Katy has always enjoyed life in her small Mennonite community, but she longs to learn more than her school can offer. After getting approval from her elders, Katy begins her sophomore year at the public school in town, where she meets new friends and encounters perspectives much different than her own. But as Katy begins to find her way in the outside world, her relationships at home become strained. Can she find a balance between her two worlds?

Katy has always enjoyed life in her small Mennonite community, but she longs to learn more than her school can offer. After getting approval from her elders, Katy starts her sophomore year at the public high school in town, where she meets new friends and encounters perspectives much different than her own. But as Katy begins to find her way in the outside world, her relationships at home become restrained. Can she find a balance between her two worlds?

Bestselling, award-winning author Kim Vogel Sawyer wears many hats besides 'writer.' As a wife, mother, grandmother, and active participant in her church, her life is happily full. But Kim's passion lies in writing stories of hope that encourage her readers to place their lives in God's capable hands. An active speaking ministry assists her with her desire. Kim and her husband make their home on the beautiful plains of Kansas, the setting for many of Kim's novels.

Hannah Montana isn’t the only fictional character looking for the “best of both worlds.” In Kim Vogel Sawyer’s book titled Katy’s New World, sixteen-year-old Katy leads two lives: one as a dedicated scholar in a public high school and one as a dutiful Mennonite in her religious community. Sawyer gives the classic “coming of age” storyline a fresh twist by approaching it from the perspective of a young Mennonite girl.

Unlike Miss Montana, Katy is the epitome of innocence and naivety. She struggles against worldly influences from school, such as Jewel, a foster child who comes from a broken family. Because Katy’s mother abandoned both family and faith, Katy also faces speculation from within her own community: will she leave the faith as her mother did? Katy’s perseverance in spite of peer pressure illustrates the command of 1 Peter 3:16 to keep a clear conscience, “so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

The characters in Katy’s New World are believable and engaging. Katy is particularly endearing, and she experiences typical teen dramas: dealing with boys, sowing her wild oats, and finding her place in the world. Whereas Katy is determined to be an image of Christ to her school friends, she struggles with an attitude of rebellion toward authority. Katy has disrespectful thoughts toward her father and aunt, and although she restrains from voicing snide remarks, she isn’t necessarily ashamed of them. Katy’s academic dreams are bombarded by blatant gender expectations within her community; women are expected to devote themselves to housework rather than to academia. Katy manages to accomplish both, but her pursuit of education remains unsupported by her family and friends.

Sawyer treats her story with care, removing the edge from elements that could have been written graphically, such as Jewel’s unhealthy family situation. Katy’s story is enveloped in innocence, yet demonstrates that denominational communities are not utopias. The book’s light approach is a refreshing, safe story for early teen girls who may be experiencing struggles similar to Katy’s. – Kathryn Kroeker, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com

'Sawyer gives the classic 'coming of age' storyline a fresh twist...The characters in Katy's New World are believable and engaging.' -- christianbookpreviews



'Sawyer gives the classic 'coming of age' storyline a fresh twist...The characters in Katy's New World are believable and engaging.' -- christianbookpreviews



'Sawyer gives the classic 'coming of age' storyline a fresh twist...The characters in Katy's New World are believable and engaging.' -- christianbookpreviews

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