Maud Hart Lovelace Reading Challenge

Sarah at A Library is a hospital of the mind... is hosting the Maud Hart Lovelace Reading Challenge. Maud Hart Lovelace is the author of The Betsy-Tacy series which have been a favorite of mine since I came across Heaven to Betsy when I was a teenager. I started with Heaven to Betsy and read through the rest of her high school years, her going out into the great world and finally to the end, her wedding. I was totally enthralled with her family life, her friends and all the experiences she had.

I think what I found so fascinating about the Betsy-Tacy series is they showed me what the world was like when my Grandmas were born. Secondly, they were set in Minnesota. Even though I was from Wisconsin, my Grandma K. lived along the Mississippi River (WI side) and we were always going across to Minnesota to shop and visit my uncle's family. I was familiar with a lot of the names of the cities, even if I didn't know exactly where they were at. Also, Tib (Betsy's friend) was from Milwaukee, WI and knew where that was.

That being said, I have to admit that I didn't know there had been Betsy-Tacy books for kids until I was a little older and came across them in the children's section of the library. By that time I had read all the others and never bothered reading them. A couple of years ago I decided to read them outloud to my daughter. We have read through Betsy-Tacy and Betsy-Tacy and Tib. We haven't made it through Betsy and Tacy go over the Big Hill or Betsy and Tacy go Downtown. I am planning on reading Betsy and the Great World and Betsy's Wedding and am hopeful to find some time to start reading aloud with my daughter where we left off.

If you have never read Betsy-Tacy Series I highly recommend them. To learn more about the series head over here. Also, sign up at A Library is a hospital of the mind... for the challenge.