Heaven to Betsy / Betsy in Spite of Herself

Betsy-Tacy #5-6

by Maud Hart Lovelace

Heaven to Betsy: Betsy Ray is loving every minute of freshman year at Deep Valley High-with new and old friends all around her...not to mention boys! But most intriguing of all is the one she and her best friend, Tacy, dub "the Tall Dark Stranger."
Betsy in Spite of Herself: Betsy is at the center of every activity as a Deep Valley High sophomore and suddenly, thanks to her old friend Tib, she's offered a golden opportunity for glorious transformation. But will she impress the special boy by becoming dramatic, mysterious Betsye or would she be better off just being Betsy in spite of herself?

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Historical, Middle Grade

687 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

About the author

Maud Hart Lovelace was born on April 25, 1892, in Mankato, Minnesota. She was the middle of three children born to Thomas and Stella (Palmer) Hart. Her sister, Kathleen, was three years older, and her other sister, Helen, was six years younger. “That dear family" was the model for the fictional Ray family.

Maud’s birthplace was a small house on a hilly residential street several blocks above Mankato’s center business district. The street, Center Street, dead-ended at one of the town’s many hills. When Maud was a few months old, the Hart family moved two blocks up the street to 333 Center.

Shortly before Maud’s fifth birthday a “large merry Irish family" moved into the house directly across the street. Among its many children was a girl Maud’s age, Frances, nicknamed Bick, who was to be Maud’s best friend and the model for Tacy Kelly.

Tib’s character was based on another playmate, Marjorie (Midge) Gerlach, who lived nearby in a large house designed by her architect father. Maud, Bick, and Midge became lifelong friends. Maud once stated that the three couldn’t have been closer if they’d been sisters.

Reviews

[steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review March 2018: Re-reading this series is like curling up with a old friend that you haven't seen in awhile. Utterly delightful.

Review May 2014: Damn, I love this series. The second book, Betsy's sophomore year is probably my favorite of the high school years just because it echoes my high school years a bit but her freshman year is great as well. I love all the side characters that are introduced, they are fleshed out beautifully with their own distinctive personalities. There is so much happening that I adore -all the friendships shown, Sunday night suppers at the Ray's house (who knew onion sandwiches could sound so yummy??!?), the Crowd going to football games and then ice cream shop afterwards, Betsy being friends with all the boys but she saying they only like her because she/her house feeds them and all the telephone calls back and forth whenever anything (small or big) happens. UGH. I JUST LOVE THESE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS SO MUCH.

My only nitpick with these two books is that there is not enough Joe in them. I NEED MORE JOE.


Previous Read: June 2011, May 2014

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betsy's sojourn into the world of adolescence is a complete and unaltered joy. Lovelace writes of Betsy's pleasures and sorrows with humor and compassion (they are her own, after all!). In Vera Neville's illustrations, everyone looks identical and marvelously attractive, but she communicates their earnest joy beautifully.

To those who posit that adolescence was a creation of the 1950s, I humbly submit to you the pre-WWI world of Betsy and her Crowd. Before a European teenager changed the world, youth groups were on the rise and teens were being teens. Of course, the world of Deep Valley teens is remarkably wholesome, where holding hands is considered "spoony," but their feelings ring true. (And let's bring back mild terms like spoony instead of the negative alternatives we use today.) What to do about a serious high school boyfriend when your dreams are bigger than his? Should you remain with a person you like, though you must change yourself? When do you choose friends over a relationship?

Betsy's Christmas visit to Tib in Milwaukee was one of the best joys of Betsye in Spite of Herself. It was so German, so Milwaukee, so delightful. I must pull it out to re-read at Christmas. Tacy is more present in Spite than Heaven, and she is much appreciated. As much as I would love the old trio back together, it is nice to see Betsy-Tacy again. Their friendship is so sweet and unmarred. I also thoroughly enjoy Betsy's conversion to the Episcopal church, and the wholesome way in which her family discusses it. The Rays as a whole are just family goals. They know each other so well and are all so chummy--perhaps a bit too perfect--but I would love an onion sandwich at Sunday night supper.

