The Digital Betsy-Tacy

Maud Hart Lovelace (1892 – 1980) was the author of the Betsy-Tacy books, as well as other stories and books for children, young adults, and adults. Born and raised in Mankato, Minnesota, she was a writer all her life, asking her mother how to spell “going down the street” at the age of five.

The Betsy-Tacy series was based on Maud’s experiences growing up with her parents, sisters, and a crowd of friends, all of whom are represented in the books, with names and some personal characteristics altered. Maud was “Betsy” in the series; we see the story through her eyes. Maud’s best friend, Frances “Bick” Kenney, was Betsy’s bashful bestie Tacy in the books; their spirited pal Marjorie “Midge” Gerlach was their dear friend Tib.

Maud’s husband Delos Lovelace, also a noted author, was Joe Willard in the Betsy-Tacy high school books. Their story of falling in love was fictionalized to fit into Betsy’s timeline, as Maud did not meet Delos until a bit later in life. Maud and Delos Lovelace had one daughter, Merian, and an infant son who lived only hours. Maud liked to tell Merian stories about her life growing up in Mankato, and Merian and Delos were so charmed by the tales that they encouraged her to write them down.

Those stories became the Betsy-Tacy books. Maud’s hometown of Mankato became, famously, “Deep Valley.” The stories provide a fascinating glimpse into life in the late 1890s and early 1900s in a small midwestern town. Even more remarkably, they reveal that much about life, love, and friendship remains the same today as a century ago.

Memorably, ingeniously, Maud wrote with progressively more sophisticated language, tone, and narrative as the children age throughout the series. The first book, Betsy-Tacy, has the simplest structure, and is for grade school children. As Betsy and her friends grow older, their relationships deepen, along with the situations and challenges they face. The later books take Betsy and her friends through high school and into adulthood, and are written for a young adult / adult audience.

Many themes are carried through the series, however. These include: the centrality of friendship and family; the value of independent thought and action, especially for women; the pleasures of writing, music, and travel; the importance of planning, discipline, perseverance, adaptability, spirituality, loyalty, and staying true to oneself in a life well and fully lived.

Maud’s legacy is enshrined in the Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award (by the Minnesota Youth Reading Book Awards), and in the devotion of generations of readers, many of whom gather virtually and occasionally physically via social media groupings, email lists, group chats and book discussions, and as the Betsy-Tacy Society. The Society has restored Betsy and Tacy’s original houses on Center Street in Mankato (Hill Street in Deep Valley, in the books) and is a resource for all things related to the books and to Maud Hart Lovelace. See https://www.betsy-tacysociety.org/ for more on the Betsy-Tacy Society. The books are published by Harper Collins and available at:

Maud Hart Lovelace also wrote three books in which Betsy and other Betsy-Tacy characters appear: Emily of Deep Valley, Carney’s House Party, and Winona’s Pony Cart. These are also delightful, and are important additions to the Betsy-Tacy canon, but as Betsy is not the lead character in these books, they are not highlighted in the Digital Betsy-Tacy Project at this time.

_{Photo of Maud Hart Lovelace: Estate of Merien Kirchner; HarperCollins website. Photos of books: Harper Collins website}

The Betsy-Tacy Society, a wonderful nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Betsy-Tacy books and houses, has developed the following guide for parents, teachers, and librarians interested in introducing the Betsy-Tacy books to children (and others!) Below are links to the guide and to the Betsy-Tacy Society website.