Susan Coolidge was a Civil War nurse who never had a family, and still she was able to capture the heart of children. What Katy Did is her best-known work. Katy Carr and her family lived in the 1860's. Katy wants to be beautiful but she is a tomboy who is always getting into mischief. She is injured in an accident and her recovery gives her the time she needs to learn to be kind and good the way she had always dreamed of being. What Katy Did Next is the sequel written to let readers know what Katy did after leaving school.