My Betsy-Tacy Convert

Betsy-Tacy fans know how to have fun. Little House fans have fun too — but I have to say that Betsy-Tacy fans have us beat, hands down.

What is Betsy-Tacy and what does this have to do with Little House? I’m so glad you asked.

Betsy-Tacy is a series of books written by Maud Hart Lovelace, based on her own childhood growing up in turn-of-the-century Mankato, Minnesota (alias Deep Valley in the series). Yes, as Sandra likes to say — that Mankato. Any of you who watched Little House on the Prairie on television have heard of Mankato, and you’re hearing that saloon music in your head right now! Lovelace paints a much prettier and more accurate picture of this town about 80 miles east of Walnut Grove. Mankato’s other Little House connection, of course, is our own Laurapalooza conference taking place there next summer.

But back to Betsy-Tacy, and their fans. You see, Little House fans of today have it good. We have well-established museums scattered at every significant Wilder-related site. We have annual activities at most of those homesites and we have pageants. Laura has achieved well-deserved notoriety which has caused her books to always remain in print, making it easy for us to share our beloved books with others. This is a result of decades of hard work on the part of Little House fans of generations past, and we are blessed to reap the benefits.

But Betsy-Tacy fans have not been so fortunate. Their hard work in recent years is now beginning to pay off, as they have established the Betsy and Tacy homesites and put together a conference this past summer that looked like more fun than anyone ought to be allowed to have! But perhaps the hardest battle Betsy-Tacy fans have had to fight is keeping the books in print!

Two weeks ago, HarperCollins released the six later books (the first four books were already in print) back into publication, much to the joy of Betsy-Tacy fans everywhere. And true to Betsy-Tacy style, fun has been interspersed right into that re-publication. The first week the books were out became known as Betsy-Tacy convert week. The challenge? Provided with a free copy of Heaven to Betsy and Betsy in Spite of Herself (the final six books have been printed in pairs — two books in one), readers were to find some poor unsuspecting soul to pass the book on to, with the hope, of course, that after reading one book, the reader would be officially converted, and want to read them all.

A contest was involved, and it sounded like fun. So I signed up. Next came the hardest part — who to convert? Most of my friends were already familiar with Betsy-Tacy, and I felt my niece was too young to be started on the high school books. At last, it came to me. Beyond Little House‘s frequent guest poster, Laura Welser. I asked Laura if she was already a fan, and she told me that she’d read one of the books as a child and wasn’t interested — it wasn’t her Laura.

I was convinced that age could only have improved her taste in reading material, and sent her the book. I’ll let her share her own experience with you, but I will tell you this: she’s converted.

I’ve shared nothing about the story with you, nothing about the charms of the series, nothing about the craft of the writer — and yet, I’m asking you to give Betsy-Tacy a try. If you love Little House, I feel certain you’ll love Betsy-Tacy, though the two girls have very little in common, Betsy being a “town girl” — but not a snooty one like Nellie Oleson!

And if you’ve got plans to attend Laurapalooza next year, here’s an added perk. Read and fall in love with Betsy-Tacy now, and visit their homes and haunts next summer in Mankato! Learn more about Betsy-Tacy at the Betsy-Tacy Society.