Susan Coolidge's What Katy Did is the story of 22-year-old Katy, who
continuously makes and rapidly breaks her commitments about how she will
change her actions and treat others, especially her five younger
siblings, with more respect and comfort. When Katy meets her cousin
Helen, an invalid, Katy is awed by her sweetness and generosity.
Meanwhile, Katy decides to be like her cousin. Although Katy has an
opportunity to be more like her cousin Helen, she wishes she hadn't been
restricted to her bedroom for four years because of her accident. The
author's main focus in this story is the change Katy goes through during
her sickness. When Katy learned her lessons about how to really take
care of others, she realized she had recovered the capacity to walk. The
journey of a girl and the changes she goes through are described
wonderfully.