A sweet, heartbreaking tale of a young girl who moves to a small Missouri town after her mother dies, and how she perceives the new people that come into her life.

From a shy school mate who seems to need Katie even more than Katie needs a friend, to a beautiful young model with a shoplifting habit, to a 23 year old mechanic who 13 year old Katie falls head over heels in love with, not realizing until later that he is married....and a woman who her father has hired to keep house, who eventually comes to mean more to her father as time passes.

The story was written from Katie's perspective, it was a smooth, fast, light read and short, only a bit over 200 pages.

Sad ending, but worth the read. A nice story if you want something easy and quick. ( )

A perfect mix of funny, sweet and sad. ( )

For thirteen-year-old Katie, life has been quite confusing since the loss of her mother, the disappearance of her sister and a move from Texas to Missouri. Joy School follows her adventures while trying to make new friends, understand her dictatorial father and experience the pain and heartbreak of first love.

Unbeknownst to me, Joy School is actually a follow-up to Berg's Durable Goods, but I didn't have any trouble getting right into the story and understanding how things were playing out. Berg's writing is exceptional -- thought-provoking, as delicate as snow. But somehow the book lacked an emotional intensity I was so hoping for . . . everything felt muted, distilled. I think that was supposed to be part of its charm, and I really did like Katie, but I had a hard time getting immersed in this world.

I absolutely loved Berg's Dream When You're Feeling Blue, and Joy School still follows Berg's carefully crafted system of evaluating human and family relationships. I could certainly relate to falling in love for the first time -- and knowing that no one will appreciate how real it is for you, the one so smitten -- but didn't really plunge into the storyline. Fans of Berg will still be intrigued, but it might be a little too slow for others -- there really isn't any "action" here. ( )

Joy School is a story about the growing pains of adolescence. Thirteen year-old Katie moves to Missouri with her emotionally detached father. Both are grappling with the loss of Katie's mother. Katie has some trouble fitting in at her new school but eventually finds a couple of friends, one of whom is a compulsive shoplifter. She also develops a huge crush on a young married man, ten years her senior. To me, this book was an easy and entertaining read but nothing momentous. ( )

Excellent. Amazing. Touching. Read this book. ( )