

For readers new to chapter books, the words and sentences are simple but interesting, and the books are long enough to give them a real sense of accomplishment without being intimidating.Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill is the third book of the Betsy-Tacy series, in which the three main characters, Betsy, Tacy, and Tib turn ten years old. This series is a beloved classic for a reason, and fluent readers will want to both fly through the pages and savor the story.

Despite being set in an earlier time, the girls' evolving world is relatable because of the universal emotions so open on the page: wanting to be popular, wanting to win a contest, missing a friend who has moved, and facing the internal struggles of growing up. Given that the first book was published in 1940, some of the ideas and phrasing are dated (regarding gender roles, different cultures) but not offensive. There's surprising depth to the early simplicity when Tacy's baby sister dies, the girls talk about where she must be, and in later years, they like to sit on the fence and talk about God. Similar to the Little House on the Prairie books, the girls' early lives are filled with paper dolls, games packed with imagination rather than toys, and in later books, horseless carriages, travel, love, loss, and an appreciation that the world is a big, complicated place. Parents need to know that Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy series about three white girlfriends is a gentle walk through the idealized simplicity of life in the Midwest in the 1940s.

They try hard to be good people, even while navigating adolescence and love, and there's an understanding that friendship is deeply treasured. All the adults on Hill Street and their town, Deep Valley, are kind and patient, and play along with the games and charades the young trio creates.
