| Title | : | Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill (Betsy-Tacy, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0064400999 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780064400992 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 180 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1942 |
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill (Betsy-Tacy, #3) Reviews
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My favorite part in this story was Betsy and her friends writing to the king of Spain which really happened in the author’s childhood.
Betsy is 10 in this book, so girls around this age would thoroughly enjoy this! -
I am so enjoying this series. This is the third book and possibly my favorite so far, and I liked the second book more than the first, but that's hard to say because they're all so good. I have the fourth one to read before I get to the (middle) two in the series which are the only two that I think I read as a girl; I'll remember when I read them if I did. I'm glad that this time I'm reading them in order from start to finish.
Maud Hart Lovelace is a talented storyteller and she has a vivid recollection of her childhood. I love reading about this more innocent time. Betsy and her friends turn ten in this book and it takes place in 1902. She gets the experience of being a child exactly right and doesn't talk down at all to kids, which I really appreciate.
I really loved the American immigrant sub-plot in this book, and the book ends with a 4th of July event, and I finished reading it on 7/3 so that was fun.
This edition has some wonderful childhood photos of Maud and her friends, family, neighbors, and notes so that the reader can see how much these books are based on Maud’s life.
How on earth did I not read all of these books when I was young?! I’m always kidding my friends what deprived childhoods they had because they missed reading some of my favorite children’s books, but now I feel I’m the deprived one to have missed reading these books. -
This book begins with Tacy, Tib and finally Betsy (on April 25) turning 10: the double-digit birthday that is a turning point in every childhood. Appropriately, the book's main adventure has to do with widening horizons. When the girls climb the 'big hill' and go into the forbidden territory of Little Syria, they are doing so for self-interested reasons. (The younger sisters are in competition with their older sisters to get signatures for a contest.) But the real adventure, the true learning experience, happens when the girls befriend the Syrian/Lebanese neighbours who have recently become part of the Deep Valley community. One of the (many) reasons that I love the Betsy-Tacy books is that they depict the world of small-town Minnesota so beautifully, and yet also give the reader surprising glimpses and insights into the wider world. When the girls stand up against the bullies who are bothering their new friend Naifi, Tib's dress gets torn. But Tib's mother assures them she is glad that Tib defended her new friend, even at the expense of her best dress. "Foreign people should not be treated like that. America is made up of foreign people." This book takes place in 1902, and was published in 1942, but its message is still relevant. I was enchanted by the Betsy-Tacy books when I was a little girl growing up in the 1970s, and I'm delighted to discover that they still retain their charm. They are wonderful books about friendship - and about growing up.
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The fun continues in this third installment of Maud Hart Lovelace's wonderful Betsy-Tacy series, which follows the adventures of three young girls - Betsy (Elizabeth) Ray, Tacy (Anastacia) Kelly, and Tib (Thelma) Muller - as they grow up in early twentieth-century Minnesota. In Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill, the three friends celebrate their tenth birthdays, fall in love (all together) with the young King of Spain, and visit Little Syria - the colony of Lebanese immigrants just outside of Deep Valley.
Lovelace's prose is deceptively simple, and the events she chronicles are rarely earth-shattering, but somehow the narrative she creates - of friends and family, of school-life and childhood play - is as compelling as it is heartwarming. I was particularly struck by the sub-plot involving Naifa and her family, who are so determined to be good Americans, and - given the autobiographical nature of the series - wondered if the author had a young Lebanese friend as a girl.
All in all, I find that the more I read of Betsy, Tacy and Tib, the more I want to read! My only complaint thus far is that each story ends far too quickly! -
Re-read for VSC discussion.
"Tacy loved to say 'indeed.'"
09-23-2011:
Here's a quote from the sentimental Mrs. Kelly that I had never noticed before:
"Mrs. Kelly did not seem to notice the grown-upness. She took Betsy's round red cheeks in her hands and said, 'It's five years today that you and Tacy have been friends.'"
