I have a cold dark heart, and even I cannot resist the joy and charm of rereading these books as an adult.

As a child I only read the first three.

As of Saturday I now own all of them.

If you suspect my stony disposition is showing signs of happiness over this fact as well as the anticipation of FIRST READS of books starring these beloved characters, you are quite right.

I definitely recommend purchasing (or library-ing) the new editions to anyone who enjoyed these as a kid. The forewards are wonderful, and the historical information at the end of each volume is really insightful.

(read: 30)

Even though this was published in the 1940's and is set quite a bit earlier than that it is very topical in that a good deal of the book is focused on immigrants from.Syria. They are Cnristians who came to Deep Valley in America to escape religious persecution by the "Mohammeds". Very simply told and easy for.cnildren to understand and relate to a mix of cultures.

Re-read October 2016.

This was my favorite in the series yet! Love growing with the characters, love their fun adventures and love that the stories are based on Maud Hart Lovelace’s real experiences.

Most of all, I LOVED the highlight about “Little Syria” and the Lebanese immigrants! My Lebanese-American self had so much fun with the references to a few of my family’s cultural specifics like kibbee and “my heart and my eyes” as terms of endearment.

Such a fun little book. I have a feeling I’ll continue to enjoy this series.

Well, the books I've been trying to read were so awful, I took up the third in the Betsy-Tacy series. Now, Betsy, Tacy, and Tib are 10. Being 10 is special, because one now has two digits for one's age, which means grown up. Only people like my late mother ever get to have three digits.

Anyway, Betsy, Tacy, and Tib fall in love with the young king of Spain and decide one of them should be queen. They choose Tib. But, their older sisters, Julia and Katie want to have a queen for themselves, the Queen of Summer. So, there's a huge fight.

Somewhere along the way, Betsy, Tacy, and Tib make friends with a little girl in Syria Town, Naifi. It seems there is an enclave of Syrian refugees in their valley. Eventually, they learn that Naifi is of "blood royal", back in her country anyway. But, she's come to America to be an American, so they must contrive to make her coronation a typical all-American celebration with flags and singing the Star Spangled Banner and so forth. Imagine that! A century ago, we accepted refugees into our country, made them feel welcome, and helped integrate them into society.

It's all rather a heart-warming story. I hope soon to find something more adult that is worth reading, but if I keep coming up with crap, I'll gladly revisit Betsy, Tacy, and Tib in their next adventure, during which they'll be 12.

This is the first of the younger Betsy-Tacy books that I've read, and I really wish I had known about this series when I was this age. I still prefer teenage Betsy (indeed!), but younger me would have loved the idea of writing to the King of Spain.

I really do love the way these books grow with the characters (and the readers).

what a delight!

the girls are older now and about half this book is taken up with a massive quarrel they have with their older sisters. it’s so painfully real—a silly little fight that grows out of proportion—and you can tell it’s developmentally appropriate to care so much about this one thing. i adored everything having to do with little syria. the way naifi is a slow introduction and their one link to the little town was well done, and it really captures the eagerness and childlike wonder of being immersed in an unfamiliar culture. not only that, but this book manages to heavily emphasize how important the freedom of america is to these syrian immigrants.

beautiful book which captures the pains of growing up, while still echoing with the joy of being young.

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!

I liked this part too, but it was less... Hard to tell what exactly less. I just enjoyed the previous two parts much more.

Very cute, good, and lovely story. The part I remember most is Little Syria. A community of Syrians in America a century ago, when I wouldn’t expect it. Coupled with a message about not hating foreigners which was unexpected for a twentieth century novel that celebrates the glorious past. Pretty good. I also wished I could climb a big hill without adult supervision when I was a kid like Betsy and Tacy. So cute and adorable.

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.

I love these books. I really don't understand why people would dismiss them as "old-fashioned." The girls deal with really basic things and things that have remained true for the decades since Lovelace wrote them.

The girls deal with make-believe vs. reality, siblings, and growing up. The girls deal with recognizing prejudices and bullying. The girls learn about immigrants' experiences. It is simplistic, of course, and not all situations are so simple. However, I think for the target audience, it is good.

I love the way Lovelace writes about the characters. It's so matter of fact: "Everyone listened to Katie- even the big boys."