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Betsy-Tacy #5
Heaven to Betsy
High School is Heaven. It's Betsy Ray's freshman year at Deep Valley High School, and she and her best childhood chum, Tacy Kelly, are loving every minute. Betsy and Tacy find themselves in the midst of a new crowd of friends, with studies aplenty (including Latin and--ugh--algebra), parties and picnics galore, Sunday night lunches at home--and boys!
There's Cab Edwards, the jolly boy next door; handsome Herbert Humphreys; and the mysteriously unfriendly, but maddeningly attractive, Joe Willard. Betsy likes them all, but no boy in particular catches her fancy until she meets the new boy in town, Tony Markham . . . the one she and Tacy call the Tall Dark Handsome Stranger. He's sophisticated, funny, and dashing--and treats Betsy just like a sister. Can Betsy turn him into a beau?
An entertaining picture of school clubs, fudge parties, sings around the piano, and Sunday-night suppers in Betsy's hospitable home.' 'Chicago Tribune.
268 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1945
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1976 people want to read
About the author
Maud Hart Lovelace
45 books730 followersMaud 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 331 reviews
March 6, 2020
I love this book! I love Betsy and the Rays and the world of Deep Valley! I am discovering them for the first time as an adult and, while part of me is sad I missed out on counting Betsy as a book-chum all these years (I know I would have found her such a kindred spirit in my own teen years), I'm also very glad to be discovering these books at this time in my life -- it is such a joy and a relief from some of the difficult realities in my life right now to slip into Betsy's world of youthful joys and tribulations that are never as terrible as they may seem.
I had several friends who raved about Betsy-Tacy when I was in my early teens. For some reason, I hadn't been introduced to these books as a child. When I picked up the first book to give it a try in more advanced years, I think it was just too young for me and I put it down without realizing that the writing style gains more depth and breadth as the girls grow. (If any one else out there has felt the same way, please don't ignore the series like I did! Skip ahead to the third book, or even the fifth book, and see what you think then!) Not wanting to deprive my own children of a book much beloved by many, I read the first book to read to my oldest (six years old) a few months ago and he loved it. We kept with the series through the fourth book but he lost interest when Betsy goes to high school. I kept on reading on my own and am so glad I am doing so!
I loved "Heaven to Betsy" so much I just wanted to hug it when I had finished. It made me wish (not for the first time) that my own high school years could have been in a time and place like Deep Valley – I probably would have been much more outgoing if I could have enjoyed such innocent fun as Betsy had with “The Crowd” – all that laughter and palling around – and fudge! ;-) and the gatherings at Betsy’s house dancing and singing around the piano. *wistful sigh* I find Betsy a kindred spirit with her love of writing and (as in her previous books) I was impressed with the progressive turn of events and the way Mr and Mrs Ray handled Betsy and Julia wishing to become Episcopalians. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series and am happy to finally join the ranks of Betsy-Tacy fans.
I had several friends who raved about Betsy-Tacy when I was in my early teens. For some reason, I hadn't been introduced to these books as a child. When I picked up the first book to give it a try in more advanced years, I think it was just too young for me and I put it down without realizing that the writing style gains more depth and breadth as the girls grow. (If any one else out there has felt the same way, please don't ignore the series like I did! Skip ahead to the third book, or even the fifth book, and see what you think then!) Not wanting to deprive my own children of a book much beloved by many, I read the first book to read to my oldest (six years old) a few months ago and he loved it. We kept with the series through the fourth book but he lost interest when Betsy goes to high school. I kept on reading on my own and am so glad I am doing so!
I loved "Heaven to Betsy" so much I just wanted to hug it when I had finished. It made me wish (not for the first time) that my own high school years could have been in a time and place like Deep Valley – I probably would have been much more outgoing if I could have enjoyed such innocent fun as Betsy had with “The Crowd” – all that laughter and palling around – and fudge! ;-) and the gatherings at Betsy’s house dancing and singing around the piano. *wistful sigh* I find Betsy a kindred spirit with her love of writing and (as in her previous books) I was impressed with the progressive turn of events and the way Mr and Mrs Ray handled Betsy and Julia wishing to become Episcopalians. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series and am happy to finally join the ranks of Betsy-Tacy fans.
September 16, 2012
This book is just fine. But there's too much change! Ah!
First of all, Betsy moves! And then, because of that...
My main qualm is that there is way way way too much boy-stuff and not NEARLY enough Tacy. In fact, since Tacy isn't boy crazy she ends up on the periphery of pretty much all the goings on of freshman year. And in turn, I ended up resenting every other girl introduced in this book. In short: screw you, Bonnie and Carney. Give me back my Tacy. ASAP. Also, it was clear all along what a bad seed Tony was, and I was pretty furious with Betsy for falling for him. So yeah. Those are my gripes.
