My Betsy Was A Junior by Maud Hart Lovelace Book Review on Goodreads

Betsy Was a Junior by Maud Hart Lovelace

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Okay, so it's been a while since I read this, so this review will probably be shorter.



Well, there is this pattern I've been noticing that isn't really a great one. At the end of every year, Betsy resolves to be more serious about her schooling and stop putting her social life before the more important things. However,I think that this book was where she really actually learned her lesson and will stick to her resolution next year. After seeing how much Cab had to grow up when his father died, Betsy thinks about how much her entire Crowd has grown up during the year. Betsy knows that she will never lead such a silly, carefree, frivolous social life anymore because everyone's growing up. She knows that her Crowd will never live in such blissful ignorance ever again, for reality is fast at hand for the Crowd. Betsy thinks about what a terrible thing growing up is and how she just can't stop it. This really spoke to me because I consistently worry about growing up and how I can't stop it from happening. One of the things I most grieve about is the fact that all my friends wil grow up, and there will be no one to be a kid with and, in turn, I'll grow up, too. I really could connect to Betsy in this way.



Well, seeing as that's really what I remember, that concludes the essence of my review. I loved this book so much, just like the others. Each next year of high school is better and more exciting than the last, except I expect that for senior year Betsy's life will be less fun and happy and therefore will stop the climaticness of one book to the next.



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My (Belated) Betsy in Spite of Herself by Maud Hart Lovelace Book Review on Goodreads

Betsy in Spite of Herself by Maud Hart Lovelace

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I read this book a week ago, so (sadly) my review will be short.



Let me just touch on the main points. Okay well, I hated the entire time Betsy was going with Phil Brandish, because it's SO NOT HER! I just wanted her to hurry up and marry Joe, as I know she will from the titles of future books. The best part of this book for me was the end and listening to what has seened to be an annual event: Betsy realizing what a mistake she made throughout that school year and resolving to do better in the next year (which has so far continuously failed. She's too fun-loving!). I thought that Betsy's resolvings were very similar to what I struggle with now, working hard but still having fun. It amazes me how similar struggles can be 100 years later internally for girls in America.



I decided to enter 2 essay contests offered by my school, because of Betsy and her constant struggle wiht them. I wanted to somehow right Betsy's wrongs by writing an essay myself, just as she would have done so many years ago, on a topic assigned to me, with steadfast work and focus. It makes me feel a sense of connection to the past and simplicity.



Overall, this book was really helpful to me, and I enjoyed it so much! Every book is increasingly dear and sweet. I don't want it to end and fear for when I write the review for Betsy's Wedding that I will be lonesome for more books. Well, there's always Winona's Pony Cart, Carney's House Party: A Deep Valley Book, and Emily of Deep Valley, but what after that?!



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Reading Log for Week of 2/16/12- 2/27/12

     Saturday 2/25/12 1 hour Pgs: 172-230  








*This is one of the only times most people ever use this icon.
*This is the most popular version for the series, it includes comparisons of characters to the book of people in real life, and shows you pictures of them. I did not read from this version, however.
*For some background on the series, here's a YouTube video that a girl did on why she loves the Betsy-Tacy series and what they are about. Betsy-Tacy Series Video
                                                                                                                                                                    
In this book, Betsy is distracted (yet again) from her work on the Essay Contest. Originally, she got really caught up in her social life and parties, and now she was trying to keep Joe Willard. This is a good thing to keep in mind in all areas of life, not just academically. If you rush to do everything in life, or do less than your best, you will find yourself struggling or failing to do well or finish what you need to do. Let's say you're cleaning your house in one weekend. If you decide to leave the biggest tasks to Sunday, or you finish everything but throw it into bins all jumbled up , you aren't really accomplishing or giving your best at your task. This happens to me a lot, as it does Betsy. She learns from her mistakes though, emerging stronger and better with an understanding that this kind of thing could lead to failures in other areas of her life as well.
                                                                                                                                                                     
" 'That's what I have to do if I'm going to get out and make something of myself. I lost the essay contest, but that's all right. I tried. I've done terrible work in school all spring and I have to get busy if I want to pass my exams' (Lovelace 259)."
                                                                                                                                                                      
This quote is from when Betsy was reflecting on her performance on the essay contest. She has decided that she will no longer let this terrible behavior and half-heartedness in her work transcend into her school subjects and grades. This relates back to the statement that if you give less than your best, you will fail miserably in all of your pursuits.
                                                                                                                                                                    
