When I was a kid we used to go to the library every week. I had a limit imposed on me by the librarians: while most people could take out 10 books, I could take out 20. They knew I always read them, that was the thing. Anyways, I had my favorites that I would take out again and again, even when I was a teenager: lots of L.M. Montgomery. Laura Ingalls Wilder. And a little jewel of a series by Maud Hart Lovelace called the "Betsy-Tacy" books, which are a semi-autobiographical series about Lovelace herself. They take place in the early 1900's, pre-World War One, and I can't possibly relate to them in any way, but I LOVED them. I read them over and over again.
Betsy Ray and Tacy Kelly grow up next door to each other in Deep Valley, Minnesota in the early 1900s. There are several books of their adventures as children with their German friend Tib (from Milwaukee! Exotic!), which I couldn't care less about. However, there is a series that starts when they go to high school, beginning with "Heaven to Betsy" (freshman year), "Betsy in Spite of Herself" (sophomore year), "Betsy was a Junior" (duh) and "Betsy and Joe" (senior year). Following graduation, there is the fabulous "Betsy and the Great World" in which Betsy sees Europe, pre-World War One (and visits her sister, who is training to be an opera singer in Germany), and "Betsy's Wedding."
Betsy is a writer. She is arch-rivals with/hopelessly attracted to Joe Willard, who is also a writer. They compete for the top prizes in English and Composition in their high school. They belong to rival "societies" that try to win the school cup every year. And, despite lots of opportunities such as sleigh rides and skating parties and football games and taffy pulls and sing-a-longs around the piano (I kid you not), they don't manage to get it together until Senior Year and she wears Joe's flowers to Commencement (ha). But! Alas! Something goes wrong. And thus Betsy and her broken heart go out to see the world alone. Not to worry, though, she returns home to Deep Valley after her Grand Tour (she goes by ship, of course) and she and Joe (now working at the local paper) get it together and live happily ever after, writing. Betsy even learns how to cook in between writing novels (see, there is hope for me yet).
I can't tell you how I loved these books. The romantic picture of life as a teenage girl at that time abslolutely delighted me even though I had no idea what a "fascinator" was or why Betsy's hair was always in "puffs" or why she and Tacy were enthusing about lace jabot collars. Hunky farm boy Joe Willard's golden locks and sparkling blue eyes...well, I've said enough right there. Of course, these books have mostly been out of print for decades and my library's copies are long gone. It makes me sad.
But! There is hope! Apparently there are other nerds like me, who have formed the Betsy-Tacy Society (http://www.betsy-tacysociety.org)! They have BOUGHT the original houses in "Deep Valley" Minnesota that belonged to Betsy and Tacy (well, Maud and her friend)! They have opened a MUSEUM! They have lobbied Harper Collins to put these books back in print! They are keeping Betsy and Tacy (and JOE!) alive!
AND! Thanks to the magic of E-Bay and a link provided by the Betsy-Tacy Society, I will shortly be the owner of ALLLLL of the Betsy (post-puberty) books! Oh, this is so exciting. I can't wait. I am such a loser.
Betsy Ray and Tacy Kelly grow up next door to each other in Deep Valley, Minnesota in the early 1900s. There are several books of their adventures as children with their German friend Tib (from Milwaukee! Exotic!), which I couldn't care less about. However, there is a series that starts when they go to high school, beginning with "Heaven to Betsy" (freshman year), "Betsy in Spite of Herself" (sophomore year), "Betsy was a Junior" (duh) and "Betsy and Joe" (senior year). Following graduation, there is the fabulous "Betsy and the Great World" in which Betsy sees Europe, pre-World War One (and visits her sister, who is training to be an opera singer in Germany), and "Betsy's Wedding."
Betsy is a writer. She is arch-rivals with/hopelessly attracted to Joe Willard, who is also a writer. They compete for the top prizes in English and Composition in their high school. They belong to rival "societies" that try to win the school cup every year. And, despite lots of opportunities such as sleigh rides and skating parties and football games and taffy pulls and sing-a-longs around the piano (I kid you not), they don't manage to get it together until Senior Year and she wears Joe's flowers to Commencement (ha). But! Alas! Something goes wrong. And thus Betsy and her broken heart go out to see the world alone. Not to worry, though, she returns home to Deep Valley after her Grand Tour (she goes by ship, of course) and she and Joe (now working at the local paper) get it together and live happily ever after, writing. Betsy even learns how to cook in between writing novels (see, there is hope for me yet).
I can't tell you how I loved these books. The romantic picture of life as a teenage girl at that time abslolutely delighted me even though I had no idea what a "fascinator" was or why Betsy's hair was always in "puffs" or why she and Tacy were enthusing about lace jabot collars. Hunky farm boy Joe Willard's golden locks and sparkling blue eyes...well, I've said enough right there. Of course, these books have mostly been out of print for decades and my library's copies are long gone. It makes me sad.
But! There is hope! Apparently there are other nerds like me, who have formed the Betsy-Tacy Society (http://www.betsy-tacysociety.org)! They have BOUGHT the original houses in "Deep Valley" Minnesota that belonged to Betsy and Tacy (well, Maud and her friend)! They have opened a MUSEUM! They have lobbied Harper Collins to put these books back in print! They are keeping Betsy and Tacy (and JOE!) alive!
AND! Thanks to the magic of E-Bay and a link provided by the Betsy-Tacy Society, I will shortly be the owner of ALLLLL of the Betsy (post-puberty) books! Oh, this is so exciting. I can't wait. I am such a loser.