BETSY WAS A JUNIOR and BETSY AND JOE (newly reissued)
You may have seen some recent posts about the Betsy-Tacy books, written by Maud Hart Lovelace beginning in the late 1930s. Here’s a book series that grows with the reader; a set of true comfort reads that we can return to again and again. We meet Betsy and her best friend Tacy just before they enter kindergarten around 1900 in Deep Valley, Minnesota. The books follow the girls and their friends on their girlhood adventures, through elementary and high school, up to Betsy’s wedding in the last book of the series. The most wonderful element of the books is the connection that the reader makes to their “everyday adventures” – Betsy and Tacy weren’t out climbing mountains or exploring unknown territory; their adventures were finding the treasures of their own small town, and traversing the social structures of girlhood friendships, group activities, friendly schoolyard rivalries, and old-fashioned romance.
Six of the later years have been reissued as double books, containing two volumes each. I was invited to be part of the TLC virtual book tour, specifically to review Betsy Was a Junior, about Betsy Ray’s junior year of high school – the year that was supposed to be “the best year ever,” but may have taken a turn of bad luck when things didn’t turn out as expected. I’d like to review the books in order, but I may jump ahead to Betsy Was a Junior.
Over the summer Book Club Girl posted about her visit to Mankato, Minnesota, where she attended the Betsy-Tacy convention, which is held about every five years. Maud Hart Lovelace was raised in Mankato, which provides the fictional setting of Deep Valley in the Betsy-Tacy books. In fact, many of the characters in the books are modeled after Maud’s family and friends; even houses, school, and present-day street layouts will be familiar to someone who has the books.
I was delighted when Book Club Girl offered to introduce me to two active and passionate members of the Betsy-Tacy Society. Barb Fecteau is a high school librarian and part-time college professor; she was instrumental in planning this year’s convention, and I only wish I could have seen her in her element as Master of Ceremonies there. Jennifer Davis-Kay is a freelance editor and aspiring author; she won the coveted Essay Cup for her essay on the Betsy-Tacy woman she most admired. A similar writing contest is introduced in Heaven to Betsy (Betsy’s freshman year), and is carried through the high school years.
Jen, Barb, and I met at our local Colonial Inn for high tea a few weekends ago. It took a few minutes for us to recognize each other; they may have been expecting a blogger wearing sweatpants and bunny slippers, and I didn’t know if I might find Betsy-Tacy fans dressed for tea complete with hats and gloves (or, can you imagine … period costumes). We were all relieved to find how, well, ordinary, the others were!
These two had quite the show-and-tell collections with them.
- On the left (Jen’s stack):
- The Essay Cup!
- Betsy and Joe
- Betsy Was a Junior
- Betsy in Spite of Herself
- Heaven to Betsy
- On the right (Barb’s stack):
- Betsy-Tacy and Tib
- Betsy-Tacy
- Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill
- Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown
- Betsy and the Great World
- Emily of Deep Valley
- The Betsy-Tacy Companion
(left to right) Jen, Barb, Dawn
Getting down to the business of tea, we began with the ritualistic “sniffing of the tea.” I’m sure it has a fancy name, like that swish-and-spit thing that oenophiles do with wine (me? I drink it!)
Oh, and what’s that in the middle of the table?! Check the comments to see what was served with tea … we sat and ate and drank (tea!) and talked about all things Betsy-Tacy for over 2 1/2 hours! Dinner was being served by the time we broke away from Deep Valley and came back to 2009.
This was so much fun … one of those long conversations that loops from topic to topic, then back to the first to finish up a thought that you left 20 minutes earlier.
What did we talk about? Anything and everything. Each of our “loops” began with Betsy, Deep Valley, or other creations of Maud Hart Lovelace. Other loops started with Lovelace (affectionately called “Maud” by the BTS), Mankato, or the activities of the present-day Betsy-Tacy Society. We took some meandering paths on those loops, but we always returned to Betsy and her friends.
I asked Barb and Jen how they discovered the books; both found them on their own, at their local libraries. Barb shared this horrifying story:
I don’t remember my first reading of any of the books, but I vividly remember when I found out that my library could get Betsy in Spite of Herself from another library and loan it to me. I was floored! But tragedy struck when I got in horrible, horrible trouble the day before it came in. My punishment was that I was not allowed to read for a week. Yes, my parents … knew what was effective. … it is family lore that when I got the call from the library I burst into tears and screamed, “Why can’t you take away television like normal parents?”
In one e-mail exchange before we met, I mentioned to Barb that “I feel like I’ve missed out on a rite of girlhood, having not read these books until now”. She replied, “I can’t speak for Jen, but for myself I pity you for not growing up with the books, but I envy you discovering them for the first time. ”
With Betsy-Tacy Convert Week coming up, I asked if either woman had introduced anyone else to the books. Jen shared them several years ago with a friend undergoing chemo, and has targeted the 13-year-old daughter of a friend for the contest. Barb has given the books over time to the daughter of a friend, handing over the next book at the perfect time in this girl’s life; the young woman recently told Barb that she returns to even the earliest books several times a year. Barb is looking to convert a sixth grade girl this week, she says:
She also wants to be a writer! She is a reader and she is the sort of girl who would fit in perfectly at Deep Valley High. She just started middle school, and since I could not have survived middle school without Betsy, Tacy and the crowd, I thought it would be a good time to give her the book.
Could you want any greater endorsements?! Many, many thanks to Jen and Barb for getting together with me, and for their contagious enthusiasm!
Well, at this point in the post I realize I’ve broken a huge rule of blogging – keep it short! Let me end by urging you to buy these books and read them – get them for you, for an adult girlfriend, or for a young girl who can grow up with them. Convert yourself, then convert a friend!
