A Room for Cathy

by Catherine Woolley and Veronica Reed

copyright 1975

I’ve heard from various people that if you want to know what you should be doing with your life, look to what your passions were as a child.  That concept came to mind this week when a re-read a book that I remembered from my grade school years.

I recall loving this chapter book, A Room for Cathy, and I know I read it quite a few times.  All I could recall, though, was that Cathy was getting a new, larger bedroom and she decided to make some really neat shelves for her collection of books.  Really, that’s all I remembered and apparently it was the most important part of the book to me.

When I re-read it this week, I was surprised to discover that the well loved book-shelf-making only took one short chapter.  

Cathy preparing her bookshelves

This is actually a story about a 10 year old girl who learns a few important lessons in generosity and friendship.  Cathy and her family have always lived in a small apartment in the city.  Now, however, due to the coming Promotion of her father, they are able to buy a spacious house in the country.  Finally, Cathy will have privacy from her two younger siblings while she enjoys her spacious suite of rooms.  Her new life is all she expected and more as she not only has a beautiful room (with homemade bookshelves) but she also meets many new friends.

Imagine her deep disappointment when the Promotion doesn’t go through and the family needs to rent out part of their home to boarders – including Cathy’s beloved room.  Sadly, she has to move back in with her little sister.

Circumstances look up when Cathy meets the new boarders.  Naomi, a girl her age, has moved in with her author mother and the two girls become fast friends.  Cathy learns that sharing has many benefits and can make both parties much happier.  It’s really quite a nice story.  

And all I remembered was the bookshelves.