At the same time, I thought it was a fascinating, accurate, and a throughly, surprisingly modern potrayal of coming of age. There are sleepovers, there are b'girl parties, there are boys walking girls home alone(!), ouija boards, , they all get around the piano and sing the same songs over and over (pre-radio, pre-MTV, but still, a teenage culture ruled by musical romanticism). There are lots of kissings on the cheek.
Betsy screws up a lot and cries a little. In the end she realizes "the crowd" is for a time, but her writing is forever, and that she needs to concentrate on it harder. More power to you, Betsy.
AND she and her sister decide they want to be Episcopalian instead of Baptist! And their dad says, well, ok. It's a really well written, tense, and realistic scene. And then he makes coffee, because that's what the Rays do when they're stressed.
It all could have been so cheesy, but every feeling in this book rang so true. Man oh man, I know I'm giving it a three because I resented the Tacylessness, but I was super into it, clearly, and hope the quiet rift between Betsy and Tacy is addressed (sometimes best friends fight, yo) in a later book. Hill Street 4ever, yo.
First of all, Betsy moves! And then, because of that...
My main qualm is that there is way way way too much boy-stuff and not NEARLY enough Tacy. In fact, since Tacy isn't boy crazy she ends up on the periphery of pretty much all the goings on of freshman year. And in turn, I ended up resenting every other girl introduced in this book. In short: screw you, Bonnie and Carney. Give me back my Tacy. ASAP. Also, it was clear all along what a bad seed Tony was, and I was pretty furious with Betsy for falling for him. So yeah. Those are my gripes.
At the same time, I thought it was a fascinating, accurate, and a throughly, surprisingly modern potrayal of coming of age. There are sleepovers, there are b'girl parties, there are boys walking girls home alone(!), ouija boards, , they all get around the piano and sing the same songs over and over (pre-radio, pre-MTV, but still, a teenage culture ruled by musical romanticism). There are lots of kissings on the cheek.
Betsy screws up a lot and cries a little. In the end she realizes "the crowd" is for a time, but her writing is forever, and that she needs to concentrate on it harder. More power to you, Betsy.
AND she and her sister decide they want to be Episcopalian instead of Baptist! And their dad says, well, ok. It's a really well written, tense, and realistic scene. And then he makes coffee, because that's what the Rays do when they're stressed.
It all could have been so cheesy, but every feeling in this book rang so true. Man oh man, I know I'm giving it a three because I resented the Tacylessness, but I was super into it, clearly, and hope the quiet rift between Betsy and Tacy is addressed (sometimes best friends fight, yo) in a later book. Hill Street 4ever, yo.
March 10, 2019
With every book my love for this series grows. I love Betsy (even if she IS rather boy crazy in this one) and I love her family and I love her friendship with Tacy. It’s all just so lovely.
June 5, 2017
I remember well how appalled I was on first reading this seventeen years ago (at age 30). Betsy had turned boy-crazy and the new illustrator made all the characters look like vacuous dolls. I recovered from these twin blows enough to persevere with the series, and even managed to enjoy it, especially the later books, which were the only ones I reread.
Still, it's been a surprise, a very nice one, to reread the books now, after letting them lie fallow for a good long time, and to find I appreciate them far more. Somehow, I am more willing to be tolerant of Betsy's silliness over boys this time around, more willing to be amused and to recognize that Lovelace doesn't necessarily mean for us to find it admirable! I was also far more willing to be interested in Betsy's new high school friends, especially Carney (originally, I agreed with Betsy's first assessment of her as "a stick"), having gotten to know and really like her in one of those later books, Carney's House Party.
I still dislike the illustrations as much as ever, and tried not to look at them.
A note on the edition: I was surprised and a little saddened to find that the copy of the book I read this time around (an older one, a 28th printing of the original hardback) is the only one the Queens library system owns (and this is the library with the largest circulation numbers in the country, I've been told). Worse, they don't have any of the books that come later! And the New York Public Library, which I also use, only has them in electronic versions. O tempora, o mores! I'll never be among the most fanatical of the Betsy fans, but it still makes me sad to think these books aren't as readily available as they should be for the rising generation.
Still, it's been a surprise, a very nice one, to reread the books now, after letting them lie fallow for a good long time, and to find I appreciate them far more. Somehow, I am more willing to be tolerant of Betsy's silliness over boys this time around, more willing to be amused and to recognize that Lovelace doesn't necessarily mean for us to find it admirable! I was also far more willing to be interested in Betsy's new high school friends, especially Carney (originally, I agreed with Betsy's first assessment of her as "a stick"), having gotten to know and really like her in one of those later books, Carney's House Party.
I still dislike the illustrations as much as ever, and tried not to look at them.