I love Mrs. Kelly. Love that she saves Tacy's shorn curl in a candy box and that she remarks on the longevity of B&T's friendship.
Re-read for the VSC discussion. -
My girls begged me to keep reading this book after each chapter was over. This has been my favorite one in the series so far.
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9/2012 Oh, Bob Ray, how I love you. I always refer to my own father as "practically perfect" because he's not Bob Ray. I love this book almost as much as I love Bob Ray. Everyone's personality is here, foreshadowing so much (just like Tib!) though this time through I did wonder when Dave's mom got her hearing back.
12/2009 This story finds Betsy, Tacy and Tib at ten years old. Their world is getting wider, and they are learning new things. This is the first time that the Lebanese settlement of Little Syria is mentioned in the series, and it's nicely done. Cultural differences are examined in a way that pre-teens will understand, and more importantly, care about. Relationships with elder siblings are handled with what appears to this only child to be truth and, well, beauty. Another lovely chapter in the Betsy-Tacy story.
I don't know how to add the edition I have, which is the original, titled Over The Big Hill. It was later changed to Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill help people associate it with the series. -
Solid four stars.
This next installment in the Betsy-Tacy armoire... No wait. That's not the word I want. I think it has a "v" in it. Uvula? No... It also has an "o." I know it's not ovary. Someone used it in a review I saw a few weeks ago, and I thought he was a pretentious snot, so I decided to one up him and be ostentatious, and now the whole thing is just falling apart. Dammit. This calls for research. Stand by.
...
Looks like oeuvre is the wanted word... but now I don't want it anymore. You know, this happens every damn time I try to use one of those bloody ten dollar words, though I reckon it's now a fifteen dollar word due to inflation, and now this review is a complete mess before it even gets started. When will I ever learn to just stay where I belong and stick to the low-class, fifty cent deals?
This latest installment in the Betsy-Tacy series is the best so far. I've given all three books four stars because Goodreads offers no alternative, but the first two are technically 3.5 stars and this is a solid four. It turns out these books are based on real events and people from Maud Hart Lovelace's childhood, and you can see that. In the
first book Betsy and Tacy were five years old, and only a little older the
second one, and their adventures reflect that. In this, they and Tib are ten years old, so they're allowed more leeway, and what they get into is more interesting. Plus, this one has a bigger story that takes place over the course of the whole book. It's more structurally sound, and everything ties together in the end. In the first two, there were more short episodes strung together with no major overarching theme.
I liked how the girls wrote to the King of Spain. It sounds like something I might do. In fact, I plan to write my governor in the next couple of days about something that doesn't really amount to a hill of beans in the grand scheme of things, especially with everything else he has on his plate. I'm not doing it because Betsy, Tacy, and Tib did something similar; this was my plan regardless. I doubt he'll ever see the letter, but it still feels right that I should send it.
Like I've mentioned in my other reviews, it's nice to see some little girls having good, wholesome fun and not acting like little brats... Well, they get a little bratty at one point, but it's age appropriate. They're nothing like some other horrible little urchins I've read about in more modern children's books. I've also mentioned in one of my other reviews that kids today probably can't relate to these, but that's different with this one. It's definitely more relatable.
Another reason I liked this one more is that it's very pro-America, though it doesn't tear down any other countries in the process. I'm also rather patriotic, so this hit me in the right spot.
Check it out if you like the genre. You can read this as a standalone without having to hit the other two first. -
Going on ten seemed to be exactly the right age for having fun.
The three girls look forward to their tenth birthdays, and all the new thrills that "being older" will bring. With the young king of Spain's coronation grabbing the headlines, the pals become royalty obsessed, and decide to crown their own Queen of Summer. Too bad some other girls have had the same idea.
Don't worry - despite some rough moments, fun times, love, and laughs always prevail. -
Unironically this was pretty cool
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Another delightful book in the Betsy and Tacy series. I appreciate it that the girls are not sickeningly sweet, but that they learn and grow as they relate to others. In this installment they befriend a little girl who is a Syrian refugee and through her they learn some important lessons about kindness, forgiveness, and patriotism.
