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Katy's New World |  | Author: Kim Vogel Sawyer
Publisher: Zondervan
Category: eBooks
This item is no longer available
Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 9646
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Edition: Original
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 208
Number Of Items: 1
ASIN: B003I7415C
Publication Date: April 13, 2010
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Product Description
Katy has always enjoyed life in her small Mennonite community, but she longs to learn more than her school can offer. After getting approval from her elders, Katy starts her sophomore year at the public high school in town, where she meets new friends and encounters perspectives much different than her own. But as Katy begins to find her way in the outside world, her relationships at home become restrained. Can she find a balance between her two worlds?
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
 Glimpse into a Different World August 17, 2010
Colleen McMahon (Atlanta, GA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I picked this up as a Kindle freebie; otherwise I'd never have read it since I read little YA fiction outside of fantasy/SF stuff, and I have no interest in Christian fiction. But I always have been curious about the Amish and didn't know that any Amish youth would ever attend public school, so I wanted to check this book out.
It tells the story of Katy, an Amish girl who has reached the age when her compatriots finish with school and leave the one-room schoolhouse where they were educated to that point (approximately 8-9th grade). Katy's intelligence and passion to learn lead her to request to continue on in high school, and her father and the church elders give conditional permission, as long as her exploration does not lead her astray from her faith.
The rest of the book covers Katy's first months in school, where her strange clothes and restrictions on behavior make it hard for her to fit in or make friends. But slowly she befriends a few people but as she does, her new friends and experiences seem to be harming her relationships with her Amish friends she has known since childhood. How Katy begins to balance this out and weathers the first crises is the bulk of this book; her story will continue to other books, apparently.
Despite it being a topic and a type of fiction far outside my interests, I did find the story compelling and read the whole thing in an evening. For parents wanting their kids to read specifically Christian materials in their fiction, this would be a good choice. And even for kids who aren't into Christian fiction, the Amish grounding of the religious materials still make it an interesting read nonetheless, and in Katy they will see a reflection of the universal struggles teens face in fitting in and dealing with peer pressure.
Ends just when it gets good July 26, 2010
Libby Mari
I liked this book, being partial to books that allow me insight into a different culture. I felt that this book gave enough details and explanations as to the Mennonite way of life that made it interesting without feeling like a documentary. The Christian aspect was well done--the message was strong without feeling preachy (a very difficult task for Christian literature), and the characters were plausible. I would have liked to see Katy struggle a bit more with culture shock at the public high school--aside from not knowing what a "semester" was and not wearing blue jeans, she seemed to fit right in quickly enough. The reason I didn't rate it as five stars is that right when the story gets going, the book ends. I didn't realize that it was the first in a SERIES until just now when I found the book to write a review, so that would explain it. Prepare to sign on for the series or to be left dissatisfied with all the loose ends. If you can get the Kindle free edition it's well worth an afternoon to read.
 An intriguing read that many young readers will relish April 14, 2010
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
The Mennonites have always been a secluded people, but are not against their own connecting with outsiders. "Katy's New World" tells the story of a teenager who was given the opportunity to attend public high school despite being brought up in a traditional Mennonite society. Through her new life in high school she finds herself between a rift of her new modern school life and her traditional life back home. "Katy's New World" is an intriguing read that many young readers will relish.
Katy's New World March 28, 2010
Edna Tollison (Laurens, SC United States)
This is a great book about an Mennonite teen that wanted to go on to a regular high school instead of just the few grades that most of the community attend.
She gets really confused for a while and don't know if she will ever fit in with the high school crowd with her different up bringing and the clothes she wears.
Will she make friends or will she have to drop out and go home and work on the farm for her dad.
A great book for a young teen and even this great-grandma loved it.
The book for this review was a complimentary copy from Zondervan Publishers
Katy's New World March 21, 2010
Susan Hollaway (Kansas)
This book is not only well written, but is totally engaging. I didn't want to put the book down after I started reading it. I give this book "a two-thumbs up" and recommend it highly. In Katy's New World Katy struggles to keep her roots as a Mennonite and yet fit in with her new friends at school. Life is full of ups in downs as Katy learns about the "outside" world and struggles to keep old and new friendships alike. After the deacons of her Old Order Mennonite church approve her request to extend her education past her community's ninth grade norm, Katy Lambright starts her sophomore year in public high school. Unsure of what to expect and mindful of the deacons' warning of becoming too worldly, Katy begins her journey into higher education. Katy is assigned Shelby Nuss, her escort for the first week to help her settle in. But when Katy invites her lifelong best friend, Annika, over to her home with her new friend, it ends in disaster. She starts to realize that her two worlds are planets apart. On top of all of this, some of her extended family is against the idea of her extending her education, especially in the outside world. After all, she'd heard the whispers of her fellowship, "Would she be her mother's daughter through and through?" Katy learns that Jewel, a not-so-nice girl, is coming to live with Shelby and her family as a foster child. Jewel seems resentful and bitter. Can Katy reach out to her or will her effort to reach out end in disaster also? Throughout the book, Katy struggles and tries to overcome the obstacles that land in her path at nearly every turn. To make matters worse, she makes a huge mistake that could cost her the dreams she's had for so long. Can Katy balance both worlds, or must she pick one? Will she lose all that is dear to her? Can she decide where she belongs? Review by Emily, 14 years old
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
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