Joy School (Ballantine Reader’s Circle)
Joy School by Elizabeth Berg
Copyright 1997
ISBN 0-345-42309-7 Ballantine Books/Randomhouse Reader’s Circle
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.
Katie, the narrator, has relocated to Missouri with her distant, occasionally abusive father, and she feels very much alone: her much-loved mother is dead; her new school is unaccepting of her; and her only friends fall far short of being ideal companions. When she accidentally falls through the ice while skating, she meets Jimmy. He is handsome, far older than she, and married, but she is entranced. As their relationship unfolds, so too does Katie’s awareness of the pain and intensity first love can bring.
Beautifully written in Berg’s irresistible voice, Joy School portrays the soaring happiness of real love, the deep despair one can feel when it goes unrequited, and the stubbornness of hope that will not let us let go. Here also is recognition that love can come in many forms and offer many different things. Joy School illuminates, too, how the things that hurt the most can sometimes teach us the lessons that really matter.