Also: Betsy & Joe forever and ever, world without end, amen. There's an intellectual spark, a mutual spurring on of one another, to Betsy and Joe that is so fun to read. I know where things go....but I love the journey so much. I didn't expect to have this much fun re-reading the series, but here we are. I love every single page of it.

[Diana Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heaven to Diana, I loved it so👒Love Betsy, love the Crowd, love the Anne (of Green Gables, of course👩🏻‍🦰🧡) and Little Women vibes and I will be forever thankful to Kate Howe for spreading the word about this series. Invigoratingly lovely!🌷

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, even more than the first four! I now can relate to Betsy way more. It was just so much fun to read, completely effortless reading. I didn’t want to put it down! I so enjoy books like this that tell about every-day life experiences, especially from the old days. And I love how Maud gives you little snippets of living in that time. She gives such delightful details! It’s even more fun knowing that pretty much everyone is based on real people and most of the incidents are true.

Heavens to Betsy was my favorite of the two. It follows her freshmen year and it WAS SO MUCH FUN TO READ! I loved getting to meet all of the characters. Within no time at all, “The Crowd” as she called it, seemed like old friends. All of their get-together, hangouts, and parties sounded like a blast!! Going to Heinz, Sunday Night Lunch, hangouts at Carney’s, and all. Sighhh...
Her friendships are just the best! They have the best sense of humor. I laughed multiple times and grinned most of the time. Cab and Herbert were especially funny. 😂
I will say, I didn’t like the mention of the Ouija board in this one. It kind of shocked me actually. They didn’t seem to think about it back then though, at least not in this book. The teen girls just seemed to use it as a playful, funny way to try to see who they would marry someday and such.

Betsy in Spite of Herself was also a lot of fun! I didn’t like it quite as much as Heavens to Betsy but I still enjoyed it a lot. Spending Christmas with Tib, staying up all night to bring in the New Year, going to dances, and picnics...
Maud did a wonderful job describing the teenage years and feelings! I find myself relating to Betsy soo much which kind of surprised me. Betsy is a lot different than me in some aspects but in others, I felt myself nodding “yesss!” because I knew what she was feelings.
It’s so neat to me how girls through the generations are mostly the same. They had the same feelings, experiences, and thoughts as we do. I just find it so cool!

Anyways, I just wanted to document my thoughts because this was such a fun book! All the old-fashioness of it made my heart happy yet all of is still relevant to today. Went straight on my favorites list.❤️ LOVED!
Oh, and I just can’t wait for Joe to be more apart of the story! I already love him!

[laaaaames · Rating 5 out of 5]

I CAN'T BELIEVE BETSY'S IN HIGH SCHOOL YOU GUYS.

I had been feeling crazy guilty for never having read these as a kid, when I was in full-blown love with Deep Valley. But it looks as if the "grown-up" Deep Valley books were out of print for awhile. Man, what a frigging revelation to have them back.

Maud Hart Lovelace - bear with this comparison here, you guys - does what I think JK Rowling is really adept at - letting her books grow up with her characters. It doesn't feel strange at all - well, once I got over the initial shock of Betsy Ray being obsessed with boys and good GOD the elegance of Vera Neville's drawings compared to the simplicity of Lois Lenski's.

Anyways, it's pretty pointless for me to "review" these because it's just gonna be five stars five stars five stars. That said, there are so many wonderful discoveries in these books, and the kind of lesson-learning that's real and earned and not boring preachy morality play crap.

Also can we talk about the dreaminess of the Deep Valley boys? It's all about Joe Willard and Tony Markham, am I right?

(read: 32 and 33)

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't begin to express my love for the Betsy-Tacy books - especially the high school & beyond books. I first read them over 45 years ago, when a kind librarian handed me "Betsy-Tacy" and told my mother that she thought I would enjoy it. And I have since reread them dozens of times throughout the years. I recently repurchased the entire high school & beyond books in e-book format. Every few years I revisit one of them, which invariably leads to me rereading the entire high school & beyond suite -- 6 books in all, if you include Emily of Deep Valley and Carney's House Party. As a young girl, I was interested in writing and fancied myself a bit of a writer like Betsy. And her experiences growing up are so relatable, filled with such universal themes as anticipation of entering a new phase in life, making new friends while still being true to oneself, falling in love, a struggle to be more than just what is typically expected of you, lasting friendship, and always, the deep love & support of family.

