Heaven to Betsy

This is a wonderful series of books, which I prefer to return to than the "Little House" series. I was introduced to these rather late (hey, I wasn't alive in the 50s, okay?) I find them charming and timeless. Even though the skirts are ankle-length, the boys don't swear, and Daddy doesn't get any mouthing off from the kids, the people in it seem modern in their feelings. And it takes a darn talented writer to have various girls patting on beauty products and not make them look vain...We follow teenage Betsy, along with best friend Tacy, through the tangle of young adult life. Accompanying them are Betsy's sister the budding singer Julia, her warm and kind parents, and a new character: the Ray family cook. Amid the flurry of friendships and incidents therein, Betsy is courted (courted, not dated. It meant walking her to school) by at least two boys -- Joe and Tony; she is also competing against Tony in an essay competition.Though many of the events in the book are fairly lighthearted, there are also serious topics. Among them is the growing attraction of the Episcopalian church for Julia and Betsy, who are Baptists. The question of how they can tell their father of their wishes was a very mature and intriguing plot device, and I was genuinely relieved at the conclusion of it.Despite the various "edgy" books put out now, this is a book that is far more appealing -- sweet and bright, but never sugary or sentimental. The writing style is surprisingly modern and descriptive, without overdoing anything. The speech patterns are GREAT. This book falls into the same category as "Meet Me In St. Louis," a nice world with nice people. Mr. and Mrs. Ray are wise and kindly -- not just to their kids, but all kids. Betsy is a great character, strong and independent and remarkably free in her thinking, considering these events took place near the turn of the century. Be sure to read this book! (And all of Lovelace's books...)

The Betsy-Tacy book series is fantasic, to say the least. When I was little, my mother read them aloud to my brothers and I. That's not to say they're only for children. Anyone will love these timeless classics. They feature Betsy Warrington Ray, a young aspiring writer, who's character is actually based closely upon author Maud Hart Lovelace's Life. In the first book, 'Betsy-Tacy', Betsy has her 5th birthday party and invites her new neighbor, 5-year-old Tacy Kelly. Soon to make their twosome a threesome, Tib Muller moves to the neighborhood from Milwaukee. They become great friends and the books take the girls through high school and beyond. The books in the Betsy-Tacy series are:Betsy-Tacy, Betsy, Tacy and Tib, Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill, Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown, Heaven to Betsy, Betsy in Spite of Herself, Betsy was a Junior, Betsy and Joe, Betsy and the Great World, and Betsy's Wedding. I recommend these books highly; everybody should read them.

Heaven to Betsy is one of the most characteristic of this loved series. If you haven't read any of the others, you'd still enjoy it! Betsy and Tacy enter the wider world of the Deep Valley High School, the "Crowd," sings around Julia's piano, fudge, Heinz's . . . full of gentle humor, vivid characterization, and affection. A delight for girls and grownups.

When Maud Hart Lovelace first wrote the "Betsy-Tacy" series, did she know how much so many people, from children to adults, would love them? The series has at least one book that anyone of any age can relate to. 10-year-olds will love "Over the big Hill," high-schoolers will love the books about when Betsy was attending Deep Valley High, etc. And it doesn't end there! Even if you're not the age that Betsy was in one of the books, you can still love all of them! Maud has a way of capturing real feelings and experiences--even bad ones--and turning them into works of art. The "Betsy-Tacy" series really is a work of art, even if it was painted with a pen, and not a paintbrush.

The whole Betsy-Tacy series, especially the high school and beyond ones, are books I return to again and again with sentiment. Though written in 1947 and set in the early 1900's, there is a timelessness to the frank emotion and lush description of the teenage adventures of our heroine, Betsy Ray. Betsy is a good role model for today's young girls, for though she is understandably interested in boys and being well liked and known at school, she is smart and has great ambitions to be a great writer and a good sister. Set in fictional Deep Valley, Minnesota but based somewhat on the author's life and her journals, the book is written with sweet sentimentality and vivid memory of the joys and heartaches of young adult life. It's amazing how the feelings are very much the same, though the 1900's were a different time with different dress and customs. Readers will love looking at Vera Neville's beautiful drawings which should have been kept on the paperback covers, and imagine a time when lunch was called supper, boys came to "call", all skirts came down to your ankles, and friends sang around the piano knew how to waltz. You will fall in love with the Ray family-- their fun traditions, the benign and joking father, laughing and beautiful mother, sedate Margaret the little sister, and of course Julia, the lovely and soulful singer sister who is always understanding and warm. Here are parents still very much in love, sisters who stopped fighting once they started high school and actually support each other . The Ray family that welcomes visitors any any time of the day, so their home is always brimming with fun. Heaven to Betsy is about Betsy's freshman year in high school, when she discovers boys and has her first crush on mysterious and worldly Tony Markham, becomes active in school societies in performance and competing in the Essay Contest. It is a wonderful portrait of mainstream America in the 1900's as well as a book young women can relate to as they struggle with their own pains and enjoy the thrills of growing up.