Joy School

Rating:
Summary: A good book that should recieve some kind of award
Review: A Good Book That Should Receive Some Kind of Award

For one project in my English class this quarter, I spontaneously decided to read Joy School by Elizabeth Berg. I could not put this book down. It might as well have been tied to my hand, as it rarely saw the bookshelf, a table, or a desk in two weeks.

This book was mainly about a girl named Katie, a teenager whose mother has died, so now she is living with her father. To make times worse for Katie, she has moved from her Texas home to Missouri. She doesn't fit in at her new school or in her neighborhood. She has one friend, Cynthia, in her new town. One day she goes ice skating at a nearby pond, and falls through the ice. She manages to get out of the water, and wanders to a gas station across the street. The gas station is run by a man named Jimmy, who Katie develops an instant crush on. Jimmy is ten years older, however, so Katie only tells a few people.

Later on in story, Katie meets Taylor Sinn, a new girl at school. Taylor and Katie become friends, and Katie learns some things about Taylor that she would rather not be a part of. For instance, Taylor steals outfits from stores and doesn't pay for meals when she eats out. Taylor also does other things, which I will not go into detail on. I can't say much more without giving away some key plot points, so I'll stop here with the plot outline.

I find this book excellent. On a scale, one being awful and ten being the best thing I ever read, this book is way off the chart and has found its way into the twenties. This is in all probability the best book that I ever read to date. I think that everyone should read this book, unless they are under 13 or 14, due to some (a-HEM) adult language/scenes. Otherwise, this book was excellent and if you are looking for a good book, try this one.

Rating:
Summary: Another great read
Review: This is the fourth Elizabeth Berg book I've read, and it has cemented my admiration for this writer. "Joy School" is actually a follow-up to "Durable Goods", but I wasn't aware of this when I commenced this book. You don't need to have read the first book to enjoy this one. Ms Berg has a real gift for creating wonderfully three-dimensional characters. In this case she's writing in the first person as a teenage girl (often a curly one for some writers) and she pulls it off beautifully. There are funny moments, sad moments, and moments so poignant you feel as though you're the main character yourself. I've just started another of Elizabeth Berg's books, "Range of Motion" and so far, so good. I'll certainly keep buying books by this author - long may she write!

Rating:
Summary: Joy School by Elizabeth Berg
Review: "Joy School", written by Elizabeth Berg, is a heartfelt and captivating story for the teen and adult audience. It explores the adolescent life of a thirteen-year-old girl, Katie, and her many adventures and transitions in life. Previously living in a small, hot, Texan town near a military base, Katie makes the very difficult move to Missouri where her new neighbors find pleasure in tormenting her with cruel, hand-written notes propped outside her window on her bushes. At school, Katie is a social outcast and with her older sister Diane no longer living at home, the somewhat recent death of her mother, and the fact that her stern militia father understands very little about women, she seeks comfort and feminine influence in her housekeeper--Ginger. Katie's few friends at school include an overly obsessive misfit named Cynthia and a stunningly beautiful rebel named Taylor; both holding many of Katie's secrets, loves, and lies. Elizabeth Berg explores the different sides and traits of Katie using the two very different friends. Cynthia brings out the child in Katie at times and helps preserve her innocence, where as Taylor shows her how to find thrills in dangerous and exciting things; such as shoplifting and meeting boys. But, Katie has her own unique interests, too; including the 23-year old, gorgeously handsome gas station owner who just so happens to be married. Although age is a large factor in many relationships, it is not for Katie who has fallen completely head-over-heals in love. Katie must learn to move on and that a broken heart can be mended in this hilarious and unbelievably realistic tale of heartbreak and growing up.

Rating:
Summary: Another great read
Review: This is the fourth Elizabeth Berg book I've read, and it has cemented my admiration for this writer. "Joy School" is actually a follow-up to "Durable Goods", but I wasn't aware of this when I commenced this book. You don't need to have read the first book to enjoy this one. Ms Berg has a real gift for creating wonderfully three-dimensional characters. In this case she's writing in the first person as a teenage girl (often a curly one for some writers) and she pulls it off beautifully. There are funny moments, sad moments, and moments so poignant you feel as though you're the main character yourself. I've just started another of Elizabeth Berg's books, "Range of Motion" and so far, so good. I'll certainly keep buying books by this author - long may she write!

