The Betsy-Tacy Series (Review)

Alternative Names: None.

Review No.: 0.09.3000.017

Table of Contents

Review No.: 0.09.3000.017
    1. Review
    2. Review Information
        a. Author
        b. Copyright and Usage
    3. Creator(s)
    4. Related Reviews
    5. Related Products

Review

Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy Tacy books are like perpetual Summer. They are innocent, tender and delightful. Difficulties arise, but never overpower the residents of Deep Valley, Minnesota. Particularly not the Ray family-one of childhood literature’s few intact and fully functional families.

Based loosely on Maud Hart Lovelace’s own childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, the series follows Betsy Ray (Maud), Tacy Kelly, and later Tib Mueller from kindergarten through marriage and grows delightfully with both the characters and the reader. Our favorites are therefore the final two, Betsy in the Great World and Betsy’s Wedding, but there isn’t a clinker in the bunch. Each book is full of fun, good humor and real characters-who have believable scrapes and escapes. The Ray family traditions become as anticipated to the reader as they to the Rays, and great new ideas for fun appear as "snoggestions".

In addition to the ten Betsy-Tacy books, (all currently in reprint) there are three more Lovelace novels that use both Deep Valley as setting and Betsy’s crowd as characters , but do not have Betsy as the central character. They are Winona’s Pony Cart, Carney’s House Party, and Emily of Deep Valley. They are as delightful as the Betsy-Tacy books and are also currently in print.

If you have only time to read one Deep Valley book, we recommend Emily of Deep Valley as it is the least connected to the other novels. It is a dull individual indeed, however, who can stop at one Betsy-Tacy book.

The books inevitably, therefore, have a most loyal following. Considering that the novels have never been adapted for film or television like Anne of Green Gables or Little House on the Prairie, this continued devotion and interest is testimonial indeed.

Review Information

Author

Nancy Young

Copyright and Usage

This review is Copyright 2008 • By Nancy Young • All Rights Reserved.

Educational and personal use of this article is allowed. However, re-publication, reproduction, or other use of this article is prohibited without the consent of the author(s) and Al Young Studios. To request usage rights, please contact us.

Furthermore, any image with this article may be copyrighted. If you wish to use it for any purpose, please contact us before doing so. In cases where the image is copyrighted, Al Young Studios is using for the sole purpose of illustrating a critical article, which is considered fair-use under United States copyright law.

Creator(s)

Maud Hart Lovelace

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