Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill (Lovelace, Maud Hart, Betsy-Tacy Book, 3.) (Paperback)

by Maud Hart Lovelace (Author), Lois Lenski (Illustrator) "BETSY, TACY, AND TIB were nine years old, and they were very anxious to be ten..." (more)
Key Phrases: hitching block, cat costumes, Little Syria, Hill Street, Old Bushara (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Betsy, Tacy, and Tib can't wait to be ten. After all, getting two numbers in your age is the beginning of growing up--exciting things are bound to happen. And they do! The girls fall in love with the King of Spain, perform in the School Entertainment, and for the first time, go all the way over the Big Hill to Little Syria by themselves. There Betsy, Tacy, and Tib make new friends and learn a thing or two. They learn that new Americans are sometimes the best Americans. And they learn that they themselves wouldn't want to be anything else.

Ever since their first publication in the 1940s, the Betsy-Tacy stories have been loved by each generation of young readers.

 

About the Author
Maud Hart Lovelace (1892-1980) was the beloved author of the Betsy-Tacy books as well as many other books for adults and children.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064400999
• ISBN-13: 978-0064400992
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #48,699 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( L ) > Lenski, Lois
  #3 in	Books > Children's Books > Series > Classics > Betsy & Tacy
  #41 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > United States > Fiction > 1900s

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A celebration of American life, February 19, 1998

By A Customer

This is my personal favorite of the Betsy-Tacy series (although picking a favorite is akin to naming your favorite child). It chronicles a pivotal year for Betsy, Tacy and Tib, when they finally have "two numbers in their age". Betsy prophesizes that their tenth year marks the beginning of great things for the trio, like falling in love and traveling the world.

Providentially, the handsome young Alphonso the Thirteenth is crowned King of Spain, giving the girls a convenient target for their first crush. While busily writing a love letter to their idol, the three stumble upon a colony of Syrian immigrants, who aren't always treated so well by their neighbors in Deep Valley. Betsy, Tacy and Tib proceed to make many new friends and learn a few lessons about prejudice and the American dream in the process.

MHL's gift for weaving together uplifting moral lessons with high-spirited adventure makes this a truly special book. She always somehow manages to get across a spiritual message without being heavy-handed, sentimental, or pedantic. Above all, her books are great fun and a pleasure to read.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This goes for all the "Betsy" books, May 8, 1999

By A Customer

When Maud Hart Lovelace first wrote the "Betsy-Tacy" series, did she know how much so many people, from children to adults, would love them? The series has at least one book that anyone of any age can relate to. 10-year-olds will love "Over the big Hill," high-schoolers will love the books about when Betsy was attending Deep Valley High, etc. And it doesn't end there! Even if you're not the age that Betsy was in one of the books, you can still love all of them! Maud has a way of capturing real feelings and experiences--even bad ones--and turning them into works of art. The "Betsy-Tacy" series really is a work of art, even if it was painted with a pen, not a paintbrush.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another classic, June 13, 2006

By	Erica Anderson (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill is the third book in the timeless Betsy-Tacy-Tib series. In this latest chapter in the trio's childhood, the girls begin to develop with age and maturity. First the girls turned ten which is a big deal for them, especially for Betsy. They finally have two numbers for their age. The second big moment for the girls is they develop their very first crush on the newly annointed King of Spain named Alphonso. And the third pivotal moment in their young lives is when they meet a community of Syrians in Deep Valley who has not exactly been greeted warmly by its natives. It is so much fun watching the girls grow up in this series. The tone of Bets and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill is slightly more somber yet realistic than the previous two books since it briefly touches on prejudice and unrequited first love. Even as an adult, I still like to pick up and re-read my Betsy-Tacy books for fun.