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This book had more of a storyline than the first two. I enjoy reading about the friendships of these three sweet girls, but could especially relate to the bond, competitions, and love of sisters.
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Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill is the third book in the timeless Betsy-Tacy-Tib series. In this latest chapter in the trio's childhood, the girls begin to develop with age and maturity. First the girls turned ten which is a big deal for them, especially for Betsy. They finally have two numbers for their age. The second big moment for the girls is they develop their very first crush on the newly annointed King of Spain named Alphonso. And the third pivotal moment in their young lives is when they meet a community of Syrians in Deep Valley who has not exactly been greeted warmly by its natives. It is so much fun watching the girls grow up in this series. The tone of Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill is slightly more somber yet realistic than the previous two books since it briefly touches on prejudice and unrequited first love.
The Betsy-Tacy books were highly autobiographical and Lovelace perfectly captures the innocence and magic of childhood. If you read this book and love it, please read the series. It will be books that you will never forget as long as you live. I also recommend the "Betsy-Tacy Companion" which is an amazing book that disects each book and compares it to it's real-life counterparts, including pictures of the "real" Betsy, Tacy, Tib and all the gang.
I had the pleasure of visiting "Deep Valley" (aka Mankato, Minnesota) for a Betsy-Tacy convention back in 1996. It was incredible to step back in time and enter Betsy's world. We toured the city and I was actually able to step foot in "Tacy's" bedroom and sit on the famous bench at the top of the big hill. It was truly a life-altering experience. I have to thank my sister, Julie for introducting these books to me and changing my life.
It's obvious how much these books mean to me. My first born child was named Tacy Kelly Maloy. Please read and enjoy. They are a treasure! -
Revisiting this classic series as an adult - I know I read these as a child, but I don't think I reread them or I'd have a better memory of them.
It was a pleasant surprise to find the "foreigners" (Syrian - modern day Lebanese - immigrants) in this book regarded as people to be applauded and welcomed, rather than feared and judged. The little girls remark on the differences in dress, mannerisms, language, and culture, for the most part in a positive way. The adults remark on how "foreign" people should be supported and even admired (here things veered heavily Christian and patriotic, sigh) for wanting to be American. I wondered if part of this was reflective of the persecution people of German descent were suffering in 1942, when the book was published, and since WWI. But the author may just have been remembering her childhood - hard to say. At one point Betsy's older sister has a negative reaction to Betsy having gone to the Syrian part of town, and Betsy immediately rejects it and tells her it was "lovely". Either way, it was nice to not be reading blatant racism in a book set around 1900 and published in 1942.
There was also a brief cameo by a disabled person - a neighbor who is Deaf (described in the thankfully out of fashion way people used to describe Deaf people who didn't speak, at least outside their own family), married to a Deaf man, with a baby who was "just as loud as any other baby". They go by her house, remark on how she taught the little girls to finger spell in sign language, and communicate with her using that as one of the strategies. She later brings her baby to a neighborhood party. Just a neighbor. Again, a rarity in older books! -
Update on June 15, 2015: Maud Hart Lovelace once again has a wonderful way of storytelling in the third book in the series. Betsy, Tacy, and Tib go on even more adventures in this book. Their first adventure is turning ten together! With their new age and maturity they are able to go past the big hill to discover amazing surprises (I will not ruin what happens). Let's just say it involves an argument with older sisters over who should be the queen of the summer that actually ends with a surprising new character.
This book is just like an old friend to me as I grew up with this series and the Little House series. I read all of the Betsy-Tacy books every summer (unfortunately not on a big hill because I don't have one nearby). In this one, it is nice to see the dialogue and plot become more advanced as the characters themselves develop during their pre-teen years. And as always, Lois Lenski's illustrations help show this with her charming depictions. -
I wonder how many kids read the Foreword by Judy Blume and the notes at the end of the book. Now that I know the story is semi-autobiographical, I understand why the books in this series seem so real.
