So, the best thing about the Betsy books is that they are funny and honest without being overly moralizing or sentimental. The second book is even better than the first one, and it speaks to the pressures of being a young woman in a society that places so much importance on a certain “feminine” ideal. Betsy is now a sophomore in high school. Her relationship to school has definitely improved, though she (still) has yet to learn the importance of academic writing over purple prose […]

Two years ago, I read the elementary school editions of the early Betsy-Tacy books for the first time ever. How did I miss out on this series? Either way, I’m glad to be reading them now. I was a huge Anne of Green Gables fan as a child and teen, and this series, set in Minnesota, contains many similarly charming elements. Betsy Ray is a beloved citizen of Deep Valley, and she has ruled the elementary coop with her best friend, Tacy Kelly. Yet life […]