Off the Bookshelf: The JOY SPARTAN Series, by Ruth I Johnson

I remember reading and enjoying these books in the church library when I was in junior high. Funny, but they're almost as old as me ....

Joy Spartan is a PK -- preacher's kid -- in the 60s. A simpler age (allegedly), but still just as uncomfortable and demanding and frustrating and embarrassing for a pre-teen even without the demands of social media. Yeah, everyone still managed to watch every move a PK made, even without the help of the Internet.

Joy and her twin brother Roy got in trouble  with the stuffed shirts at church, as well as with peer pressure and normal problems that still plague kids today. Along the way, they solved a few mysteries and helped straighten out a few troublemakers, and even faced an escaped convict. Being a PK, she got more than her fair share of Bible verses flung at her, but I think she still turned out okay. Read these books for a bit of nostalgia, and share them with your kids, who might just find a trip to the deep dark distant pre-Internet past fascinating.

Joy Spartan of Parsonage Hill
Joy Spartan and Her Problem Twin
Joy Spartan and the Vacation Mix-Up
Joy Spartan and the Money Mix-Up
Joy Spartan and the Mystery in Room 7