Saturday 2/25/12 1 hour Pgs: 231-272             
                                                      









The Crowd is the coolest, most popular group in school. And Betsy's house is its main hangout. The Crowd is a group of popular young kids (Tony, Winona, Carney, Tacy, Irma, Cab, Betsy, Dennis...). They all get together on Sundays for lunch at Betsy's house, and they always do the same things. They are like a society, and they spend every waking moment of their day together. They are exclusive in that you have to be invited by a member to join. And yet they are Betsy's heart, soul, and every waking thought during her high school years.
                                                                                                                                                                    
" 'It's about our Crowd. We think you ought to...ought to...I mean, I want you to come to a party' (Lovelace 72)."
                                                                                                                                                                      
In this quote, Betsy is trying to woo Joe into joining their Crowd (unsuccessfully I might add). Their Crowd is just the most important things in all of their lives; its parties, its memebers, its gatherings, its jokes. Betsy likes Joe and so therefore she wishes to invite him to this event of utter importance in her life.
                                                                                                                                          
P.S. A review for this book coming soon (maybe this weekend!)

My Heaven to Betsy by Maud Hart Lovelace Book Review on Goodreads

Heaven to Betsy by Maud Hart Lovelace

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Okay, so I've been putting off writing this review for a while, but not because I didn't like it. This book was so amazing and there was so much I liked about it that I don't even know how to approach describing it. First thing's first: I really loved this book with all of my soul, and even took a late night to finish it.



This book was mainly a very lengthy description of Betsy's newfound popularity. She has a "Crowd" that she hangs out with every day. Betsy is now a mature young woman, who is into boys and social engagements of all sorts. I really enjoyed this book because it was so freshly relatable in comparison to all the other books. Now that Betsy is a more mature girl, you could really connect wih her on more levels.



Much of this book was about boys and parties. Betsy was such a busy person, and she dealt with heartache over a boy she fell head over heels for but loved another girl. I was really able to connect with her opinion on social engagements, her attitude towards being invited to one and being there. I was also able to reflect how similar her opinions were about boys.



I was also really able to relate to Betsy's love of writing, and competing with it. I always feel much the same way about my own writing when it is put up against other works. Betsy and I share that prideful feeling. I really took to heart Betsy's words at the end about, if she didn't exercise it, her writing would be lost to her forever. That part really inspired me to write more, because I haven't worked on my private works in over a year. I really want to take to writing poems and small works or observances like Betsy. I'm currently not to happy about my stories, which is kind of why I stopped (a bit of writer's block), but maybe I could just practice with mini works.



Anyway,this brings me to my main point, the essay contest. As I read this, it made me think about how I've been procrastinating on my 20 hours of history homework that I have to do, and the dire consequences that I could have as it had for poor Betsy. It made me realize that I can't just rush and do it, I'll need lots of time to create something good (like Betsy later realized). Which reminds me that I must work on it after I finish writing this.



Overall, this book was heartwarming and hard not to love. This book was superior to the rest so far because of how easy it was to connect and relate to the plotline and its even greater complexity than the previous.



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Reading Log for Week of 2/10/12-2/15/12

           Tuesday 2/14/12 1 hour Pgs: 11-66        











This is the most popular version for the series, it includes comparisons of characters to the book of people in real life, and shows you pictures of them. I'm reading from this one. For some background on the series, here's a YouTube video that a girl did on why she loves the Betsy-Tacy series and what they are about. Betsy Tacy Series Video
                                                                                                                                                                     
A pattern I have noticed throughout all the books is that a new adventure or topic is usually started every chapter, sometimes the climax of the event beginning at the start of the next chapter. The main pattern I have really noticed with this book in particular is that, in almost every chapter, two (occasionally 3 boys) will accompany her everywhere she goes. This pattern is semi-annoying because it is so repetitive and not really fresh/new.
                                                                                                                                                                       
"Curled and flushed, treading on air, a boy on either side, Betsy went out into the crisp September night (Lovelace 108)."
                                                                                                                                                                       
In this scene, Betsy is heading to a get-together of her Crowd, and two of her neighborhood boys are escorting her there. This was one of the main, more important times that these two boys {Caleb [Cab] Edwards and Herbert Humphreys (in real life Jab Lloyd and Helmus Andrews)} walked her somewhere. This is a pattern that is vital to the story to demonstrate Betsy's maturing and her love interests and advenures, but also a repetitive one.
                                                                                                                                                                       