A note on the edition: I was surprised and a little saddened to find that the copy of the book I read this time around (an older one, a 28th printing of the original hardback) is the only one the Queens library system owns (and this is the library with the largest circulation numbers in the country, I've been told). Worse, they don't have any of the books that come later! And the New York Public Library, which I also use, only has them in electronic versions. O tempora, o mores! I'll never be among the most fanatical of the Betsy fans, but it still makes me sad to think these books aren't as readily available as they should be for the rising generation.
April 21, 2017
The Betsy-Tacy series was one of my 'comfort read' mainstays when I was growing up, but it has been many years since I had last read the older high school books. Over the next six weeks, I plan on rereading the last six books of the series: starting with this chronicle of Betsy's freshman year in high school and concluding with Betsy's Wedding.
Let me just say this: I've read literally hundreds of YA books (both contemporary and classic) in the last decade. A small percentage of them feature happy families and loving, loyalty friendships; the latter probably being slightly more common than the former. Part of the appeal of Lovelace's beloved books, based so closely on her own life, is that they give the reader a cosy, insider's glimpse into the world of turn-of-the-century small town Minnesota. (The fictional town of Deep Valley is based on Mankato, Lovelace's hometown.). But probably the most wholesome aspect of this series is that Betsy is a well-adjusted, (mostly) happy girl in a happy family. Dysfunctional families are a dime a dozen in realistic YA, but it is rare to find families who truly love and enjoy each other.
The book opens with a not altogether pleasant surprise for Betsy: her family is moving away from Hill Street on the edge of town - and just across the street from Tacy's house - to a bigger, newer house in High Street. There is a lot of change in this book: the new house, starting high school, boy craziness, Betsy's first real crush, religious conversion and friends coming and going. It's also the first time that her best friend Tacy is not absolutely at the center of her world. Although Betsy struggle with small vanities and some laziness, she mostly lives a charmed life - and is entirely happy within it. She is a sentimentalist who deeply loves her life and doesn't really yearn for the "Great Wide World" like her older sister Julia does. But she also dreams of becoming a writer - and by the end of this novel she has fresh resolve for shaping her future towards that goal.
Let me just say this: I've read literally hundreds of YA books (both contemporary and classic) in the last decade. A small percentage of them feature happy families and loving, loyalty friendships; the latter probably being slightly more common than the former. Part of the appeal of Lovelace's beloved books, based so closely on her own life, is that they give the reader a cosy, insider's glimpse into the world of turn-of-the-century small town Minnesota. (The fictional town of Deep Valley is based on Mankato, Lovelace's hometown.). But probably the most wholesome aspect of this series is that Betsy is a well-adjusted, (mostly) happy girl in a happy family. Dysfunctional families are a dime a dozen in realistic YA, but it is rare to find families who truly love and enjoy each other.
The book opens with a not altogether pleasant surprise for Betsy: her family is moving away from Hill Street on the edge of town - and just across the street from Tacy's house - to a bigger, newer house in High Street. There is a lot of change in this book: the new house, starting high school, boy craziness, Betsy's first real crush, religious conversion and friends coming and going. It's also the first time that her best friend Tacy is not absolutely at the center of her world. Although Betsy struggle with small vanities and some laziness, she mostly lives a charmed life - and is entirely happy within it. She is a sentimentalist who deeply loves her life and doesn't really yearn for the "Great Wide World" like her older sister Julia does. But she also dreams of becoming a writer - and by the end of this novel she has fresh resolve for shaping her future towards that goal.
April 10, 2020
Update 4/10/20 - During the current pandemic, rereading this was like eating a favorite comfort food. I loved the closeness of Betsy's family, the exploration of religion and spirituality, and the little details Maud used to describe each season of the year; summer, fall, winter, and spring.
9/28/13 - The more things change, the more they stay the same. Oh sure, the fashions were different in the first decade of the 1900s and perhaps the times more innocent. But mostly upon this most recent reread of a beloved series, I am struck by how much Betsy has in common with the youth of today. She's boy crazy, prefers friends to studying and finds it important to keep up with the latest fashions and health regimens. And just like teens today and always, the universe revolves around her.
9/28/13 - The more things change, the more they stay the same. Oh sure, the fashions were different in the first decade of the 1900s and perhaps the times more innocent. But mostly upon this most recent reread of a beloved series, I am struck by how much Betsy has in common with the youth of today. She's boy crazy, prefers friends to studying and finds it important to keep up with the latest fashions and health regimens. And just like teens today and always, the universe revolves around her.
