related to Cathy when I was her age, and I still find her story meaningful as an adult. Thanks to Goodreads, I know this is a series, and I am stoked to read the rest of the books.
A Room for Cathy is a great standalone, but it would be a lovely read-aloud, especially in a life situation like moving or giving up a desired lifestyle. There are lots of points in the story to talk about, especially regarding Cathy's choices of how to respond to her younger siblings and the changes her family endures. Heartily recommended to all who enjoy mid-century American middle-grade fiction.
May 16, 2018
What fun it was to run across this book third-hand after all the years! I remember reading it when I was about Cathy's age and enjoying it. I had a bossy elder sister just like Cathy, and the age difference was the same as between Cathy and Chris. I too would have given just about anything for a room of my own; as it was, we had to share until shortly before she married in her early twenties. Like all bossy elder sisters, mine included, Cathy is a control freak--she wants things done her way by all around her--whether it's her younger siblings, her school friends, or even her parents! Events conspire to teach Cathy just how selfish and demanding she is, though the author lets her MC down in her choice of language. Cathy goes from being resentful and angry (not to say whiny, though that's what she is at times) to treating the younger kids with "benevolence"--as if she were suddenly fifty years old or something. I guess it's a good thing that this bossy eldest sister learns to be human--mine certainly never did.
I have to agree with another reviewer who wondered how Dad could possibly go ahead and invest in a huge old house that "needs a lot doing to it" on the strength of a supposition. Wouldn't he have waited until the big promotion was a done deal? Perhaps, though, with three kids in a tiny apartment, the chance of a real house was too good to pass up. Maybe it was a super deal, or something. We do see the blindness of children of the time to their parents' situation; in part because the parents protected them from problems, and in part because children of five or seven or nine tend to be very self-absorbed. One thing that did surprise me, given the time it was written, is that Cathy ignores her mother's specific request to put her clothes away in the closet the day after they move into the new house. Instead, Cathy plays around, exploring the attic, and finally sits down to read a book. Nothing is said about her mom reminding her she's been asked to do something, yet at age 9 in those days she would be expected to help out before going off to play!
I disagree with one reviewer who finds it unthinkable that Cathy would go sledding in a dress. Said reviewer is obviously too young to remember those days (up to the late sixties in a lot of places) when there was a rigid dress code at school and little girls wore thick, itchy tights under their dresses in winter--and went out at recess and played in the snow! I remember them well, and not fondly. Snowpants at school were definitely unthinkable in those days, though you might wear them at home. Some snowpants were even made to be worn under your dress in transit, and removed in the cloakroom once you got to school; and you weren't expected to wear them to recess! In 1956, when the book was published, girls wore dresses most of the time. Jeans or dungarees were for camping or summertime wear. Also, nowhere does it say she didn't put her coat and mittens on when she went out.
True to its time, it really is period fiction; the 1950s American dream is firmly in place, from the TV room to the separate bathrooms and fireplace in the den. Life really was like that for the families of men in managerial positions.
I have to agree with another reviewer who wondered how Dad could possibly go ahead and invest in a huge old house that "needs a lot doing to it" on the strength of a supposition. Wouldn't he have waited until the big promotion was a done deal? Perhaps, though, with three kids in a tiny apartment, the chance of a real house was too good to pass up. Maybe it was a super deal, or something. We do see the blindness of children of the time to their parents' situation; in part because the parents protected them from problems, and in part because children of five or seven or nine tend to be very self-absorbed. One thing that did surprise me, given the time it was written, is that Cathy ignores her mother's specific request to put her clothes away in the closet the day after they move into the new house. Instead, Cathy plays around, exploring the attic, and finally sits down to read a book. Nothing is said about her mom reminding her she's been asked to do something, yet at age 9 in those days she would be expected to help out before going off to play!