 Wednesday 2/15/12 1 hour Pgs: 67-122                    

                                                                                                                                                                     
The big idea of this book is to show how much Betsy has matured since playing flying games on Hill Street Hill. This book's purpose is to describe Betsy's first year of high school, and what happened during that period of time that was a momentous occurence/event in her life. The goal of this book is to describe the sudden responsibilties Betsy has now that she is older, and help you see why they are important for Betsy to have.
                                                                                                                                                                      
" 'Look at you!' Tacy continued. 'Only in high school a month, and two boys on the string. You'll have this Tony too. See if you don't!' (Lovelace 134)"
                                                                                                                                                                      
In this quote, Tacy is talking about how much Betsy has accomplished already in high school, and how much more fun she's sure to have. "Tony" is a boy that's new in town who Betsy desperately wants to know better. Here, she is explaining what he's like to Tacy. In turn, Tacy is complimenting her talent for boys and encouraging her that she'll get the guy. This quote really sums up what the book is about for me. High school and the changes and challenges it brings and...boys. That's really it. This sentence made me pause and think, "Gee, that really is what this is about." The phrase "only in high school a month" hints to a sudden change or quick handling of a strange situation (which is exactly what Betsy did). Betsy now has to deal with trying to attract and keep boys as well as high school but, according to her friend Tacy, she's doing marvelously well and couldn't be faring better.



















Wednesday 2/15/12 1 hour Pgs: 67-122    

My Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown by Maud Hart Lovelace Book Review on Goodreads

Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown by Maud Hart Lovelace

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One of my favorite books ever. As I mentioned in my review of Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill I thought that it would be hard for me to watch them grow up and yet still be little kids, at least until high school. I was wrong. I feel like that book was just an awkward transition book for me. I was still coping with the fact that they're not little kids anymore, but they're not quite grown either. This book was different. Even though they were still only twelve and not in high school yet, I found this story not sad because they had already grow up in a way. There was no awkward dolly playing with yet love affairs like the previous. I felt like in this book I could just sit back and read.



This book focused a lot on Victorian society, which I liked a lot. It catered to my deep love for reading books that deal with ideas and inventions that the characters consider amazing (or unamazing depending on if it's historical or dystopian). When you read about, say how novelic it was to see a "horseless carriage" or use/own a telephone it makes me just brim up with happiness at the simplisticness of society, and gives me a deeper understanding of feelings/thoughts during that time period.



Really, this book just follows Betsy, Tacy, Tib, and a little bit of their newfound side friend, Winona, through the downtown area and all the marvelous things and experiences they discover there. Betsy goes to a library and eats lunch out at Heinz's Restaurant all by herself, they all got to a matinee and act in one, they ride in a horselss carriage, they use and own telephones, they go to parties and visit the wealthiest woman in Deep Valley, Mrs.Poppy, and they go Christmas shopping! The girls go throughout society, and it's like their first exposure to this whole new world.



There is no more doll-playing or game inventing, only the wonders of downtown.



Overall, this book was a joy for its (unusual for the series before this point) societal glimpses. My favorite so far because they finally grew up and their adventures are now more exciting (and easier to connect) with than ever! I'm sure Heaven to Betsy will exceed all my expectations with its even more relatableness and sophistication!



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Reading Log for Week of 2/3/12- 2/9/12

Saturday 2/4/12 1 hour Pgs: 1-60  (Literally, I'm not just making this up).                    

P.S. I switched out of this version to the better, more popular version that can be found here. For some background on the series, here's a YouTube video that a girl did on why she loves the Betsy-Tacy series and what they are about.

Betsy-Tacy Series Video                                                                                                                                                           

Betsy and Tacy have a deeper appreciation for certain things that may seem everyday to us because of the society, economy, and time period they live in.

                                                                                                                                                                       "A horseless carriage! Betsy, Tacy, and Tib were stunned into silence. There had been rumors for some time of a marvelous invention called the horseless carriage, a vehicle that ran without being pushed or pulled...even uphill (Lovelace 19)."

