The Betsy-Tacy Treasury: The First Four Betsy-Tacy Books

By Maud Hart Lovelace

Book Overview

"Some characters become your friends for life. That's how it was for me with Betsy-Tacy." --Judy Blume

The First Four Books in the Betsy-Tacy Series in One Volume

With Forewords by Judy Blume, Ann M. Martin and Johanna Hurwitz

There are lots of children on Hill Street, but no little girls Betsy's age. So when a family moves into the house across the street, Betsy hopes they will have a little girl she can play with. Sure enough Betsy meets Tacy and one of the most heartfelt friendships in all of children's literature begins.

The Betsy-Tacy Treasury brings together the first four books in Maud Hart Lovelace's classic series: Betsy-Tacy, Betsy-Tacy and Tib, Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill and Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. Tracing the girls' lives from early childhood to the brink of adolescence, Lovelace illuminates their innocent, mischievous fun and eye-opening adventures exploring the world around them - from the stories Betsy spins from the bench at the top of Hill Street and the sand stores they run in their backyards to her first experiences at the library, the thrill of the theater and the sight of their first automobile.

Featuring forewords by New York Times bestselling authors Judy Blume, Ann M. Martin and Johanna Hurwitz Anna Quindlen, cover art illustrated by Lois Lenski from the original 1941 publication of Betsy, Tacy and Tib, interior illustrations by Lenski, along with archival material and photos of Maud Hart Lovelace, her friends and the town of Mankato, MN, the basis for Deep Valley.
Many of places and homes from the books can still be seen today, including Betsy's and Tacy's childhood homes, which are available to tour thanks to the Betsy-Tacy Society.

Read all the books in the classic Betsy-Tacy series, which follows aspiring writer Betsy Ray and her friends from the age of five through to Betsy's post-high school travel in pre-WWI Europe and her wedding, spanning the first decade of the 1900s and beyond. These iconic stories, based in large part on Maud Hart Lovelace's own childhood, teenage years and young adulthood in Mankato (Deep Valley), MN have been beloved by generations of readers and authors alike:

The Betsy-Tacy Books
Betsy-Tacy
Betsy, Tacy and Tib
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill
Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown
Also available in the four-volume omnibus The Betsy-Tacy Treasury
Heaven to Betsy/Betsy in Spite of Herself (two-volume omnibus)
Betsy Was a Junior/Betsy and Joe (two-volume omnibus)
Betsy and the Great World/Betsy's Wedding (two-volume omnibus)

The Deep Valley Books (books about other characters in Betsy's Crowd and town):
Carney's House Party/Winona's Pony Cart (two-volume omnibus)
Emily of Deep Valley

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062095870
• ISBN13: 9780062095879
• Release Date: November 2011
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 736 Pages
• Weight: 1.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.3" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Lovely Series

I loved reading these when I was in third grade when our librarian introduced me. I felt grown up because she did with a serious tone. I read whole series.

Ordinary Little Girls

Betsy, Tacy and Tib are such ordinary little girls living in a quiet little town doing little girl things. It is perfect reading for a first grade girl. The stories are simple and the reading is at a level suitable for first graders. This Treasury combines all the stories into one book making it quite a big, important looking chapter book for a little girl.

This book contains the first 4 books of the series.

It's not very well spelled out, but this book contains the first four books of the series: Betsy-Tacy, Betsy-Tacy and Tib, Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill, and Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. It would be great to have all of these in the same volume, but it might get a little heavy if you are reading chapter a day to your munchkin. Of course, it's hard to go wrong with anything Betsy and Tacy.

Amazing Books

These books are amazing. that's almost all there is to say. The characters are great, the plot is great. I can't believe it was all real. I daydream about being Betsy almost every day. If you are looking for a series to read, read these. It doesn't matter how old you are, they're for everyone.

enduring pleasure

as a young girl i loved the "betsy" books and it was a pleasure to pass them along to my daughter. only last night we discussed the books - she's introducing her fourth grade daughter to them this spring. the series is timeless and i love every book !

Special Collection for young girls

As a child growing up, I was an avid reader. I began reading the "Betsy-Tacy" books when the school librarian introduced me to the series. This is a wonderful series showing the life of the main chracter, Betsy. I can remember devouring each of the books. Now that I am a teacher and a mother, I can't wait to find and purchase the books for my daughter and my classroom library. In today's society of technology and media, this is a wonderful collection of old fashioned, classic stories.