Depend on Katie John

Katie John #2

by Mary Calhoun

A twenty-room inherited house becomes home for Katie John, her family, and the people to whom they've rented rooms.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Friendship, Middle Grade, Humor, Young Adult

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Mary Louise Huiskamp Wilkins, also known as Mary Calhoun was born on August 3, 1926 in Keokuk, Iowa. She received a bachelor's degree in journalism for the University of Iowa in 1948. She was hired as a reporter for the World-Herald in Omaha, Nebraska after graduation. Her fascination with spirits and folklore of the 19th century led her to write stories about witches, elves, cats, dwarfs, and pixies. She has also published stories in Jack and Jill and Humpty Dumpty magazines. She worked at the Omaha World Herald before marrying fellow journalist Frank Calhoun. Her first book, Making the Mississippi Shout, was published in 1957. She wrote more than 50 children's books during her lifetime including the Katie John series, Julie's Tree, Henry the Sailor Cat, and Cross-Country Cat. She died on October 27, 2015 at the age of 89.

Reviews

[Amy Flink · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this at the age of 9. I had read Honestly Katie John! and Katie John and combed the local libraries 'till I found this one. It is different from the others and unique, full of the adventures of a fun, adventurous girl next door. It's full of surprises! Each Katie John book is unique in its own way. In this book, Katie and her parents have to rent out rooms to afford to stay in the wonderful old house they inherited from Katie's great-aunt Emily. Katie soon feels like a slave. She has to deal with messy, noisy, rude renters who order her around. It is a touchy, funny story. You will laugh out loud! There is Katie, Mother, Dad, Cousin Ben, Mr. Peters, and his son, Buster, Mr. Watkins, Mr. Peabody, Gladys and Pearl, Miss Howell and her sister Miss Julia...it's a full house and never a dull moment.

[HeavyReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the book that I saw at the Social Services League thrift store that reminded me of the Katie John series. I read these as a kid, probably checked them out from either the school or public library. I read just about anything as a kid, but especially books with spunky girls as the main character. That Katie John, she is definitely spunky.

[Tia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katie John is such an endearing character. In this book she is torn between wanting to be who she naturally is, an active, imaginative, passionate girl, and who she wants to be: a mature, refined, female. It's fun to read about her complicated feelings about boys, as is often how it is at the age of 11. I love her complicated relationship with the boarders, too. All in all, I am enjoying reading the Katie John books to my girls. In some ways it seems such an "old fashioned" series to be reading them in this age of electronics but I think they have been loving it. We are on to the next title, Honestly Katie John. Can't wait!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read December 2016.

[Keri Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rated up. I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the first book in the series, but this gentle, sweet story was still a super cute read. I loved the variety of boarders that come to stay in Katie John’s big old house, and all of the resulting conflict! A boarding house makes for such a unique and interesting setting for a children’s book. The addition of Edwin and Heavenly Spot into Katie’s world is great as well. Would recommend for readers who like the Betsy-Tacy series, because the tone is so similar!

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this follow-up to Katie John (1960), Katie John Tucker and her parents have fixed up their large Southern house, and they are ready to accept boarders. Katie is enthusiastic about helping to find new tenants, but as the house fills up, she also begins to realize how much work it is going to be to help keep things running smoothly. Not only does she have to help with housework, she also looks after the young son of one of the tenants, and when she receives a puppy for a gift, she has to keep him from disturbing the tenants and surrounding neighbors. In the meantime, Katie is also the new girl in school, and though she is pleased to have Sue as her best friend, she really wants to find a way to win the affection of all of her classmates, which leads her to take on even more work than she can really manage.

As a kid, I was fascinated with the idea of a boarding house, so I really enjoyed meeting each of the characters who come to live in Katie John's house throughout the course of this book. They are a colorful bunch of people, including a pair of women who listen to loud country-western music, Katie John's own teacher from school, and Cousin Ben, a distant relative who shows up unannounced at the start of the cold weather and remains in bed, with his bedroom door wide open to the front hallway, all winter long. The quirks of these characters, and Katie's reactions to them as she becomes more and more overwhelmed by their presence, are the real appeal of this book, and they bring the big Southern house very strongly to life.

