Dianne-TX Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 My dd7 fell in love with the first Betsy Tacy book and the 2nd one, Betsy Tacy and Tib. I haven't read these books. Is there anything questionable in them? Should I get the rest of the set for her or would you advise to wait until she is older? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Love love love Betsy-Tacy. They are absolutely charming. Lovely and sweet. I read the whole series as a young girl and let my dd do the same. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 I adored these books as a girl. I can't remember anything the least bit questionable about them. For a seven year old, I would stop when Betsy gets to high school (although those are my favorites and I'm seriously considering buying them for me, since I love to reread them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphabetika Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 (edited) Betsy-Tacy books are the most perfect reading for a seven-year-old girl. Oh my goodness. We love them so! For a girl this age, I'd give the first four books then get the rest later. Whatever you do, don't miss the chapter where the girls are left in charge of Betsy's house and they decide to invent something to cook. "My mother says an onion improves anything!" You must read this chapter aloud. Okay, calming down now. ;) ETA: The chapter is called "Everything Pudding." ETA2: We have the whole set because my oldest dd was given the later ones as a Christmas gift. She is not typically sentimental about possessions, but this set is one of the very few things she has that she says she will never give away. Edited December 12, 2010 by Alphabetika Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dianne-TX Posted December 12, 2010 Author Share Posted December 12, 2010 Betsy-Tacy books are the most perfect reading for a seven-year-old girl. Oh my goodness. We love them so! For a girl this age, I'd give the first four books then get the rest later. Whatever you do, don't miss the chapter where the girls are left in charge of Betsy's house and they decide to invent something to cook. "My mother says an onion improves anything!" You must read this chapter aloud. Okay, calming down now. ;) This sounds familiar. My dd read that part to me laughing. It was so funny! The books sounded great! I'm excited! I'll get the first four. She will be so excited! Thanks everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Q Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 I adored these books as a girl. I can't remember anything the least bit questionable about them. For a seven year old, I would stop when Betsy gets to high school (although those are my favorites and I'm seriously considering buying them for me, since I love to reread them). :iagree: I just let my 12yo read the high school ones. If you are looking for another book after the first 4, be sure to read Winona's Pony Cart as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photo Ninja Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 I love these book! I loved them as a child, and my dd loved them, too. Get the first 4 books now and when your dd is older you can get the rest. There is nothing objectionable in the later books, but your dd probably won't be able to identify with Betsy as a high schooler and would most likely enjoy those more when she is older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Another vote for love, love, love the B-T books :) My dds got the series for Christmas 2 years ago and devoured them all. They are lots of fun, and very sweet. In the high school books, Betsy gets quite boy-crazy, but there is nothing objectionable in it--in fact there's a scene in one book where she has to be firm with a boy: "I just don't hold hands!" :lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dianne-TX Posted December 12, 2010 Author Share Posted December 12, 2010 :iagree: I just let my 12yo read the high school ones. If you are looking for another book after the first 4, be sure to read Winona's Pony Cart as well! Thanks! I didn't know about this one. There's also two more about other characters, as well. Great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 I didn't discover these books until I was pregnant with my fourth child, and I read them and loved them all! I agree with earlier posts that the ones when Betsy is younger are best for your daughter's age. Wait with the other ones until she is older. Nothing objectionable at all in them -- very sweet and wholesome. However, she will probably not appreciate or even understand them at their older age until she herself is older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah C. Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 I adored the Betsy-Tacy books! I'm not sure I ever finished the high school ones though, sadly. :( I'm sure they're wonderful. I agree with pp though: save the later books for when she's a bit older, because she won't be able to really relate to them yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialmama Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 LOVE LOVE LOVE Betsy Tacy here! I wish there were more in the series! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfinlady Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 My 9 year old reluctant reader just finished the third book and will begin the fourth today. She loves them! She has asked for the rest of the series, and I think I'll let her try them. If she doesn't enjoy the high school ones as well, we'll just put them away for later--after I read them! I somehow missed these when I was a child, and I'm enjoying them along with her. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 I love these, but depending on your beliefs, you might want to be aware that they play with a Ouija board in one of them--maybe the 4th one? Not sure. It's just considered a parlour game. I think the first one is wonderful--I have posted before about one of the most beautiful chapters in children's lit being from that one, when Tacy's baby sister dies, and Betsy is comforting her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Q Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 I love these, but depending on your beliefs, you might want to be aware that they play with a Ouija board in one of them--maybe the 4th one? Not sure. It's just considered a parlour game. That is in Heavens to Betsy. It bothered me enough to mention it to my girls before they read it. Then again, that is also the book that has Betsy going to Christian Endeavor at the Presbyterian Church and joining the Episcopalian Church even though her family are Baptists - though that might happen in a later book? Betsy is at that age where she is thinking things through and that is always good for discussion. Anyway, Betsy is thoughtful about her beliefs all through the books, from the death of Tacy's sister (like you mentioned!) to worrying about her husband never going to church. These things have led to positive discussions overall. ETA: To the OP - the books about Emily and Carney are post-High School and pretty romantic, though in a very clean way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 They are wonderful books. As others have said, I gave dds the first few when they were young and saved the others for when they were a bit older. I did the same with Anne of Green Gables and the Little House series. They weren't terribly interested in boys and marriage at 6 or 7 yo. :D Winona's Pony Cart is also excellent, as a pp mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairytalemama Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 I read the first three to my 5 year old and she loved them. Nothing objectionable in those that I can remember. We actually had a great discussion during the one (I think it's the 3rd) about when Betsy and Tacy become friends with the immigrant girl--- about what immigration is and about being kind to people who are different than us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalphs Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Dd loves Betsy-Tacy! She read the first part of the series when they were little girls. However she said she will wait a while to begin reading the books where they turn into teenagers. Last summer we visited the Betsy-Tacy sites in Mankato, Minnesota. You can view the sites at www.betsy-tacysociety.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 My 9yo treasures the first four books and rereads them often. I loved the part about cooking in the kitchen too!:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 My dd7 fell in love with the first Betsy Tacy book and the 2nd one, Betsy Tacy and Tib. I haven't read these books. Is there anything questionable in them? Should I get the rest of the set for her or would you advise to wait until she is older? Thanks. These are such great books. I do like the high school books. In fact Betsy sees the world is one of my favorites. One thing I really like about them is that while she keeps doing stupid things, she also has to wrestle with the consequences of these choices (like losing a coveted essay writing contest because she procrastinated studying for it). I think I'd put the older books in the same category as the later Little House on the Prairie books. Not that there is anything graphic or adult in them, but just that much of it would be more appreciated by a reader with a little more life experience under her belt. But I wouldn't necessarily wait until the reader was in high school. I think they'd be sweet reads for a middle schooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dianne-TX Posted December 13, 2010 Author Share Posted December 13, 2010 That is in Heavens to Betsy. It bothered me enough to mention it to my girls before they read it. Then again, that is also the book that has Betsy going to Christian Endeavor at the Presbyterian Church and joining the Episcopalian Church even though her family are Baptists - though that might happen in a later book? Betsy is at that age where she is thinking things through and that is always good for discussion. Anyway, Betsy is thoughtful about her beliefs all through the books, from the death of Tacy's sister (like you mentioned!) to worrying about her husband never going to church. These things have led to positive discussions overall. ETA: To the OP - the books about Emily and Carney are post-High School and pretty romantic, though in a very clean way! Thank you for mentioning that. I didn't look at those two books yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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