October 22, 2007
This is the first book in the series of "older" Betsy even though it is actually the 5th book in the series. Heaven to Betsy is one of the most characteristic of this loved series. If you haven't read any of the others, you'd still enjoy it! Betsy and Tacy enter the wider world of the Deep Valley High School, the "Crowd," sings around Julia's piano, fudge, Heinz's . . . full of gentle humor, vivid characterization, and affection. It's Betsy Ray's freshman year at Deep Valley High School, and she and her best childhood chum, Tacy Kelly, are loving every minute. Betsy and Tacy find themselves in the midst of a new crowd of friends, with studies aplenty (including Latin and--ugh--algebra), parties and picnics galore, Sunday night lunches at home--and boys!
There's Cab Edwards, the jolly boy next door; handsome Herbert Humphreys; and the mysteriously unfriendly, but maddeningly attractive, Joe Willard. Betsy likes them all, but no boy in particular catches her fancy until she meets the new boy in town, Tony Markham . . . the one she and Tacy call the Tall Dark Handsome Stranger. He's sophisticated, funny, and dashing--and treats Betsy just like a sister. Can Betsy turn him into a beau?
An entertaining picture of school clubs, fudge parties, sings around the piano, and Sunday-night suppers in Betsy's hospitable home.
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!
There's Cab Edwards, the jolly boy next door; handsome Herbert Humphreys; and the mysteriously unfriendly, but maddeningly attractive, Joe Willard. Betsy likes them all, but no boy in particular catches her fancy until she meets the new boy in town, Tony Markham . . . the one she and Tacy call the Tall Dark Handsome Stranger. He's sophisticated, funny, and dashing--and treats Betsy just like a sister. Can Betsy turn him into a beau?
An entertaining picture of school clubs, fudge parties, sings around the piano, and Sunday-night suppers in Betsy's hospitable home.
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!
February 4, 2022
3.5 stars. I didn't love this as much as the previous four books, but it may not be the book's fault as much my own. First of all, I expected the book to be a comfort read, but most of it was about the disappointments and growing pains of Betsy's first year of high school. So I suffered along with our heroine!
Secondly, I'm more like Tacy than Betsy when it came to being crazy about boys. Sure, I had crushes, but I was never all-consumed with getting a boyfriend in my high school days. I was frustrated with Betsy for being so shallow in this area, but it comes out alright in the end.
Overall I enjoyed Lovelace's good storytelling and Betsy's growth in wisdom. The author did a beautiful job of showing her growth in faith without being preachy, which is no easy feat.
On to the sequel!
Secondly, I'm more like Tacy than Betsy when it came to being crazy about boys. Sure, I had crushes, but I was never all-consumed with getting a boyfriend in my high school days. I was frustrated with Betsy for being so shallow in this area, but it comes out alright in the end.
Overall I enjoyed Lovelace's good storytelling and Betsy's growth in wisdom. The author did a beautiful job of showing her growth in faith without being preachy, which is no easy feat.
On to the sequel!
March 7, 2023
I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH. I read the first four Betsy-Tacy books when I was younger, and when I got older I found Heaven to Betsy and the rest of my the books. At the perfect time, too.
Betsy is just such a wonderful character. From writing to boys, it’s so perfect. The more I think about it she really does seem like a slightly more modern Jo March. Honestly, though (SPOILER) I never really liked Tony. I knew what was up. 😭 This was a reread though.
Betsy also seems do have the most idyllic life ever. To be honest, I’m have jealous of her. I don’t have any guy friends lol. But she’s also so relatable because she while she is described as very pretty in my mind, she wishes she could be different.
I think my favorite part about this book is that while it does talk about boys, insecurities and friendships, it’s not all about any one of those things which in some books, can be annoying.
I hope you all read and enjoy this. 🤍
Betsy is just such a wonderful character. From writing to boys, it’s so perfect. The more I think about it she really does seem like a slightly more modern Jo March. Honestly, though (SPOILER) I never really liked Tony. I knew what was up. 😭 This was a reread though.
Betsy also seems do have the most idyllic life ever. To be honest, I’m have jealous of her. I don’t have any guy friends lol. But she’s also so relatable because she while she is described as very pretty in my mind, she wishes she could be different.
I think my favorite part about this book is that while it does talk about boys, insecurities and friendships, it’s not all about any one of those things which in some books, can be annoying.
I hope you all read and enjoy this. 🤍
October 12, 2019
When I first joined goodreads I added most of this series as the omnibus editions, even though I did not read them that way. Every time I remember that it bothers me, and I'm FINALLY fixing it.
I honestly can't remember my childhood without reading Betsy-Tacy. I keep thinking I didn't read her high school years until I was older, but actually... I must've been 11 or 12. And I didn't stop re-reading them for years. As a pre-teen, I considered myself an amalgamation of Betsy and Tacy. I didn't have the boy-craziness of Betsy, but I did want to be a writer. With Tacy however, I related to her reserved nature........ and the fact she didn't crush on boys like her friends. In fact, on the blog I kept as a 12 year old, I posted quotes of all the times where Tacy talks about this. I ended the post with the thought that "TACY ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Can't believe I turned out to be so gay. Shocking.
