Product Description

Sixteen-year-old Katie had just begun a year in Paris with her family when she died suddenly. Her family was devastated, but they drew comfort from Katie’s extensive e-mail correspondence to her many friends. In page after page, her family read how Katie explored the nature of friendship, her belief in God, and her desire to understand what constitutes real love among friends.

Award-winning author Julie Johnston has brought together Katie’s correspondence. The result is both a testament to a girl who had so much to offer – and more important, perhaps – a blueprint for real sisterhood.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #264812 in Books
• Published on: 1999-03-27
• Released on: 1999-03-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Johnston (The Only Outcast) pays tribute to Katie Ouriou, a real-life Canadian who died in October 1996 before her 17th birthday, with this collection of Katie's epistles. But much of what appears here seems more suited to those who knew Katie than to a general audience. Katie moves to France with her parents and older sister. The 16-year-old is anxious to start her adventure in a foreign country, but sorely misses her "homies." She contacts them regularly (mostly via e-mail), eager to express her (not always positive) impressions of Parisian society and share self-help tips and philosophical quotes she gleans from her spiritual readings (e.g., "To dream of the person you would like to be is to waste the person you are"). Like most adolescent girls, Katie obsesses about her body, remains fanatically loyal to her friends and experiences roller-coaster emotions. It is difficult to ascertain from the letters here, however, how she grows or changes during her three months in Paris. A rare form of leukemia debilitates and kills her within a few days, so she never really knows what's happening to her and therefore has no opportunity to reflect, at least in writing, on her life. Her one-sided dialogue (mostly replies to e-mail messages and notes omitted from this volume) tells only half the story, and brief commentaries from family members (which appear in italicized segments) offer little insight into Katie or her relationships. Ages 10-up.

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-While spending a year in France with her parents and older sister, 16-year-old Katie Ouriou died of a rare type of leukemia just days after falling ill. She left behind a grief-stricken family, a circle of friends back in Canada, and a treasury of journal entries and e-mail correspondence tracing the last few months of her life. In working through her grief, Katie's mother organized her writings and created a touching tribute to her daughter. Brief editorial notes set the opening scene as the family gathered at the hospital and periodically appear to fill in gaps in the story. While portions relate specifically to friends' daily lives, much of Katie's writing is devoted to meditating on the value of friendship, striving to be a good person, and expressing love for those around her. Occasionally, phrases in French are not translated and references to Canadian culture may confuse readers. Still, this is the real stuff of adolescent friendship that is so important to teenage girls. It's a real-life tragedy, and a gripping read.-Katie O'Dell Madison, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review
?The poignancy of this book is almost unbearable?a remarkable portrait of a sensitive, sparklingly alive, spiritually aware teen-ager, and a testament to friendship and the capacity for it that Katie and her friends had and so enjoyed. What a gift it was ? and is.?
?The Globe and Mail

?This is the real stuff of adolescent friendship that is so important to teenage girls. It?s a real-life tragedy, and a gripping read.?
?School Library Journal

?Although she professes a ?philosophical? bent, Katie is a regular teenager, and herein lies the poignant force of this unusual book. Reading through her lively affectionate confidences, one can?t help but enjoy the promise of her inner life, even while lamenting her death.?
?The Toronto Star

?Although Katie died in October, 1996, she lives on in the hearts of her family and friends and now in a book.?
?Calgary Herald -- Review

Customer Reviews

An excellent book... but sad
This is a wonderful book about friendship. A girl named Katie goes with her family to live in Paris for a year, but was going to return to Canada to graduate grade 12 with her friends. Katie and her friends; Ashley(who was her best friend), Maude and Heather kept in touch often through letters, e-mail or sometimes the phone. Katie always ended her letters with Ilove you, or Love you like a sister.(LYLAS) Ashley and Katie had just arranged for Ashley to visit w/ Katie, but then ... THIS BOOK ROCKED!!!

Very Sad, Teenage girls will Love it.
It is one of those books that You read and realize that ANYTHING could happen to you. It made me think about my life, my beliefs. It is a good book, and it will stick with you for awhile.

Touching, thought-provoking and powerful
This book is a private glimpse into the last months of an exceptional individual. Katie was a typical teenager in many ways (concerned about her appearance, boys and making friends). But, she was also an exceptional person, and it would have been a pleasure to have met her. My praise to Ouriou family for raising this beautiful person and for having the courage to share these moments with us. Thank you also to Heather, Maude and Ashley for sharing their memories of Katie. This book is a reminder that life can change in an instant, and it is important to cherish our life, and the people in our lives.