These books are the perfect comfort food for me. I plan to introduce my baby great-niece to Betsy-Tacy as soon as she is old enough to begin reading.

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a two-book volume

1. "Heaven to Betsy" --- Well, Betsy has certainly changed since "Downtown" when her life began to expand. In this book, she has become quite the twit --- idiotically boy crazy, shallow, boring, and, yes, actually a rather poor student. Tacy's effective absence from her life after the move to High Street certainly shows. Although Tacy still seems a bit star-struck by her childhood friend, Tacy's indifference to boys and the constancy of her life would perhaps have been a foil. (Goodness, I'm starting to think these are real people!)

But, really, what could one expect after the move and beginning high school? Betsy, who up till now has been the model of a wonderful girl for us readers, has to do a lot of growing up, just as all of us readers have/had to do. That Betsy stumbles into the Vapid Swamp is exactly what a lot of us do/did. So, Mrs. Lovelace, you have done it again: Truth prevails.

This book is quite different in tone from the previous books. I think the change of illustrators exemplifies this: The style of the pictures has changed from the "story book" style of the previous books to a more "action based" style. We are no longer in the world of childhood where experience is direct, uncomplicated, and daily. Now, we learn about housework, recipes for making coffee and fudge, planning one's school work, speculations about the "Greater World", desire to leave the nest. These are the how-to's and attitudes that make us autonomous and capable people.

One issue: I am surprised at how quickly the Rays became relatively well-to-do. My impression is that they lived in the yellow house on Hill Street because there was not just that much discretionary money in the family. But, in this book, the house is much grander and at least upper middle class. A symbol here is the brass bowl that Mrs. Ray covets for the front window. Indeed, Mrs. Ray has become quite house proud. Help me here. Has business picked up for Mr. Ray? Were Mr. and Mrs. Ray thrifty savers? Does it matter whether the reader knows? I, at least, feel that I should have some insight here as Mrs. Lovelace has changed the scene so much.

2. "Betsy in Spite of Herself" --- Betsy's high school history continues with her sophomore year. In this book, Betsy makes her first big foray into the great world: She foregoes Christmas at home (!) to visit Tib and her family in Milwaukee for about two weeks. It's like a trip to a foreign country given how German/Middle European Milwaukee is. Very interesting history for me. She also makes her first manipulative conquest of a boy as part of an effort to make herself more "interesting" and, in the course of the relationship, temporarily alienates her friends and finally learns that she should be herself. The boy, Phil, makes an excellent mirror for Betsy to see how internally ugly she can be. Actually, another big event is the high school graduation of Julia, Betsey older sister. This is and will be a big event in Betsy's life as Julia, at least as Betsy interprets her wisdom sayings, has not in the long run been a good influence on Betsy. Also, I note that, although Tacy remains very close, Betsy need not run to Tacy when the Phil dumps her: She stops at the park with the fountain on the way to Hill Street and works it out for herself. Brava, Betsy! Later, Tacy and she have no need to "talk details" as they have a more adult sympathy for each other's feelings such that details don't really matter.

There are two magnificent scenes in this book. Mrs. Lovelace at her artistic best. The first is the description of the Milwaukee train pulling out Deep Valley station and the gradual visual diminishment eventual disappearance of everyone Betsy knows. The second is the long nighttime conversation that Betsy and Tib have on New Year's night. Although Betsy and Tib express some foolish ideas, they are completely open with each other about short-run hopes and dreams. This is the longest conversation, I believe, in any of the books so far.

Brava, Mrs. Lovelace.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cleanliness:

Sexual Content
Lust - 7 Incidents: A few girls wish they could have Herbert Humphreys as a beau. Someone says that Julia is interested in “music and boys.” A girl mentions she’s just practicing with the other boys she’s “courting” until her Tall Dark Stranger comes along. A discussion on how a girl is supposed to act with boys follows. A boy takes a girl’s arm protectively as he begins to have stronger feels for her then just friendship. “‘You ought to come see me oftener,’ said Betsy, giving him a radiant smile. Dog that I am, she thought. Pin had veered to Winona. He didn’t belong to Bonnie any longer. He wasn’t Betsy’s rightful prey. But she was too reckless to care.” A boy’s “tone was caressing and moved his arm slightly as though with a little encouragement he might become sentimental.” “Harry had taken Julia’s arm possessively, and in his eyes was a look her sister knew well.”