                                                                                                                                                                       

Things such as receving a telephone call, or even having a telephone are considered novels, rare, and wondrous for Betsy, Tacy, and Tib. Other things that excite Betsy, Tacy, and Tib are matinee plays, elevators, having books carried by a boy, going visiting with people late at night, bobsledding, going to the library and restaurant, reading romance dime novels, being given a dime, and more. The story is set in 1904, and society is very polite and Victorian. Things are being invented, thus creating the awe over inventions that did not exist before. The economy is different, so certain denominations of money are worth more than now. The world is different, and social, economic, and world factors affect the story and plot of the characters. This makes the story interesting to see what life was like back then.
                                                                                                                                                                       

Sunday 2/5/12 30 min Pgs: 61-88
and
Monday 2/6/12 30 min Pgs: 89-120




matinee (n) an entertainment, especially a dramatic or musical performance, held in the daytime, usually in the afternoon.
                                                                                                                                                                      
" 'See that? Uncle Tom's Cabin  or Life Among the Lowly. They're giving a matinee next Saturday. I;m going' (Lovelace 28)."
and
"Then Betsy and Tacy told her about the coming of Uncle Tom's Cabin. They told her about Little Eva and Topsy, about the transformation scene and the flogging scene and Eliza crossing the ice. They told her about Winona's tickets to the Saturday matinee. 'Gee whiz!' said Betsy. 'We've just got to be the ones she takes' (Lovelace 31)."
                                                                                                                                                                      
The matinees the girls see with Winona Root are the main pieces of the plot. The girls live for seeing these, because they are a symbol of social status, they enjoy watching them, and they symbolize a coming-of-age experience for the girls. The girls first get to watch one in a box, and later even get to act as fill-ins for other actors! The events with the matinees occur during much of the book, being the main conflict, resulting in why the word matinee is so important to the story.


                                                                           

My (Super Belated) Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill by Maud Hart Lovelace Book Review on Goodreads

Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill by Maud Hart Lovelace

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Okay, so I at least remember that this book was really good. I read it a over a week ago and I've been really busy so I kind have a lot to remember for reviewing.



This book was just as childish (in a good way) as the first, but with more complex and mature struggles, ideas, and resolutions than the first books. I thought that Betsy, Tacy, and Tib really grew up in this story, they now had a desire for power, love, importance, and beauty. Their quarrel over whether Julia or Tib could be queen was really story-altering. For the first time, the girls tried to get votes and they experienced political rifts. Then there was the whole "King of Spain-oh, I think I'm in love with him" thing. The girls really began to sort out their feelings for the first time. They didn't really like him, they just admired him and were interested in his story. They had no idea what love was, they were simply trying to identify if they loved him or not. The girls even sent the king a letter! Silly little girls!



These girls were so sweet and cute. I really loved reading this book in particular. It was bittersweet to watch the girls grow up and begin to try and understand bigger things and adventures beyond the safety of Hill Street. It will be even harder to watch them grow up to high school, but I think that after that it might get easier. Not really. *WEEP* *TEARS AND SNOTTY HANKIE*



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My Betsy-Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace Book Review on Goodreads

Betsy-Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was definitely way better than the first. There are adventures were more sophisticated; which was great, but also wasn't. The simplicity was nice before, the more complex simplicity is good, too. 'm not sure which I like best. Either way, these were really sweet. My favorite part was when they cut off their hair and Tacy's mother saved Tacy's hair in her bureau drawer. I also loved Aunt Dolly. I would have loved to see a wealthy Victorian lady.



These books are also fun to see what it would have been like to be growing up in a suburban town in the East during the Victorian era. I would have loved to grow up with Betsy, Tacy, and Tib.



Overall, this book was really cute and holds a special place in my heart. Although, I wish they had given us more of the formulative years between early 6 and late 8 that would have given us a better view of their childhood. My favorite stage is from 6-9. I just think that she skipped a lot of important parts. I don't know if I will be as interested when they grow up, as I liked reading about their childhood playing. Anyways, this book was still truly sweet. But I think I might like the first one a bit better.



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My Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace Book Review on Goodreads

Betsy~Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace




The cutest thing ever! Their adventures are so old-fashioned. There is really a kind of joy in learning how children used to play and think back then. I love this book way better than the The Complete Anne of Green Gables Boxed Setand the The Little House Collection Box Set. These books havea lot of promise. I'm reading the series as background reading for Home for the Holidaysbecause this is the series they read in the books. The author often formulates the charcter's troubles around similar challenges that the charcters in the book they're reading face. One of my new favs. Going to the library tomorrow.



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