Book Review: Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill

[osprey_archer]

Betsy and Tacy and Tib are ten! That was the original title of Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill - well, actually it was just Betsy and Tacy Are Ten, which does roll off the tongue more easily, but poor Tib, always left out of the titles!

Anyway, at the beginning of the book Betsy and Tacy and Tib turn ten, and resolve that from now on they’ll always be very grown up, which resolution lasts exactly long enough for them to go by their full first names for an entire afternoon. Then they go to Betsy’s birthday party and have such a wonderful time that they forget all about being grown-up, although they assure themselves that the party itself is the first part of being a grown-up party: an evening party, after all! That’s practically a ball!

Mostly, though, their world is opening up in a much more gradual way. They’ve begun to take notice of the outside world: Betsy and Tacy fall in love with the photograph of the dashing young King of Spain in the newspaper, and decide to write him a letter offering Tib in marriage. They perform in a school entertainment, where Betsy’s sister Julia recites a poem about the Queen of May, which causes much trouble later when rival factions grow up about who will be Queen of June. And, of course, they go over the Big Hill, where they discover Little Syria, the annex of the town where a group of Syrians have settled down. (These are Syrian Christians from what is now Lebanon.)

Our girls run into Naifi, a little Syrian girl who doesn’t speak any English, but through gestures they manage to have a picnic together. (Betsy and company are always having picnics. I yearn to emulate their intense picnic energy.) Later on, when they are gathering votes to decide who will be the Queen of June, they remember this friendly encounter, and although they know their parents might not like it, they decide to try to get votes in Little Syria…

And discover that the Syrians are quite nice actually! Naifi has told her family about the nice little American girls, so they welcome Betsy and Tacy and Tib with raisins and figs, and take them around the settlement so everyone can sign their petition to make Tib the Queen of June.

In the end, neither Tib nor her rival (Betsy’s sister Julia) are Queen of May: the whole idea has caused such a quarrel that they both refuse. Besides, they’ve learned that Naifi is the granddaughter of an emir, which makes her practically a princess, and who better to be the Queen of June than a real princess!

Naifi’s folks aren’t sure at first: they came to America to get away from all that. But the girls assure him that this will be an extremely American coronation, with flags! patriotic songs! a recitation of the Gettysburg address! Tib, open-mouthed: “When did you plan all of this?” Of course they just made it all up on the spot.

But they carry it out as promised, and crown Naifi the Queen of June with flags flying and patriotic songs playing on the piano. "Why I wouldn't not be an American for a million dollars," Betsy says. (This book was published in 1942, peak World War II.) And the girls decide to celebrate their newfound love of America by writing to Ethel Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt's little daughter who is just their age, offering to come play with her in the White House.

Comments

[asakiyume]

Ahhh, it continues very charming! Syrian refugees! Wow!

So the book was published in 1942 but set during the T. Roosevelt administration in (checks Wikipedia) 1901–1909. I think you did mention that the books were set then. I guess I hadn't realized that they were published so far after the fact. (I recall you did also mention that Maud Hart Lovelace was writing about the era of her childhood.)

Offering to go play with Ethel Roosevelt in the White House is such a relatable idea! Of *course* this well-known other little girl would love to have us for friends! I am sure I've done similar things and not at ten years of age, even, lol.

INTENSE PICNIC ENERGY. There needs to be a gif for that, or something.

[osprey_archer]

Yes, IIRC Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill is set specifically in 1902. And yes, the letter to Ethel Roosevelt is so relatable! The 1902 version of a parasocial relationship perhaps: you've read about her in the newspaper and she's about your age so OF COURSE she would like to play with you.

Intense Picnic Energy should be the name of a book or a movie perhaps, although I'm not sure exactly what the contents would be. Simply many picnics? Picnics but, like, INTENSE?

[asakiyume]

Picnics, but they all involve nemesises

Picnics, but over live volcanoes

Picnics, but with enemies, and you have to try to get the location of the secret base out of them

Picnics, but they're on the holodeck, a remembrance of the before times...

Hmmm, I need an shot of Cheerful, please!

[osprey_archer]

Picnics, but over live volcanoes

M- and K- in Pen Pal, am I right?

Holodeck option sounds like the saddest most bittersweet fanfic. It could feel like a cheat if you find out too late it's all holodeck - sort of a variation on "it was all a dream" - but if it became clear fairly early on, and it still wrung your heart...

[asakiyume]

M- and K- in Pen Pal, am I right?

--¡Claro que sí! They JUST lay out the stuff and, oh no--ERUPTION TIME

[conuly]

Never read this book. However, I can say that it once popped up in /r/whatsthatbook and the person who found it deserves a medal because all the searcher remembered was that the girls turned around in their backyard and literally went to a different country.

[osprey_archer]

Oh wow! Amazed that someone managed to pinpoint the book based on that memory.

[superborb]

I wonder if Betsy and Tacy rhyme, so the title writers feel that it rolls off the tongue better without Tib? Maybe if she was called Tibby haha

[osprey_archer]

I don't think they rhyme exactly, but certainly the title rolls off the tongue more easy when you don't add a third name.