Making Out/Sex - 7 Incidents: Two boys kiss a girl on her cheeks at the same time. Then another boy kisses her. (There is mistletoe hanging at the door). A boy and girl are dancing and then suddenly he holds her tight and kisses her. She is upset. “She would never forget Tony kissing her under the mistletoe even though now, to her continued amazement, he was just like anyone else … all the magic gone.” Mentions mistletoe and kissing. Boys try to kiss her (holding mistletoe) but Betsy ducks. A man mentions that it’s leap year and teases Betsy about asking him for a kiss. Mentions a lady and a Crown Prince having quite an affair.
Miscellaneous - 11 Incidents: This book has many guys and girls going out together, having beaus (sometimes several at once), trying to attract boys, dancing and thinking guys are handsome. (Book takes place in the early 1900s). “Worrying about how to fill their training bras.” Mentions corset covers. Mentions “dancing girls” in a nickelodeon. Julia (the older sister) “preferred one completely devoted swain, but she always tired of him and went on to another, indifferent to the sufferings of the discarded one.” A girl puts on her prettiest underwear and “pinned starched ruffles across her chest to give her figure an Anna Held curve.” A “slinky Paris gown.” “She had a rounded bust above a very slender waist.” A grandma is wearing a dress which “buttoned tightly over an imposing bosom.” A young man and girl are dancing, “she put out her hand: he took it in a large strong grip. Both of them smiled.” A boy tries to hold a girl’s hand but she says she doesn’t do that.

Illustrations - 5 Incidents: a girl wearing a petticoat, two girls wearing petticoats, two boys kissing a girl, two girls playing at a Ouija Board, a girl wearing a petticoat

Profanity
Mild Obscenities & Substitutions - 45 Incidents: dickens, phooey, gosh, hallelujah, heck, by gum, pooh, darned, bosh, darn, gosh sake, shucks, oh fudge, durn
Religious Profanities - 35 Incidents: Wish to goodness, goodness, Gee, heavens, golly, for heaven's sake, Hully Gee, for Pete's sake,

Violence - None

Conversation Topics - 13 Incidents
Betsy is a little vain, worrying about how she looks, “Every time she looked into a mirror Betsy hoped to find that her looks had changed.” (This is sprinkled throughout). This book has many guys and girls going out together, having beaus (sometimes several at once), trying to attract boys, dancing and thinking guys are handsome. (Book takes place in the early 1900s). The maid’s beau is a bartender. Mentions how women in Deep Valley didn’t wear rouge (not proper) except for Miss Mix who “used it unreproved.” “They drank wine … but don’t forget you’re a minister’s daughter.”
Julie and Betsy want to switch churches and go to an Episcopalian one instead of their parents’ Baptist church. The girls eventually ask their parents permission, discuss it and go to the Episcopalian church. Mentions Halloween a few times and there is a Halloween party in Chapter 15. At the party they would “try in magic ways to peer into the future” such as by counting seeds in an apple, etc. The father smokes a cigar. There is a Ouija Board and it is a main object in several chapters. A boy (a main character) smokes cigarettes and hangs out with bad influences. A girl isn’t sure whether she should go to the theatre on a Sunday but decides her father would say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do!” Regarding a beau: “Betsy started reforming Phil. He smoked. He smoked a pipe. He was the only boy in Betsy’s circle who smoked, except behind the barn. It was a wonderful evening when Phil gave his pipe to Betsy.” Positively discusses “play-acting,” pretending to be someone you’re not.

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[Faith Bell]

These books were staples in my early teen years and every once in a while when I need a cozy, easy read I revisit them.
Maud Hart Lovelace has a gift for writing descriptions and makes it easy to enter the world of Betsy -Tacy.