I honestly can't remember my childhood without reading Betsy-Tacy. I keep thinking I didn't read her high school years until I was older, but actually... I must've been 11 or 12. And I didn't stop re-reading them for years. As a pre-teen, I considered myself an amalgamation of Betsy and Tacy. I didn't have the boy-craziness of Betsy, but I did want to be a writer. With Tacy however, I related to her reserved nature........ and the fact she didn't crush on boys like her friends. In fact, on the blog I kept as a 12 year old, I posted quotes of all the times where Tacy talks about this. I ended the post with the thought that "TACY ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Can't believe I turned out to be so gay. Shocking.
October 26, 2014
BETSY RAY IS A FLIRT AND I LIKE IT.
May 30, 2022
I have reread this series several times and love them all. However this was not the right book for my current season of stress, etc, right now. 🙃 I had a hard time enjoying the light, playful storylines that are normally so fun.
This would be a much better read for December as there are many Christmas and winter chapters.
Betsy gets a Ouija board for Christmas which they use for silly questions, but I wouldn’t condone obviously.
I found the last third more enjoyable as I was probably in a better mindset. 🤗
Betsy’s honesty and mishaps of 9th grade are refreshing and amusing.
This would be a much better read for December as there are many Christmas and winter chapters.
Betsy gets a Ouija board for Christmas which they use for silly questions, but I wouldn’t condone obviously.
I found the last third more enjoyable as I was probably in a better mindset. 🤗
Betsy’s honesty and mishaps of 9th grade are refreshing and amusing.
May 30, 2024
ahhh such a cozy comforting silly relatable peaceful book <3 i’ve been reading this book series over and over since i was seven or eight and it’s still my favorite ever, i wish i lived in deep valley ;)
October 11, 2022
Reread, October 2022:
Upon reread I liked this a lot more than I did the first time, but it's still not my favorite of the series. It's enjoyable and a 4-star read though. You can't really go too wrong with any Betsy-Tacy book.
January 2021:
I struggled to get through this one. Betsy spent her freshman year of high school worrying about little else but boys, clothes, and her social life. I missed my adventurous, funny, storytelling Betsy, and I especially missed her friendship with Tacy, which was on the back burner. Thankfully Betsy learned not to neglect her true self by the end, so I have hope for the next book in the series.
Upon reread I liked this a lot more than I did the first time, but it's still not my favorite of the series. It's enjoyable and a 4-star read though. You can't really go too wrong with any Betsy-Tacy book.
January 2021:
I struggled to get through this one. Betsy spent her freshman year of high school worrying about little else but boys, clothes, and her social life. I missed my adventurous, funny, storytelling Betsy, and I especially missed her friendship with Tacy, which was on the back burner. Thankfully Betsy learned not to neglect her true self by the end, so I have hope for the next book in the series.
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May 6, 2022I didn't finish this one, so I'll not assign a star rating, but I think this is where Betsy and I must part company. Puberty has struck, and Betsy has morphed into one boy-crazy teen. This was not a stage of life that I enjoyed much, and I honestly don't enjoy reading about it. The magic of childhood is definitely gone in this volume, and also the good times with Betsy's old friends. Tib has moved to another state, and Tacy was rarely in the third of the book that I read.
When you find you have to force yourself to pick up a book, it's probably best to say goodbye . . .
When you find you have to force yourself to pick up a book, it's probably best to say goodbye . . .
April 29, 2025
4.5 stars! I thought nothing could top the first Betsy-Tacy book, but Heaven to Betsy comes very close! I’m obsessed with how accurate the first crush feelings are, both the highs and the lows. It made me remember so much about my own high school feelings. Still loving the fact that Maud Hart Lovelace wrote these books to grow with the reader as they age along with Betsy and Co. And the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are gorgeous!
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April 16, 2025All the Betsy-Tasy books are an absolute must for any girl, no matter the age. The high school ones are so fun and charming. Wish my hs life was even a quarter as fun as The Crowds.... :)
December 11, 2019
In a bittersweet moment at the close of Heaven to Betsy, Betsy reflects on her childhood home on Hill Street, which she was loathe to leave, and which now seems to belong wholly to the past: "And yet, even as she spoke, she knew that she did not wish to come back, not to stay, not to live. She loved the little yellow cottage more than she loved any place on earth, but she was through with it except in her memories." That sense, of leaving behind childish things, is continually evoked in this, Maud Hart Lovelace's fifth book detailing the adventures of Betsy Ray and Tacy Kelly, two best friends growing up in early twentieth-century Minnesota.
