Betsy Tacy Books

[roddma]

I recently came across the Betsy Tacy books . I have never heard of them . They were published in the 1940s as a semi autobiography of short-story writer Maud Heart Lovelace. I think they too secular for most Fundies.

http://www.amazon.com/Betsy-Tacy-Books- ... B004OVEZMK

[Justme]

I loved those books when I was a kid. They were based on the childhood of Maude Heart Lovelace. Deep Valley is really Mankato, MN.

[Loveday]

LOVE the Betsy-Tacy books! :) I still re-read them now and then, even at my advanced age. ;)

They're about as clean and wholesome as any fundie could ask for. Or maybe not. Betsy is very independent, and her parents are a bit bohemian under their surface conventionality. And in the later books in the series the girls go on dates. Gasp! :o

[nonymouse]

Adored these books growing up, and still do. I would think fundies would feel about Betsy as they do about Anne Shirley- picking and choosing the parts that apply to them (morals, church, etc.) and ignoring the rest (Betsy's goal of a higher education, enjoyment of school dances, her ability to think for herself.)

[Mama Mia]

Love, love, love Betsy-Tacy ! I used to draw pictures of them and their families as a kid. I identified with Tacy.

We currently have 3 little girls in my family who totally fit the Betsy- Tacy -Tib characters. Two of them even look just like them :)

[Chicken bones]

I too absolutely loved these books. I was so happy when I found them reprinted in paperback a few year ago. Betsy was way too headstrong for the fundies. She traveled by herself across Europe, for goodness sakes! And had male friends she spent time with, unchaperoned.

[FloraDoraDolly]

The early books center around Betsy and the friends she makes around the neighborhood and in school. As she grows older, she is allowed to move more freely around town and by high school, she is somewhat boy crazy. Betsy is also smart, ambitious, and independent. Although the stories take place over 100 years ago, she is too modern for the fundies. In one of the books, it even says that Betsy never did care for Elsie Dinsmore. Blasphemy!!!!!!!!11!!!!

[SamE]

I loved Betsy-Tacy and Tib. Wonderful books.

[27randomscribbles]

Wait, the books continued beyond when they were little? Need to read. Loved these as a kid!

[Justme]

Wait, the books continued beyond when they were little? Need to read. Loved these as a kid!

Yes, the last book was "Betsy gets Married".

[Loveday]

Wait, the books continued beyond when they were little? Need to read. Loved these as a kid!

Oh, are you ever in for a treat! :) "Heaven to Betsy," "Betsy In Spite of Herself," "Betsy Was a Junior," and "Betsy and Joe" are the four high school books. Then there's "Betsy and The Great World," where Betsy takes the Grand Tour of Europe, and finally "Betsy's Wedding," which is self-explanatory. :lol: You can find them on Amazon in various formats.

I think it's about time I pulled my old library-discard copies off the shelf and read them again! :dance:

Edited for a typo.

[bekkah]

One of my mom's friends used to live in Tib's house I think.

I read those books when I was about 8 I think. Great series, I liked them better than little house on the praire.

[Black Aliss]

My daughter loved those books so much that when she was 7 we took a road trip to Mankato so we could visit all the places that really exist, like their houses, and the library. Betsy clearly wouldn't make it as a fundie, given her extremely limited aptitude for homemaking. (Exclaiming that she couldn't baste a roast chicken in Home Ec because she didn't have a needle and thread!)

[jessicalynn]

Loved these books but never heard of anyone else who had read them. I got the first book for Christmas one year and was super excited to find the rest of them. I read Betsy-Tacy, Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, and Little House in rotation throughout childhood. I just reread them because I found them in my parents basement .Just one of the perks to living at home after the dreaded d-word. I always wanted to be a combo of Betsy/Nancy Drew but live on the prairie like Laura Ingalls. Betsy was very headstrong and boy crazy and probably a bit too much for the fundies.

Side note: this whole thread makes me grateful for my parents who wouldn't drop big bucks on name-brand clothes or toys but would buy me as many books as they could including tracking down all those series. I still have all the original Nancy Drew books before they branched into random spin offs.

[Librul]

Betsy's older sister drops out of college and her sorority to pursue a career in Europe as a opera singer, the girls are all friends with boys and date boys, have impromptu dances and fudge parties and gatherings, and they all plan for college and or careers, in the early 1900s. Waaaay too much for fundies. I found these books as an adult, the whole series in a thrift store. I had heard of them but somehow, despite being a full time reader, only read one as a child. LOVE them.

[Mama Mia]

For all her independence though, there is a section in Betsy's Wedding where she and her husband have a disagreement about how to handle some major decision ( don't recall what) . Betsy goes to church and prays, because she wants to have the strength/patience/trust ( don't recall the wording) to let her Husband have the final say , because she never wants to be the type of wife who would go against her husband or boss him around.