Here's an example of a paragraph that put a smile on my face:
"The sooner we don't see them the better, I think," said Betsy gloomily. "Gee whiz!" she added. Betsy very seldom said "Gee whiz!" She was too religious. But it was all she could think of to express her feelings now.
("Them" being their older sisters.)
The closing sentences reflect the upbeat tone of the books:
[Betsy and Tacy and Tib] soon stopped being ten years old. But whatever age they were seemed to be exactly the right age for having fun. -
This third novel in the Betsy-Tacy series didn't have nearly as much wide-eyed wonder and imagination as the first two, but that's probably because Betsy, Tacy, and Tib are practically grown up now that they have two numbers in their age (10).
When the three girls go over the big hill and meet a little girl who has immigrated from Syria and doesn't speak any English, their warm acceptance of her and her family starts a beautiful chain reaction in the community. I love the way that this series encourages compassion and kindness without ever becoming preachy. -
Still 5 stars. It’s especially fun, as an adult, to see BT&T’s world growing bigger as they meet people from a different culture, confront bigotry, and travel to the edges—and beyond—of the Hill Street neighborhood. I especially loved meeting all the neighbors. Now, I’m looking forward to Sallie’s questions!
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8/6/2022 - Just finished a second reading to refresh my memory before this month's Betsy-Tacy Society discussion of this third book in the series. It's fun to see the girls growing up and getting into bigger adventures now that they're 10 years old. Their friendship with the people of Little Syria is especially sweet and enjoyable.
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The third book is this cute series. It was fun to ready about the innocence of an era gone by.
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Still enjoyable.
4 Stars, family read-aloud, #betsytacy2019, VT 2019 Reading Challenge: a book for children or teens -
I liked this part too, but it was less... Hard to tell what exactly less. I just enjoyed the previous two parts much more.
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Just a couple of excerpts...this book had some great passages! All three Wisconsin girls turn ten years old, and...fall in love with the King of Spain? Yup.
They sang to the tune of "Mine eyes have seen the glory," but they made up the words themselves:
"Oh, Betsey's ten tomorrow,
And then all of us are ten,
We will all grow up tomorrow,
We will all be ladies then..."
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"That was our last parade, I expect," said Betsy.
"Why?" asked Tib. "I think they're fun."
"We're getting too old for them," Tacy said.
"That's right," said Betsy. "Marching along and yelling will seem pretty childish after tomorrow."
"I suppose we'll start having tea parties," said Tacy.
"Yes. We'll crook our little fingers over the cups like this," answered Betsy, crooking her little finger in a very elegant way.
"We'll say 'indeed' to each other," said Tacy.
"And 'prefer'," said Betsy.
"Will it be fun?" asked Tib. She sounded as though she didn't think it would be.
"Fun or not," said Betsy, "we have to grow up. Everyone does."
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This year Betsy, Tacey, and Tib have two numbers in their age, and they go farther up the Big Hill than ever before.
Imagine my surprise when what what is over the hill is the neighborhood of Little Syria. And my further surprise when Little Syria and its Syrian immigrants end up being a major story line. How unexpected and wonderful! I love that the real event of the King of Spain assuming power on his 16th birthday in 1902 is included here, and that they all decide they are in love with him. I love that they fight on behalf of an immigrant girl being teased. I love that they all go to different churches.
Still such a lovely and timely story.
Now that I know it's 1902, I wish we'd had a bit about turn-of-the-century celebrations in a previous book. I imagine it must have been quite exciting. Even in Deep Valley. -
Another book in the Betsy-Tacy series. Personally, I like this one less. It pretty much had everything to do with a disagreement between Betsy and her sister, but she did seem to learn a lesson in the end.
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Re-reading the series with Birdy.
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I don't think I can rate this properly because I moved straight on to the next book. I thought the Syrian neighborhood was well done but that it dragged on for a little too long.
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I really liked the plot of this story! My favorite part was when the girls, Julia, Katie, Betsy, Tacy and Tib, went out for votes on who should be queen. Great ending, too!
