Heaven to Betsy and Betsy In Spite of Herself by Maud Hart Lovelace
Oh, Betsy Ray, where have you been all my life? Think of all of the years I could have been reading and re-reading you!
Betsy and Tacy are best friends living in (fictional) Deep Valley, Minnesota around the turn of the last century. Betsy-Tacy is a 10-book series written between 1940 and 1945. ”Heaven to Betsy” begins the girls’ foray into high school, the four earlier books cover the time beginning when they were 5 years old.
I haven’t read any of the earlier Betsy-Tacy books (yet!), but I immediately fell in love with Betsy in “Heaven to Betsy.” Sure, she can be a little flighty and silly at times – even to the point where I felt that I should be annoyed with her – but annoyance never came and I simply loved her instead. If I absolutely had to choose between the two books, I think I loved “Betsy in Spite of Herself” a little bit more, because of Betsy’s personal growth throughout the story, which was marked.
These books are fun and meaningful, while at the same time so innocent and reminiscent of the fabled ‘simpler time.’ To a certain extent they remind me of “Little House on the Prairie.” Certainly Betsy’s life, which is at least mostly autobiographical, was quite different than Laura Ingalls Wilder’s, but the authors were roughly contemporary (Wilder being about 25 years older) from roughly the same part of the country. Hmm, maybe it would be interesting to read the two series side by side and compare…
Anyway, these books are true classics of children’s literature and great fun for adults as well. Highly recommended.
Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*
I finished the four earlier Betsy books back in October–I really need to get to these now!
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..Library Loot =-.
I just recently discovered Betsy-Tacy myself. I started from the beginning but didn’t fall in love until I read Heaven to Betsy. Still working on reading the others.
I love the Besty-Tacy books! I only have 4 more left. Like you, I wish I’d heard of them years ago.
.-= Anna´s last blog ..Interview With Gordon Zuckerman, Author of THE SENTINELS: FORTUNES OF WAR =-.
I have had absolutely no exposure to these books in my youth. I’ll ask myself the same question again…what the hell was I doing back then? I read all the time, but I missed some critical stuff. Too much V.C. Andrews I guess. Just the comparison to Little House on the Prairie did it for me. Those books are precious.
.-= Sandy´s last blog ..A Little Princess: The Story of Sara Crewe – Frances Hodgson Burnett =-.
I read the Betsy-Tacy books multiple times when I was younger, and was so pleased to see the last 6 books reissued this year! I’m planning a post about all four of the high-school stories before the end of this year.
I’m glad you’ve had the chance to discover, and fall in love with, Betsy and Deep Valley!
.-= Florinda´s last blog ..The Year(s) in Review: A Decade of Favorite Reads =-.
Everyone seems to love the Betsy-Tacy books. I’ve never read them and wonder how I missed them as a child.
I’m so glad you love Betsy — and just think, now you can re-read her from now on!
I wonder how I missed these as a child! They sound like so much fun.
I loved these books as a kid – my mom called me “Betsey”, so I thought it was cool to have a book named after me. =) I really think I should re-read them this next year – I’m so glad that they seem to be standing the test of time.