Read aloud to my 9yo son, 7yo daughter, and 5yo daughter. Son liked it, 4.5 stars. 7yo didn't like it, and 5yo liked it.

This is a character-driven story and the girls are 5 and 6 at the time. That is one reason my 7yo didn't like it, sigh. Also, we were surprised and upset at one event in the book, and I think that is also why my 7yo didn't like it.

I thought it was well-written, sweet, and I'll read the next book with my kids.

This is such a lovely book about two little girls growing up around the turn of the century. The stories were fun and are just like real childrens stories because they’re based on the author’s real experiences. We also loved Lois Lenski’s illustrations.

Looking back, I think  Betsy-Tacy had a profound effect on my child self's notion of what might be truly important in this world, namely friendship. The events in the Betsy-Tacy books are pretty mundane, unlike those other Minnesota-centric novels I loved as a child (hello, Little House!) but these novels taught me that friendship itself is a gripping story, an adventure, a tool for transforming the quotidian, prosaic everyday world into a secret, magical place.

Maud Hart Lovelace based her novels on her life, and today you can actually visit Mankato, MN (the setting for Betsy-Tacy) and see The Big Hill, Betsy-Tacy's bench, etc. I don't recommend it if you are an inveterate sentimentalist such as myself, because you WILL cry.

This is an adorable, old-fashioned book! Very sweet. I loved it!