Rating:
Summary: Splendid
Review: I was on vacation and needed some books to read while I was away. I finished the books I had already read and needed more. There was a display of Elizabeth Berg's books at the bookstore and something struck me to buy this and Durable Goods. I usually buy different types of novels than this but I thought I would try something new.

I am soooo pleased that I did! It has been 11+ years since I was the heroine's age of 12/13 but this book brought me back to my childhood in a beautifully vivid way. Although I was not an Army Brat and my father is very loving and my mother is still living I connected with this character. I was moved by how Elizabeth Berg captured being a preteen. I had a crush like Jimmy, I wrote letters just like Cherylanne, admired misfits like Taylor, and had a friend like Cynthia. Katie's thoughts are put to paper so vividly you will feel like you are watching her in real life or reliving your own childhood.

You don't have to be a teenager to relate to this book. Although this (and Durable Goods) would be a wonderful book to introduce to a young girl. If you just want to be taken back to the thoughts and feelings of your childhood (the good, the bad, and the innocence of it all) then read this and Durable Goods. It is truly a moving experience.

Rating:
Summary: High Hopes For This One
Review: I've been wanting to read this for over a year now. Not sure what I was expecting, but it just wasn't "there". I read others by Berg & sadly, this is last on the list. I did get a few laughs out of it though. Berg does a great job in making us feel 13 again. Katie was an obviously likeable character with all her female pre-teen drama & you just couldn't help but smile.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as I hoped
Review: I absolutely love Elizabeth Berg and started to fall in love when I first read her novel "Open House". I was soooo excited to finally read "joy school". Well, it did not add up to Berg's other books at all, and I was very disappointed. Since I am in my early 20s, I found the character Katie to be nothing like a 13 year old. Her character was very unbelieveable. I constantly felt like I was rolling my eyes at Katie while I was reading. In Berg's other books, the characters are dynamic and interesting and believeable. This book was not all I hoped!

Rating:
Summary: A Complete Joy!
Review: What a delight reliving age 13 again!

I was like yea, I remember being like that. I remember feeling those unbelievably deep emotions. I remember loving an older boy who did not love me back. And yea, I knew beautiful girls like Taylor and hated their guts!

Katie's voice is delicious. She is trying to come to terms with moving to a new state, changes taking place in her body and mind, her own individuality, her first crush...

'He is the most beautiful boy, a Paul Newman look-a-like. I will NEVER love anybody like him as long as I live!' (been there)

Berg gives Katie insight. We hear her 13 year old thoughts, dreams, and her hilarious observations.

She says about one of her teachers...

"He gives some idiotic assignment,which he probably doesn't even know, then sits there reading a newspaper for the entire hour. He gets paid for this?!"

Berg, once again, captures the 13 year old voice we remember.
(Been there, done that!) We adore her for taking us back in time.

The only thing that makes this book better is the Reader, Jen Talor. She is simply superb and Elizabeth should have her read all of her books!

Rating:
Summary: Absorbing, entertaining, thoughtful
Review: I enjoyed this book. I hesitated buying it for quite a while and once i began reading, I couldn't imagine why. The narrator is so enjoyable, you just can't get enough of her. Well told story.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely wonderful!
Review: The second in the trilogy about young Katie, daughter of a distant, sometimes kind of abusive, Army father, this book begins where "Durable Goods" left off -- Katie and her father are moving to a new town (in Missouri) and Katie's sister has run off to Mexico with her boyfriend to get away from her dad and his totalitarian rule over their family. Katie isn't too happy with her new school, where she is having trouble making solid friends, or with her new neighbors, who keep putting mean notes in the bush outside her window. And she struggles with the confusion of puberty and the fact her sister left her right when she needed her most. But when she accidentally falls through the ice while skating by herself, she meets Jimmy and immediately falls in love with him. He's much too old for her, and also married, but she is entranced. As their relationship unfolds, so too does Katie's awareness of the pain and intensity first love can bring. Especially when that first love is unrequited.

This is another wonderful exploration of what it means to be a girl growing up without a mother and raised by a father who just doesn't really understand. Berg is a beautiful writer and her characters spring to life with a single sentence, a single thought, a single motion. All three books in this series are really short (about 200 small pages), but they are jam-packed with intensity, hilarity, and agony. I highly recommend the full set to anybody who loves coming-of-age novels.