Just entering high school, Betsy and Tacy find a new world opening up before them, complete with new friends, a seemingly endless round of parties and activities, and all the pleasure and heartache of having "beaus" for the first time. Now a part of "The Crowd," Betsy and Tacy are soon involved in the social rituals of their teen years, with all the special vocabulary - pet phrases in Latin, references to the TDS (Tall, Dark Stranger) - and lighthearted fun one would expect. Although not boy-crazy like Betsy, who develops her first true crush on Deep Valley newcomer Tony Markham, Tacy nevertheless maintains an interest in, and sympathy for her friend's activities. But as freshman year draws to a close, it becomes apparent that something is off-kilter in their world...
Like Betsy when her family moves from Hill to High Street, I wasn't quite sure that I would like these new developments. I regretted the loss of the imaginative girl-child of Lovelace's first four books, not sure I would take to this giddy new creature who seemed determined to sell herself short at every opportunity. I resented the absence of Tib, whose sensible approach to matters always served as an excellent counter-balance to Betsy's exuberance, and longed to see more of Tacy, who seemed to have become a low narrative priority, subsumed by "The Crowd." I missed Lois Lenski's illustrations, which always seemed to perfectly match Lovelace's text, and found Vera Neville's work rather sentimental in comparison.
In short, I had reservations about the changes in Betsy-Tacy's world, however inevitable they may have been, and - having never really experienced the kind of adolescence described therein - found myself emotionally indifferent throughout much of the novel. Fortunately, my reading experience was redeemed by the sense of family love to be found in the Ray home; by the frank and tolerant manner in which Lovelace and her characters approached the issue of religious conviction, in the episodes involving Betsy and Julia's desire to become Episcopalians; and by Betsy's realization at the end of her freshman year that she should not have abandoned her writing.
This last factor, in particular, had me breathing a sigh of relief, as I realized that Betsy hadn't really changed, that she had just - as must we all - been going through some growing pains. It may not have had the magic of Betsy~Tacy or the other early books, but Heaven to Betsy strikes me as a necessary transition to the later books, which I now eagerly look forward to reading!
Just entering high school, Betsy and Tacy find a new world opening up before them, complete with new friends, a seemingly endless round of parties and activities, and all the pleasure and heartache of having "beaus" for the first time. Now a part of "The Crowd," Betsy and Tacy are soon involved in the social rituals of their teen years, with all the special vocabulary - pet phrases in Latin, references to the TDS (Tall, Dark Stranger) - and lighthearted fun one would expect. Although not boy-crazy like Betsy, who develops her first true crush on Deep Valley newcomer Tony Markham, Tacy nevertheless maintains an interest in, and sympathy for her friend's activities. But as freshman year draws to a close, it becomes apparent that something is off-kilter in their world...
Like Betsy when her family moves from Hill to High Street, I wasn't quite sure that I would like these new developments. I regretted the loss of the imaginative girl-child of Lovelace's first four books, not sure I would take to this giddy new creature who seemed determined to sell herself short at every opportunity. I resented the absence of Tib, whose sensible approach to matters always served as an excellent counter-balance to Betsy's exuberance, and longed to see more of Tacy, who seemed to have become a low narrative priority, subsumed by "The Crowd." I missed Lois Lenski's illustrations, which always seemed to perfectly match Lovelace's text, and found Vera Neville's work rather sentimental in comparison.
In short, I had reservations about the changes in Betsy-Tacy's world, however inevitable they may have been, and - having never really experienced the kind of adolescence described therein - found myself emotionally indifferent throughout much of the novel. Fortunately, my reading experience was redeemed by the sense of family love to be found in the Ray home; by the frank and tolerant manner in which Lovelace and her characters approached the issue of religious conviction, in the episodes involving Betsy and Julia's desire to become Episcopalians; and by Betsy's realization at the end of her freshman year that she should not have abandoned her writing.
This last factor, in particular, had me breathing a sigh of relief, as I realized that Betsy hadn't really changed, that she had just - as must we all - been going through some growing pains. It may not have had the magic of Betsy~Tacy or the other early books, but Heaven to Betsy strikes me as a necessary transition to the later books, which I now eagerly look forward to reading!
October 13, 2009
I’ve been afraid to read/re-read this, and I procrastinated for a long time. I loved the first four books so much. I have a memory of reading this and Betsy in Spite of Herself when I was young (the only two in this series I knew about and read) and I never re-read them or searched out other companion books so I’m thinking I only liked them at best, and at worst thought they were just okay, and didn’t really like or love them. I didn’t remember this as I was reading so I’m treating reading this as a brand new experience.
Wow. I surprised myself by giving this book 5 stars. Through most of the book it was a 4 or even a 3 star book for me. It took a while to grow on me, but by the end I loved it.
