The 'What Katy Did' trilogy was first published in the late 1800s, but was there ever such a modern girl as wild, irrepressible Katy? What makes this novel so groundbreaking is Coolidge's realistic portrait of a childhood, with the high spirits, temper tantrums and naughtiness you'd expect to see in any 'normal' child. Coolidge is not interested in sermonising and morals, and her characters aren't in a continual quest for perfection; she's interested in the people, their imperfections, a family and its dynamics. Which is why these books are so enjoyable to a modern audience, and why they deserve to be championed.