er as a "bigger sister," someone she experiences all those first things with such as shoplifting and double dates. At some point in time Katie felt like she was cool and that she was "fitting in" when she was with Taylor. Katie soon realized that shoplifting is wrong and decided that she wasn't ready to experience dating and that she didn't want a boyfriend. By Katie having Taylor as a friend, she learned something great, the decision to choose right over wrong.Joy School is set in the late 1950's early 60's in a Missourt town. the setting in this stroy influences Katie's character because the role model's that teenage girls grow up with today, cpmpared to the role models of Katie's time are much different. Katie and her father are new to the town and she doesn't know anyone. She tells her father that she isn't happy living there. But, when she meets Jimmy, everything seems to turn around for Katie. Being that the story is set in the 1950's early 60's, it was easier then for a young girl to meet and form friendships with different people. Today, its hard for a young teenage girl to find someone she can trust, confide, and look up to. If the story would have been seit in the 90's the plot would be completely different and not at all the same. Guys today are not nearly as caring and heartfelt like Jimmy was and would have acted different to the situation Jimmy was in. But, Jimmy did care about Katie, he cared about how she felt, he was hurt. He had a heart, he was Katie's "Joy School."Elizabeth Berg's "Joy School" is about experiencing first love. As young as Katie was, she was lucky to have experienced her first love with a guy like Jimmy. She learned a lot from Jimmy and from her other friends which were her first lessons of life....