What, in the earlier 4 books were charming slice of life episodes in the lives of 5-12 year old friends, the happenings here seemed more pedestrian when the events were about 14-17 year old high school students who care at least as much about boys as about girlfriends, and in Betsy’s case, her storytelling/writing. The “crowd” of high school freshman friends didn’t move me the way the friendship of Betsy and Tacy did, and I missed not having Tacy around as much. At the beginning of the book I liked Tacy better than Betsy. I preferred pre-boy crazy/boys crazy about her Betsy.
However, the book is so well written and the story ended up being done so well, although certainly the reader could see what was coming, but that was fine, even fun. So many moments were so perfectly captured and the descriptions of everything and everyone were beautifully created.
I enjoyed the warm family home where friends enjoy gathering. I appreciated that the father said he didn’t think a child’s religion should necessarily be decided just because of the religion of the parents, but should be a personal choice. There are so many more examples of things I liked about this story.
It’s true that I was disturbed about the change in Betsy (although by the end of the book I was fine with what had transpired) but given that this novel is based on Maud Hart Lovelace’s life, I guess this was part of her development, and I do know she became a writer, a very good writer.
Also, the food in these books always sounds incredibly delectable.
I did deliberately avert my eyes from this horrible cover art! The art inside is lovely.
Wow. I surprised myself by giving this book 5 stars. Through most of the book it was a 4 or even a 3 star book for me. It took a while to grow on me, but by the end I loved it.
What, in the earlier 4 books were charming slice of life episodes in the lives of 5-12 year old friends, the happenings here seemed more pedestrian when the events were about 14-17 year old high school students who care at least as much about boys as about girlfriends, and in Betsy’s case, her storytelling/writing. The “crowd” of high school freshman friends didn’t move me the way the friendship of Betsy and Tacy did, and I missed not having Tacy around as much. At the beginning of the book I liked Tacy better than Betsy. I preferred pre-boy crazy/boys crazy about her Betsy.
However, the book is so well written and the story ended up being done so well, although certainly the reader could see what was coming, but that was fine, even fun. So many moments were so perfectly captured and the descriptions of everything and everyone were beautifully created.
I enjoyed the warm family home where friends enjoy gathering. I appreciated that the father said he didn’t think a child’s religion should necessarily be decided just because of the religion of the parents, but should be a personal choice. There are so many more examples of things I liked about this story.
It’s true that I was disturbed about the change in Betsy (although by the end of the book I was fine with what had transpired) but given that this novel is based on Maud Hart Lovelace’s life, I guess this was part of her development, and I do know she became a writer, a very good writer.
Also, the food in these books always sounds incredibly delectable.
I did deliberately avert my eyes from this horrible cover art! The art inside is lovely.
February 4, 2020
Might be more engrossing to a middle-grade reader, but considering that it was full of freshman hijinks and social events for 14-year-olds, it was much too long for me. Wouldn't have minded if it had been short like the preceding books. I did like the sisterly bond that grew and strengthened between Betsy and Julia.
March 7, 2017
I don't think I had actually read this one before and I learned this one was kept outta libraries because Betsy and Julia converting from Baptist to Episcopalian was considered CONTROVERSIAL.
February 5, 2019
Probably my 15th time reading this book...never gets old 😊
April 2, 2022
I loved the first 4 books in this series and have been meaning to finish the sequels for myself, knowing my girls won't be as interested as the genre changes quickly from JF to YA. Betsy is a freshman in highschool in this book and she is very angsty. I had most recently read Emily of Deep Valley by the same author which is so much better than this book! However, I can appreciate that Heaven to Betsy is part of the development in the story of Betsy's life. It's just not my favorite to read during the stage of life I'm in right now.
Update after sleeping on it: This book is clearly written for early teens, not a mom in her mid-thirties. I think the author did quite a just job of showing a teen as a teen and I am excited to see her develop as a character in the next books in the series.
Update after sleeping on it: This book is clearly written for early teens, not a mom in her mid-thirties. I think the author did quite a just job of showing a teen as a teen and I am excited to see her develop as a character in the next books in the series.
May 23, 2022
I loved Betsy-Tacy as a girl but never read past the first 4 books. Tirzah has been telling me I needed to read this one for a while and since I just got the rest of them we’re finishing the series.
This one was sweet and had much of the same tone of the earlier books. Love the Ray family and their camaraderie!
This one was sweet and had much of the same tone of the earlier books. Love the Ray family and their camaraderie!
September 8, 2024
Without a doubt my favourite book in the series, thank you Portsmouth Public Library for gifting me the original copy I read all those years ago (because no one else was checking it out). So many things I did as a child and still hold onto as an adult were from this book and I forgot. Such a delight.
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January 1, 2025perfectly sweet and nostalgic, betsy and tacy and their world are so dear to me. it felt so different to read now that i’m older than the characters, but the story and the feeling are the same: idyllic, wholesome, surprisingly boy-crazy. thanks for reading to me dear sisters!