I disagree with one reviewer who finds it unthinkable that Cathy would go sledding in a dress. Said reviewer is obviously too young to remember those days (up to the late sixties in a lot of places) when there was a rigid dress code at school and little girls wore thick, itchy tights under their dresses in winter--and went out at recess and played in the snow! I remember them well, and not fondly. Snowpants at school were definitely unthinkable in those days, though you might wear them at home. Some snowpants were even made to be worn under your dress in transit, and removed in the cloakroom once you got to school; and you weren't expected to wear them to recess! In 1956, when the book was published, girls wore dresses most of the time. Jeans or dungarees were for camping or summertime wear. Also, nowhere does it say she didn't put her coat and mittens on when she went out.
True to its time, it really is period fiction; the 1950s American dream is firmly in place, from the TV room to the separate bathrooms and fireplace in the den. Life really was like that for the families of men in managerial positions.
May 17, 2016
Read this years ago. Don't remember that much of it, and I think I didn't even finish it, but it did inspire me to ask to have my room painted yellow.
UPDATE: Read it again in June 2014. Enjoyable, but the four-star rating is for what I thought of it as a child. Reading it as an adult, I sure wish I lived in that la-la land where a kid can move to a new town and have no trouble at all adjusting; all your kid friends envy you -- but only in an admiring way -- for living in a big house with your own room and a private bath; a nine-year-old child is consulted about whether or not her family will move, and whether they will take in boarders; and in springtime the yard is carpeted with all kinds of flowers, but not a single dandelion. It's like the movie Pleasantville or something.
Also: Why the hell did they buy a huge new house that needed a ton of work before the dad's promotion even happened? Also it was appalling that they didn't prep the walls before painting her room.
UPDATE: Read it again in June 2014. Enjoyable, but the four-star rating is for what I thought of it as a child. Reading it as an adult, I sure wish I lived in that la-la land where a kid can move to a new town and have no trouble at all adjusting; all your kid friends envy you -- but only in an admiring way -- for living in a big house with your own room and a private bath; a nine-year-old child is consulted about whether or not her family will move, and whether they will take in boarders; and in springtime the yard is carpeted with all kinds of flowers, but not a single dandelion. It's like the movie Pleasantville or something.
Also: Why the hell did they buy a huge new house that needed a ton of work before the dad's promotion even happened? Also it was appalling that they didn't prep the walls before painting her room.
January 12, 2011
How Cathy has always longed for a room of her own! And now it looks as if her dream will come true. For the Leonard family is moving to a big house, with a room for Cathy. A room she doesn't have to share with her younger brother and sister. Suddenly the blow falls. Cathy's room must be rented to save money. She is heartbroken... until she meets the wonderful Hughes family. Then Cathy learns that it takes a big heart to live in a big house.
To Maggie, Happy birthday! Love, Linda March 23, 1979
To Maggie, Happy birthday! Love, Linda March 23, 1979
October 5, 2014
I remember reading this book as a child, and being completely enamored with all the descriptions. Something about painting her new room yellow made me feel happy during a time when I was experiencing the exact opposite. It's stuck in my mind all these years and I'm glad I was able to track down the name of it. Such a lovely story for a young child. I'll give it the rating I would have given it back then.... 5 stars. It taught me to dream of better things and the hope of a happy home.
January 26, 2021
Special story from my childhood! Cathy's maturing and consideration is remarkable and heart warming:)
September 9, 2024
The sweetest book ever! 😍
Oh, how I wish I had known about this book when I was young. It would have brought me so much comfort and joy!
I loved reading about Cathy and her family as they moved from an dingy apartment to a large new house in a lovely neighborhood. And, though her dreams of having her own room are postponed due to her father's work situation, Cathy learns how to be more patient, kind and generous to her family and friends (mostly due to their new boarders, Mrs. Hughes and her daughter, Naomi).
Every chapter is full of cozy details, authentic nine-year-old feelings and realistic circumstances that blend together into the most charming and heartwarming story.