I think we get so used to how far out of the norm extremist the fundamentalists are that what would have been super wholesome, mainstream, conventional activities and attitudes for their time period are seen as extra modern and unusual :D

[roddma]

Im surprised most FUndies allow LHOTP since Almanzo and Laura spent time lone.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

she and her husband have a disagreement about how to handle some major decision ( don't recall what) . Betsy goes to church and prays, because she wants to have the strength/patience/trust ( don't recall the wording) to let her Husband have the final say , because she never wants to be the type of wife who would go against her husband or boss him around.

He wanted to move his elderly aunt in with them, which would necessitate them moving and buying a house.

Betsy was pretty religious, but not all of her friends were - I remember Carney and Tib being pretty "meh" about church.

[Mama Mia]

He wanted to move his elderly aunt in with them, which would necessitate them moving and buying a house.

Betsy was pretty religious, but not all of her friends were - I remember Carney and Tib being pretty "meh" about church.

That's right, and if I recall it was even in some of the younger books -- when they were 10 or 12--- they talked about visiting each other's churches and one of them , I think Betsy ?, switched denominations.

[SnazzyNazzy]

I have never even heard of these books. I was in to The Little House series, Beverly Cleary, and Shel Silverstein. Then when I hit double digit age, I was in to Sweet Valley High and The Babysitters Club.

As an aside, does anyone remember the book Six Months to Live, about the teen girl who got cancer? That book was my FAVORITE when I was in fifth grade. I ended up reading that whole storyline too (it was 5 books I think).

[Grimalkin]

I have never even heard of these books. I was in to The Little House series, Beverly Cleary, and Shel Silverstein. Then when I hit double digit age, I was in to Sweet Valley High and The Babysitters Club.

As an aside, does anyone remember the book Six Months to Live, about the teen girl who got cancer? That book was my FAVORITE when I was in fifth grade. I ended up reading that whole storyline too (it was 5 books I think).

Anne of Green Gablels got me to love reading. I adored Sweet Valley High. Babysitters club was ok. I got a ton at a used book sale and my second child would only read those for a while. I had to work hard to get her to read "better books". I like Shell Sylverstein and met a woman who is a teacher related to him. Little house bored me to tears, "Go ask Alice" anyone?

So how old would you say the Betsy Tacy books are for. My nine year old has not found her groove yet with reading. She discoverd "Cupcake Diaries(sp?)" eh it's a start.

[Loveday]

That's right, and if I recall it was even in some of the younger books -- when they were 10 or 12--- they talked about visiting each other's churches and one of them , I think Betsy ?, switched denominations.

That was Betsy and, I think, her sister Julia as well. They wanted to become Episcopalians, if I'm not mistaken, and were very nervous about asking their parents if they could change.

[BrownieMomma]

Betsy, Tacy and Tib! I loved those books when I was a kid.

[RandomTrivia]

Anne of Green Gablels got me to love reading. I adored Sweet Valley High. Babysitters club was ok. I got a ton at a used book sale and my second child would only read those for a while. I had to work hard to get her to read "better books". I like Shell Sylverstein and met a woman who is a teacher related to him. Little house bored me to tears, "Go ask Alice" anyone?

So how old would you say the Betsy Tacy books are for. My nine year old has not found her groove yet with reading. She discoverd "Cupcake Diaries(sp?)" eh it's a start.

Was "6 Months to Live" by a Lurlene McDaniel, by any chance? I've been seeing a lot of her books recently, all about kids/teens with terminal illnesses. Seems kind of depressing to me, but she wrote more than a dozen on that theme.

Betsy-Tacy, I'm not sure of the age level. The only one I can find now is one of the later ones where Betsy's a teen. But has your daughter tried either the Magic Tree House or the A to Z Mysteries? My son was all over those last year. Also, briefly, the Rainbow Fairy books, which are numerous but insanely repetitive if you're an adult (and I think the repetition and familiarity with the formula is one of the things that kids like at that age).

[Mama Mia]

I think the Betsy -Tacy series would be perfect for a 9 year old.

The younger books take place when they are 5, 8, 10 and 12. And then the high school series starts. I don't think there is anything that would be too boring in any of them for that age. I'm just guessing, but I was probably 9 ish when I devoured them. Although the first couple my mom had already read to me when I was tiny.

They are about their daily lives and family and friends, which is pretty universal. But there are lots of fun old- fashioned activities that make it interesting. And they throw in serious issues too that are handled beautifully. For example in the first book Tacy's baby sister dies, later Betsy has a new baby sister -- which makes her feel sad - And the two have a very sweet and touching conversation about it. And that's a book about 5 year olds.

And as mentioned, Betsy switches from Baptist to Episcopalian -- at, iirc , the age of 12.

Love these books.