I can’t promise you an hours long tea party, but I can share some upcoming Betsy-Tacy launch events. If there’s one in your area, mark your calendar and have some old-fashioned fun:
10/3 Mankato, MN, at the Betsy Tacy Houses
10/3 Mesquite, TX, at Borders
10/23 Bainbridge Island, WA, at the Library
10/29 Waltham, MA at More Than Words
11/7 Highland Village, TX, at Barnes and Noble
11/8 St. Paul, MN, at the Red Balloon Bookshop
2/16/10 Wellesley, MA at the Wellesley Booksmith
4/17/10 Dallas, TX, at the Dallas Heritage Village
Top tier: strawberries, scones, strawberry jam, butter, and clotted cream (which is WAY better than butter!)
second tier: phyllo cups with chicken salad, cucumber sandwiches, and spiced pear and cream cheese sandwiches
bottom tier: chocolate-covered pretzels, toffee, a little white chocolate cheesecake-ish treat, eclairs (not sure what it was called … it was tasty and topped with chocolate!)
After you and bookclubgirl’s posts/twitter updates I don’t see how I can not eventually read these. I can’t believe I haven’t read these or heard about them until this year! Thanks for sharing your get together and the launch dates!
I have not read the Betsy-Tacy books, but now I am going to. All that food sounds delicious.
Delightful report! (And wonderful first comment! Love the details!) Probably the best approach to a book tour post that I have seen yet!
Sounds delightful! I will try to attend that Massachusetts gathering.
OMG! They have a society? How much fun. I’ve never read one of these books, but I am fascinated by the whole idea, and I love the cover art. Don’t worry about the length of the post…this one deserves every inch. I think you are just an amazing woman for the things that you do like this!
This sounds like so much fun! Isn’t it funny how bookish people can talk about books for hours even if they’ve never met before. Oh, by the way, you are far from ordinary!
I love high tea. Yummy treats. Oh, yeah, the books and people!
Sounds like a fantastic meeting. I know I would have loved these books and Julie (bookingmama) has convinced me that I have to read the series. My mother was always so great with helping me find the perfect book and series, I don’t know how we both missed these.
After reading all the hyype in recent weeks over the Betsy-Tacy books, I feel like I’ll really be missing out if I don’t read them.
Thank you for a very interesting post.
Mankato was a town I had only heard about through the Laura series until I saw a post with a lot of ´Betsy Tacy´ houses on someone else´s blog. Kindergarten and high school for girls is certainly something else than Little House on the Prairie
Sounds like so much fun.
I’ve got an award for you, by the way.
What a wonderful post1 I’m so jealous!
These book sure do sound like a lot of fun. I have a award for you.
http://wordsmithonia.blogspot.com/2009/10/award-time-part-3.html
I remember reading those books (and that was a looong time ago!)I’m usually not tempted to do a lot of re-reading from that long ago but this makes me want to search out at least a couple of them.
I’m curious to find out if my daughter read these? I don’t remember them from that time, but from way back when I was a kid.
Denise – Oh, don’t resist … join in!
charley – in the books, Betsy’s father often made raw onion sandwiches to share with the family on Sunday nights. I’m glad they weren’t served at our tea!
rhapsody – it was so much fun to get together with Barb and Jen. I totally “get it,” and would love to see Mankato/Deep Valley myself one day.
Jill – I’ve always wanted to get to More Than Words, the bookstore in Waltham. I think they have a neat social awareness.
Sandy – the cover art is reproduced from the original books. The earlier years were illustrated by a different artist than Betsy’s later (high school) years, and reflect her changing/maturing character.
Kathy – LOL at the far from ordinary – thank you! We would have stayed longer at the tea (and might still be there!) if my phone and Jen’s hadn’t rung around 6:15, with our husbands wondering “are you coming home any time soon?!?” Here’s a funny bit … we talked so much about so many subjects that Jen and I discovered we were “two degrees of separation.” She knows a couple who used to work with J (and were at our wedding)
Beth F – I keep wondering how I missed these when I was younger. I did ask my Mum (born 1940) if she had read them, but she hadn’t heard of them before. And it’s not a geographical divide, we just slipped thru the cracks!
Dorte – yes, difference experiences; but both are good wholesome fun!
Carol – thanks; I’ll head over and take a look
Julie – come to Boston and I’ll take you out to tea! We can discuss Betsy-Tacy and everything else; we may need more than 3 hours.
Ryan – it’s a great series! They can be read independently, too. Thanks for the award.
sallie – Barb told me that she read BETSY’S WEDDING the night before her own wedding, isn’t that a great tradition?!
Sounds like fun! Although I don’t see any Twinkies on that tea tray.
(And who cares about rules!)
That is a wonderful post. I did not know that the books had to do with Minnesota! Now I want to read them even more. I see there is one Minnesota stop, and that is in two days. I cant make it.
Need another Minnesota stop like St Cloud – then I would only be an hour away! 
What an awesome post!! I had not heard of these books before, but am now itching to check them out!!!
How cool is that. The Colonial Inn is adorable and that looks like so much fun.
Nice write up. I love tea. I had never heard of Betsey Tracy until I got BCG as my partner for BBAW.
[...] High tea with friends of Betsy-Tacy! [...]
Dawn! Oh, I’m so jealous!
I got chills reading what you talked about with these ladies! I admit I might have expected women wearing period pieces as well, but how much cooler is Betsy-Tacy when you see that real people love the books (as opposed to non-real people?? You know what I mean!)!!!
Thanks for putting so much effort into these books! Your story about having high tea with these two ladies will stick with me a long time.
I am sorry to break the news to you, you did not have high tea you had afternoon tea. High tea is supper not a fancy tea at all. Yes I rember the Betsy-Tacy books and will be purchasing some for my neice.