July 5, 2024
Loved reading more of Betsy’s story! I can’t wait to finish the series!
May 14, 2023
Oh boy, Betsy is so boy crazy in this book. But who am I to judge, I’m pretty sure I was the same when I was 15 years old.
September 5, 2020
I have read this book more times than I can count. I read it first as a little girl, probably around eight or ten, when I read the entire series almost in a go. I read it again my freshman year of high school; then again my freshman year of undergrad; then again my doing my MA degrees, and sometimes just for fun in between all of these. It's one of my best-loved books. It's one of those books I take with me wherever I go, because I know I'll need it eventually. So here's more of a situational review of this particular re-reading, than a review of the book itself, because it should be clear from the above that this book means everything to me.
This read was unanticipated. I've had it on my shelf since I moved to London in September 2018, but (unsurprisingly) the book I read during my move was Betsy and the Great World. In mid-August, my flat had a downpour of water -- water coming through the bedroom light fixture, dripping through the kitchen ceiling onto the floor. My property management company wasn't particularly helpful; I've had issues with them since I moved in. Though I'd planned to renew my lease for another year, I decided that this was the last straw. Time to move. Almost immediately I found a nice, new flat. It's bright and bigger than my old one, but my first night here I cried and cried, because I hadn't wanted to move. I loved my first London flat, with its blue kitchen and built-in bookcases, and bookshelf wallpaper in the entrance. It had been perfect for me, even if it was a bit small and smelled a bit damp (even before the downpour). The stress of moving in a pandemic was getting to me, so I decided I needed a little Betsy-Tacy to help me get by. I went to my shelf anticipating grabbing Great World again, but then thought, "No, I think what I need is some time with the Crowd, going ice-skating and making fudge and singing with Julia and playing on the side lawn of Carney Sibley's house."
As I opened the first chapter I suddenly remembered: this book opens with a surprise for Betsy -- a new house. And like me, Betsy hadn't wanted to move. She misses the little stove and baths in the kitchen and sharing a room with Julia in the Hill Street house. She tries to act happy for the new, nicer High Street house because she knows everyone wants her to be happy, but inside she tries to hold back tears. But by the end of the book, the High Street house has become dear to her. She has a million happy memories, and her first love, and new friends, and the brass bowl, and becoming Episcopalian. She's learning how to value herself and her writing, and learning what is worth her time and what isn't. The house becomes friendly and warm, filled with the best memories of Deep Valley.
And thus again, Betsy-Tacy has seen me through a major life change. All I needed was to crowd around the piano after Sunday Night Lunch to feel more myself again. Already I'm making this flat a home, and Betsy-Tacy has done a lot to help me through. Obviously, this deserves five stars.
This read was unanticipated. I've had it on my shelf since I moved to London in September 2018, but (unsurprisingly) the book I read during my move was Betsy and the Great World. In mid-August, my flat had a downpour of water -- water coming through the bedroom light fixture, dripping through the kitchen ceiling onto the floor. My property management company wasn't particularly helpful; I've had issues with them since I moved in. Though I'd planned to renew my lease for another year, I decided that this was the last straw. Time to move. Almost immediately I found a nice, new flat. It's bright and bigger than my old one, but my first night here I cried and cried, because I hadn't wanted to move. I loved my first London flat, with its blue kitchen and built-in bookcases, and bookshelf wallpaper in the entrance. It had been perfect for me, even if it was a bit small and smelled a bit damp (even before the downpour). The stress of moving in a pandemic was getting to me, so I decided I needed a little Betsy-Tacy to help me get by. I went to my shelf anticipating grabbing Great World again, but then thought, "No, I think what I need is some time with the Crowd, going ice-skating and making fudge and singing with Julia and playing on the side lawn of Carney Sibley's house."
As I opened the first chapter I suddenly remembered: this book opens with a surprise for Betsy -- a new house. And like me, Betsy hadn't wanted to move. She misses the little stove and baths in the kitchen and sharing a room with Julia in the Hill Street house. She tries to act happy for the new, nicer High Street house because she knows everyone wants her to be happy, but inside she tries to hold back tears. But by the end of the book, the High Street house has become dear to her. She has a million happy memories, and her first love, and new friends, and the brass bowl, and becoming Episcopalian. She's learning how to value herself and her writing, and learning what is worth her time and what isn't. The house becomes friendly and warm, filled with the best memories of Deep Valley.
And thus again, Betsy-Tacy has seen me through a major life change. All I needed was to crowd around the piano after Sunday Night Lunch to feel more myself again. Already I'm making this flat a home, and Betsy-Tacy has done a lot to help me through. Obviously, this deserves five stars.
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