Just a couple of excerpts...this book had some great passages! All three Wisconsin girls turn ten years old, and...fall in love with the King of Spain? Yup.


They sang to the tune of "Mine eyes have seen the glory," but they made up the words themselves:
"Oh, Betsey's ten tomorrow,
And then all of us are ten,
We will all grow up tomorrow,
We will all be ladies then..."
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"That was our last parade, I expect," said Betsy.
"Why?" asked Tib. "I think they're fun."
"We're getting too old for them," Tacy said.
"That's right," said Betsy. "Marching along and yelling will seem pretty childish after tomorrow."
"I suppose we'll start having tea parties," said Tacy.
"Yes. We'll crook our little fingers over the cups like this," answered Betsy, crooking her little finger in a very elegant way.
"We'll say 'indeed' to each other," said Tacy.
"And 'prefer'," said Betsy.
"Will it be fun?" asked Tib. She sounded as though she didn't think it would be.
"Fun or not," said Betsy, "we have to grow up. Everyone does."
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I am enjoying this series about friendship in a simpler time and place. Back in the sixties these were the most popular among the girls in my class in elementary school, even though they were 20 years old at that time. They have held up well, and I can understand why they are still being read today. ( )

I loved the description of the Syrians and the solution to the "princess problem." ( )

Well, the books I've been trying to read were so awful, I took up the third in the Betsy-Tacy series. Now, Betsy, Tacy, and Tib are 10. Being 10 is special, because one now has two digits for one's age, which means grown up. Only people like my late mother ever get to have three digits.

Anyway, Betsy, Tacy, and Tib fall in love with the young king of Spain and decide one of them should be queen. They choose Tib. But, their older sisters, Julia and Katie want to have a queen for themselves, the Queen of Summer. So, there's a huge fight.

Somewhere along the way, Betsy, Tacy, and Tib make friends with a little girl in Syria Town, Naifi. It seems there is an enclave of Syrian refugees in their valley. Eventually, they learn that Naifi is of "blood royal", back in her country anyway. But, she's come to America to be an American, so they must contrive to make her coronation a typical all-American celebration with flags and singing the Star Spangled Banner and so forth. Imagine that! A century ago, we accepted refugees into our country, made them feel welcome, and helped integrate them into society.

It's all rather a heart-warming story. I hope soon to find something more adult that is worth reading, but if I keep coming up with crap, I'll gladly revisit Betsy, Tacy, and Tib in their next adventure, during which they'll be 12.
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In this, the third installment of the series, Betsy and her sister Julia have a huge quarrel, and the girls meet some new friends who help them realize how special America is. Another enjoyable addition to the Betsy-Tacy books. ( )