This is my favorite installment so far! I was a little anxious when then storyline featuring Little Syria was introduced. But this book is proof that even authors from “a different time” could be decent about and respectful of those who have different cultures than their own. I laughed and cried right alongside B&T&T. I’m a sucker for a sisters plot, and I liked the references to other popular literature at the time (hello, Little Women!). I can’t wait to read the next one!

This book begins with Tacy, Tib and finally Betsy (on April 25) turning 10: the double-digit birthday that is a turning point in every childhood. Appropriately, the book's main adventure has to do with widening horizons. When the girls climb the 'big hill' and go into the forbidden territory of Little Syria, they are doing so for self-interested reasons. (The younger sisters are in competition with their older sisters to get signatures for a contest.) But the real adventure, the true learning experience, happens when the girls befriend the Syrian/Lebanese neighbours who have recently become part of the Deep Valley community. One of the (many) reasons that I love the Betsy-Tacy books is that they depict the world of small-town Minnesota so beautifully, and yet also give the reader surprising glimpses and insights into the wider world. When the girls stand up against the bullies who are bothering their new friend Naifi, Tib's dress gets torn. But Tib's mother assures them she is glad that Tib defended her new friend, even at the expense of her best dress. "Foreign people should not be treated like that. America is made up of foreign people." This book takes place in 1902, and was published in 1942, but its message is still relevant. I was enchanted by the Betsy-Tacy books when I was a little girl growing up in the 1970s, and I'm delighted to discover that they still retain their charm. They are wonderful books about friendship - and about growing up.

“You have two numbers in your age when you are ten. It’s the beginning of growing up,” Betsy would say.
I love how Betsy, Tacy, and Tib grow gradually older with each book in this series. Their adventures get a bit further afield. In this installment, they explore a nearby settlement of immigrants from Syria. There is a lovely message of standing up for others, delight in learning about a different culture, and the pursuit of the American dream. I wish that I had read these books when I was a kid. Delightful.

As the three girls turn ten, they can feel their world expand. Not only do they have permission to go all the way up the hill, they have the stamina. On the other side they see Little Syria. That little immigrant settlement provides some excellent learning opportunities for our three friends. They also all three develop a crush on the new teenage king of Spain.

A huge chunk of the plot of this third book describes a rivalry between the Betsy-Tacy-Tib friend group and the Katie-Julia alliance. Both groups want to crown a queen for June (no time to get it done for May) and there is disagreement on who should be queen--Julia or Tib. Betsy's dad suggests each circulate a petition to gather signatures. The race is on!