[Kayse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remembered much more of “Betsy in Spite of Herself” than I did of “Heaven to Betsy,” which was interesting because I definitely read both as a kid. Both were fun to read and made me long for a simpler time.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgic and heartwarming. This book is pure comfort

[Holly Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is actually 2 novels in one. Heaven to Betsy is Betsy's freshman year of high school and Betsy in Spite of Herself is sophomore year. I read the entire Betsy-Tacy series when I was in 8th grade. I never owned any of the books, I checked them all out of the library.

A few years ago I bought Emma the 1st book in the series titled Betsy-Tacy which is about the beginning of their friendship in Kindergarten. I read it aloud to Emma before she could read. Then I looked to see if I could buy the whole series of books. I was very sad to see that all the later novels in the series were out of print.

A few months ago I saw an article in the news that the publisher was re-releasing all the high school books. I was so happy to hear that! Because these books are set in Minnesota, I have been more interested in re-reading them because I live here. (This spring I'm planning to visit the Betsy-Tacy houses in Mankato.)

A cool thing about these new editions is that they have lots of info and photos in the back about Maud Hart Lovelace and the parts of her life that the books were based on.

So back to the actual book...I absolutely loved it. I had forgotten most of it from when I first read it 20+ years ago. It's just a sweeter, simpler time. It's set around the same time as Anne of Green Gables and I think Betsy and Anne have quite a bit in common, both aspiring writers with very active imaginations and devoted best friends and they both end up falling in love with the boy next door. I just found myself able to relate so much to the way Betsy thinks. But this book is not for everyone. I actually wonder if very many teenagers today would have the patience for it. I think that's sad because when I was a teenager I loved to lose myself for a few hours in Betsy's world.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Updated review after second read: This is in the Ultimate Comfort Read category - soothing and light and funny. I would love to live in a time when young people stopped by each other's homes and made fudge and sang around a piano for fun.

Utterly delightful! Thank you, Allison, for sending me this for Christmas - it was exactly what I needed. I wasn't into Betsy - Tacy books when I was a kid, but now they are so much fun to read, especially this two-in-one volume about their freshman and sophomore years of high school. It's witty and innocent and sweet. The problems in this book are the kinds of problems I want to read about when the world is on fire: a dilemma over whether to become Episcopalian when your parents are Baptists; which shirtwaist to wear to a skating party; which boy you'd prefer to walk you to school. I'm going to read this aloud to my 11yo over spring break.

[Wynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started re-reading Betsy as I found a used copy of the last two books and wanted to give them to my niece. I would love to know what a 2019 girl thinks of them. I loved them at middle school age and related Betsy's high school life with that of my grandmother who was just a few years younger. As I read them as an adult, I thought about what does not change: young girls can be silly, make mistakes, want to figure out those strange boys, love their friends and grow up. And school is not #1. Julia seemed more real to me at this point. She was certainly a good big sister. By the end of the second book, Betsy has learned that one must be oneself. Which is a great lesson for anyone.

I will be interested in what my niece thinks.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

*see my reviews for the books separately*

[Gratia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a teenager at the turn of the 20th century

This series of books were a big part in the formation of my lifelong love of reading. By the age of 7, I finished the stories. I learned about big words like pulchritudinous, the literary works of Rabbie Burns, and life in the turn of the 20th century. Many decades later, I see that these stories influenced my world view, and I recommend them to any girl aged 5 to 13.

[Myrna ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different illustrator but the book is still great.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for the millionth time, although it was the first time in at least a decade. Loved just as much as ever.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was young, I discovered Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy books; I read and re-read the beginning reader books over and over, and then advanced to the books in which Betsy goes to high school and to Europe, and then marries. I always borrowed a Betsy-Tacy book from the library and read it in an afternoon, first thing before moving onto whatever other books I'd picked up that day. I never owned them, until I found the early books many, many years ago and snapped them up; the books for older readers never turned up...until they were re-printed about eight years ago.

Although I read Heavens to Betsy at Christmastime in 2009—it was a difficult Christmas, as I'd lost my mother at about the same time the previous year, and the book was the perfect tonic—I decided to not binge-read these six books. Good decision. A few weeks ago I found myself in need of something kind, gentle, and familiar, and turned to Betsy in Spite of Herself, which depicts Betsy's sophomore year at Deep Valley High. Don't laugh—it was just the thing.