I hope I can find a hardcover edition of this book (my paperback version is a little worn) because I know I will come back to this book again and again. I'm very excited to read more books by Catherine Woolley!
Highly, highly recommended to all lovers of vintage middle grade books about girls and their sisters, stories about families and house set-up 🤩
Oh, how I wish I had known about this book when I was young. It would have brought me so much comfort and joy!
I loved reading about Cathy and her family as they moved from an dingy apartment to a large new house in a lovely neighborhood. And, though her dreams of having her own room are postponed due to her father's work situation, Cathy learns how to be more patient, kind and generous to her family and friends (mostly due to their new boarders, Mrs. Hughes and her daughter, Naomi).
Every chapter is full of cozy details, authentic nine-year-old feelings and realistic circumstances that blend together into the most charming and heartwarming story.
I hope I can find a hardcover edition of this book (my paperback version is a little worn) because I know I will come back to this book again and again. I'm very excited to read more books by Catherine Woolley!
Highly, highly recommended to all lovers of vintage middle grade books about girls and their sisters, stories about families and house set-up 🤩
September 13, 2023
This was a nice story. I wasn’t sure if I liked Cathy at first since she was rather selfish and unkind to her younger brother and sister, but she learned. The house sounded lovely. I ended up liking the story more than I thought I would when I first started it. Younger readers would probably enjoy it more.
It’s not Christian, but there is mention of the family going to church and Sunday school.
It’s not Christian, but there is mention of the family going to church and Sunday school.
June 23, 2023
All Cathy wants, is a room to herself which she would like to paint yellow.
It is understandable, Cathy shares a room with her bossy sister Chris and their younger brother sleeps on the couch.
But things seem to get better when Cathy’s Father has been promised a big promotion, encouraged by the idea that he is in for a lot of money, the Father buys a large house that sadly requires a great deal of repairs.
Here I have to agree with another reviewer who wondered how Dad could possibly go ahead and invest in a huge old house that needed a great deal of repairs on the strength of a possibility. He could have waited until he was actually promoted. Perhaps, he was fed up living in a tiny apartment with three kids. Maybe the chance of a real house was too good to pass up.
But there you are, they are financially constrained and are forced to divide the House into small apartments and rent it out. Cathy has to let go of her precious room to a family...
Cathy is very troubled and turns bossy and domineering, she then meets a little girl who now lives in one of their apartments and learns a great deal from her.
It is understandable, Cathy shares a room with her bossy sister Chris and their younger brother sleeps on the couch.
But things seem to get better when Cathy’s Father has been promised a big promotion, encouraged by the idea that he is in for a lot of money, the Father buys a large house that sadly requires a great deal of repairs.
Here I have to agree with another reviewer who wondered how Dad could possibly go ahead and invest in a huge old house that needed a great deal of repairs on the strength of a possibility. He could have waited until he was actually promoted. Perhaps, he was fed up living in a tiny apartment with three kids. Maybe the chance of a real house was too good to pass up.
But there you are, they are financially constrained and are forced to divide the House into small apartments and rent it out. Cathy has to let go of her precious room to a family...
Cathy is very troubled and turns bossy and domineering, she then meets a little girl who now lives in one of their apartments and learns a great deal from her.
November 29, 2021
I read this book when I was 10 or 11. I am currently in the process of reading more Woolley books, just for fun, but this is still my favorite. I SO wanted my own room when I was kid, and my own bookshelves, and I just totally related to Cathy.
July 19, 2016
Now I know why I've always wanted a yellow room!
October 19, 2022
I re-read this childhood favorite, and it didn't age well. I loved this book when I was a kid! Cathy's family moves into a new-to-them home and she dreams of how she will paint and decorate her very own room, now that she won't have to share with her sister. I loved this idea so much, and I see how much my love of making spaces cozy and comfortable started at a young age. When their family has to take on boarders because they have financially overextended themselves (seen very differently now that I am an adult), Cathy has to give up her new room. I remember being so disappointed for her and feeling like that wasn't fair. However, even though reading this book again was very nostalgic for me, it made me realize how far children's literature has come! Through my adult eyes, I see that Cathy is selfish, she is mean to her siblings (though she grows in this area during the course of the book), and she just is not likable. I'm glad I read it again, and also glad that I didn't have my own daughter read it when she was young!