The other thing I really loved about this book is that it shows a 10-year-old girl as a dependable, helpful, and capable contributor to her household. By contemporary standards, Katie John does seem to have a lot of responsibilities, but I liked that her parents allowed her to work out many of her own problems independently, and that she resolves many of the difficulties in the book by her own wits. I also like that she makes her fair share of mistakes, but that these do not serve to undermine her overall positive contributions to the boarding house, and to her classroom as well. I look forward to reading the rest of the Katie John books: Honestly, Katie John! and Katie John and Heathcliff and will gladly save the series for my girls to read in a few years.

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this second book of the series, Katie John and her parents must rent out rooms to boarders to make ends meet. Katie is 11 now, in fifth grade, gets a puppy, and continues to get into trouble. As her mother tells her, "...your imagination is going to take you into far places all your life. It may get you into some messes, but it will bring you greater joys, too." Readers will feel that joy.

The KATIE JOHN books were some of my favorites as a child, and my son just bought me a set of “the old ones” for Christmas. I can see why I loved this character and her adventures. Katie John has a great imagination that often gets her in trouble, but often helps her get out of a fix. Her parents are loving, accepting, and affirm who she is even when she causes problems. (They are some of the most understanding parents in children’s literature.)

Katie John was considered a tomboy. I love how she is so physically active, courageous, headstrong, and often acts before thinking. She is a believable and likable protagonist, worthy of one of my favorite words:irrepressible,a quality that encouraged me to be more than the socially proscribed roles I saw growing up.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this says it's book 3, but I thought it was book 2. After the first one, it doesn't matter much which order you read them.

I read this with my 7th grader and my 4th grader and they both appreciated the humor. These books remind me of a slightly older Ramona Quimby (by Beverly Cleary) always getting into trouble, mostly with good intentions.

At the last page, Katie John reflects over the year and it was fun for me to pause the book and ask the kids how they thought she would answer her questions. We each had different ideas on what she would say, and what she did say was something different entirely.

This was a childhood favorite of mine.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Katie John lives in a giant brick house by the Mississippi River in a time before television. Her family takes in a bunch of borders to earn money (and they all share a single telephone!) and Katie does lots of housework and babysitting and snow shoveling--just thinking about all the work this kid does is exhausting. The great thing is that Katie John is also mischievous and gets resentful, like a normal kid.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember Katie John from childhood. I loved the illustrations. I remember thinking she looked so grown up and she had very adult responsibilities. As an adult I loved it again. Maybe one for our Vintage Book Circle.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read.
Katie John is a delightful kid. She's confused, conflicted and so real. The books have dated a little, but are still very worth reading.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fave of my childhood!

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite books when I was a little girl.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, how I wanted Katie John's house when I was a girl. I still think of it whenever I see a large brick house.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie and her parents take in boarders to afford the beautiful house they inherited, with mixed results. I think this one may be the one I remember reading the most as a kid--I adored Spot, and how he followed her around town, into church, etc. I love how Katie has good ideas that go awry, and I think this series (along with Indiana Jones) is one of the reasons I wanted to be an archaeologist for so long, ha. There are definitely places that haven't aged well and are cringe-worthy, but overall, sweet and funny. A definite ancestor to the last decade or so of spunky girl books.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dated, problematic bits really took me out of the story. I would've loved it as a girl, and it probably wouldn't have done too much harm, but I can't recommend this. Still, there was enough to love in this and in the first in the series that I think I'll go ahead and continue, assuming that openlibrary.org has had a chance to archive them.

[Anastasia Tuckness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie John's adventures in her family - home-turned rooming house continue. And she gets a dog! And makes some new friends at school. And, of course, gets herself into some awful scrapes.

I love the characters and the pace is great for bedtime.

[Beth Herzet Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Katie John when I was a little girl and when I signed up for good reads this year, I decided to reread the series. It’s a series of books that I never forgot - I think I was a little like Katie John as a little girl.
The books are as sweet as I remember.

[Kelsey Kramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another oldie from my childhood.

[Joanne Pinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up in a simpler time - a comfort read.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie John is a spunky, fun heroine, and the boarding house situation brings some interesting characters into her life.