In addition to her decision to become a “dark and mysterious” creature (a vow that really never materializes, much to her dismay), Betsy's sophomore year involves attracting the new boy in town (who has a jaunty red car), her first high school dance, an essay-writing competition, and a trip to visit her (and Tacy's) friend Tib who for a while also lived in Deep Valley (we meet Tib in Betsy, Tacy, and Tib, one of the early books), but who now lives in the exotic city of Milwaukee. Much of this book is devoted to this Christmastime trip, with its nods to the hearty and utterly delightful pre-world war traditions and customs that German immigrants had brought to America.

For me, these books are the literary equivalent of comfort food, much like Lilian Jackson Braun's early Cat Who books; they're cozy and kind, and wonderfully comforting. They look back on a world that probably never existed, but that's really lovely to inhabit—if only for a few hours.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered the Betsy-Tacy books about 15 years ago and have been in love with them ever since. I never get tired of re-reading them. In them Maud Hart Lovelace fictionalizes her own childhood and young adult years spent in both Mankato, MN and Minneapolis. There are 10 Betsy-Tacy books all together. The first four are their childhood -- they meet at Betsy's 5th birthday party. The next four are the highschool years. In book 9 Betsy goes abroad for a year, and the 10th book is about the first few years of Betsy's married life. Every Betsy-Tacy book gets five stars from me, as do the other Deep Valley books (Carney's House Party, Winona's Pony Cart, and Emily of Deep Valley). I read the first four books to the kids and they both loved them as well. They are a glimpse into a past which is idyllic without being sentimental. And although the stories take place over one hundred years in the past, they are amazingly right for the present day. Two books (Betsy-Tacy Go Over the Big Hill and Emily of Deep Valley) even feature Syrian immigrants as primary figures in the main plot line. How timely is that?!

[Shana · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can one say about one of the best series ever? The continuing saga of Betsy Ray and her life in Deep Valley, now as a freshman and sophomore in college. (Two books in one edition here...) Betsy goes to see Tib in Milwaukee, has a nasty boyfriend whom she fortunately dumps, learns that one must prepare for big writing competitions, and most of all, still is Tacy's best friend. I am always heartbroken when they move to High Street, but what do you do?

And the next books are on order at the library -- someone else has them checked out. Gotta love that!

[Kiirsi Hellewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could give these books 100 stars. Ever since I was a kid and read the first "Betsy" book, I was hooked...in love...wanted to be one of Betsy's friends and live in Deep Valley. The 4 high school books are my favorite and I've read them so many times I lost count.

I love that these books have been re-issued and kept the original beautiful Vera Neville illustrations. Now I finally have them for my own to keep forever.

[Forever Young Adult]

Graded By: Susie
Cover Story: Call The Men in Black!
BFF Charm: Mindmeld
Swoonworthy Scale: Average of 4.5
Talky Talk: Inception!
Bonus Factors: Mysterious Loner Dude(s!), The Mrs. Hughes Award for Awesome Housekeepers
Anti-bonus Factor: The Brass Bowl
Relationship Status: Aspirational Friend

Read the full book report here.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't have much of a review for these books, because they mostly just make me spout lists of adjectives: comforting, old-fashioned, cozy, sweet, chummy... They also make me use words like "chummy".

Betsy reminds me in the best possible way of Anne Shirley, and all in all, it's a perfect tragedy that I didn't own this book when I was 11. Alas.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so, so, so happy these books have been reissued. Such a joy at any age.

[Kristal Ehrhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Betsy-Tacy series was my favorite from childhood! Maybe my favorite of all time.

[Jessica Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I re-read this book every January. Or, should I say I only let myself to read this book(and it's sequels) once a year, or else I would never read anything else!

[Sallie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read these books so many times over the years, and I was so delighted when they were reprinted in this format - 2 high school years together! Thank You Jennifer Hart!

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, Betsy is obsessed with boys and her appearance. But I love how she grows throughout these books, and her escapades never fail to make me smile.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are just as good as when I read them as a child and young adult. Timeless!