Durable Goods & Joy School by Elizabeth Berg

In Durable Goods we meet Katie who is 12 years old and lives on an Army base in Texas. While the year is never specified, from references to clothing, hairstyles, etc., it seems to be the early 1960's. The books are written from Katie's viewpoint and that is what makes them so enjoyable. While at the basic level the books are about what it's like to be a young girl growing up, Katie's voice (Berg's really) and perspective are what take them beyond the ordinary. Her outlook one life is often hilarious and frequently very wise.

Katie lives with her father, a colonel, and her older sister Diane. Her mother died sometime in the recent past. Katie misses her mother greatly and spends a lot of time fantasizing conversations with her mother. Her father is distant and, at times, abusive. Katie and Diane have each developed their own ways of dealing with this. One of Katie's is to hide under her bed. At 14, Katie's best friend and next door neighbor, Cherylanne, is a couple of years older and wiser. Something she never lets Katie forget. Cherylanne spends all her time reading magazines that advise her on the best techniques for attracting boys. She generously shares all her makeup, wardrobe, and general behavior tips with Katie. While the books are dated in the era in which they take place, they are timeless in many ways as what it's like to be a pre-teen girl on the verge of adolescence transcends time.

Towards the end of Durable Goods, Katie's father informs them that they're being transferred to a base in Missouri. While the family has moved many times, this will be the first move since the death of Katie's mother which makes it more difficult. Joy School picks up a few months after Katie and her father have moved. Her sister Diane is no longer living at home. Now in addition to missing her mother, Katie also misses Diane. Katie is having difficultly adjusting to her new environment and has not made friends at her new school. She meets a priest at the local Catholic church and frequently stops by for chats with him. (Don't worry, he's not that kind of priest!) Her first friend is Cynthia, an odd girl with an even stranger mother. Katie likes Cynthia's Italian grandmother best of all.

Katie's second friend is an older man (23), Jimmy, who she meets when she falls through the ice while ice skating on the pond behind the gas station he manages. She quickly develops a crush on him, and fueled by long distance advice from Cherylanne (the 14 year old relationship expert), begins planning their future together. Soon another new girl, the worldly Taylor who is a fashion model, chooses Katie as a friend. It is interesting to watch Katie navigate these new and challenging relationships and very amusing to listen to her thoughts.

At about 200 pages each, the books are quick, light reads. I plan to look for more of Elizabeth Berg's books. (She's written a number of books.) I really like her writing style and voice.