May 26, 2018
This was one of the books I read as a child. I enjoyed reading it again as an adult - no wonder! The book deals with the issues I had growing up - and Cathy connects with a woman who writes books, and wonders if she could write a book when she grows up. Last night I was at an open mic and talked with a teenager who is already in the process of self-publishing her own book and has begun to write her second book, a novella. The author of this book, Catherine Woolley, lived to be 100 years old and wrote 87 books for children! Also, the original book was 35 cents. How I saved my money to buy these books from the Scholastic Book Club in the 1960s!
June 8, 2021
This is the second of these little Scholastic Book Services novels I've read (the first being No Children No Pets, by Marion Holland) and there's something to the format that really does it for me. "Something difficult befalls some decent people and they get through it together," kind of sums it up, with the kids as protagonists. Everyone has a pretty good relationship with everyone else, the troubles work themselves out, and life is pretty pleasant all around.
I'm into it.
I'm into it.
February 3, 2024
I picked this up to see if I'd read it in my childhood. I had not, although I have other books by this author. I would have loved this when I was 9 or 10 years old, but reading it for the first time as an adult in 2024, 68 years after it was published, it's hard to get past some of the dated depictions.
Overall, thought, it's a sweet story about a mildly self-centered young girl who slowly comes to consider the feelings of her siblings and peers.
Overall, thought, it's a sweet story about a mildly self-centered young girl who slowly comes to consider the feelings of her siblings and peers.
April 25, 2023
I just added my read dates with a guess. I chose the year I turned 10, 1972. I just loved this book growling up! I loved books with a single girl as the focus. I liked books about friendly but fairly quiet girls like I was. I bought a used copy of this book and reread it about 5 years ago. I need a better copy and need to read it again soon! So nice to reread books from my childhood!
September 11, 2024
The 5 stars is partly for nostalgia, because I LOVED this book when I was a kid. But also, it’s a really lovely story in its own right. I mean, Cathy IS kind of selfish and annoying at times, but also, that’s understandable at her age with two younger siblings. And she has some great character growth.
January 22, 2020
My favorite
book as a child. Yellow has always been my favorite color. So happy to have finally tracked down the title. I could remember it but thanks to modern technology I was able to. Brought back lots of wonderful memories from my childhood.
book as a child. Yellow has always been my favorite color. So happy to have finally tracked down the title. I could remember it but thanks to modern technology I was able to. Brought back lots of wonderful memories from my childhood.
December 31, 2022
A perfectly delightful book with a proper, pretending, reading heroine who is a girl after my own heart. I identified with the feelings of a fellow oldest sister who has to learn to be kind to her younger siblings, and Cathy comes out the better for the disappointment she goes through.
April 20, 2025
A childhood favorite. As I was packing and unpacking books, I set a few aside that I hadn't thought about in years. The author, Catherine Wooley was one of my favorites as a pre-teen and I own many of her books.
December 28, 2025
After searching for this book for a couple of years, I wanted to reread and understand why it remained in my memory for over 60 years. Must have been because I could relate to the main character having to share a bedroom with a younger sister! Ha.
July 17, 2019
Reminded me of my childhood. Fun
April 13, 2020
Rereading a childhood favorite. I still appreciate Cathy's desire to feel grown-up.
August 28, 2020
A re-read of an old childhood favorite.
September 6, 2020
Delightful story.
March 17, 2021
Cute and quick.
August 11, 2021
I wish I lived in middle Bridge
September 24, 2021
a charming story
June 1, 2022
It was good for Cathy to learn early on that life is full of disappointments. lol
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews