Betsy and Joe facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Maud Hart Lovelace |
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| Illustrator | Vera Neville |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Betsy-Tacy |
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Release number
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8 |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Set in | Deep Valley, Minnesota (1909-1910) |
| Publisher | Thomas Y. Crowell Co., HarperCollins |
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Publication date
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1948 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 256 |
| Preceded by | Betsy Was a Junior (1947) |
| Followed by | Betsy and the Great World (1952) |
Betsy and Joe is a popular book from 1948, written by Maud Hart Lovelace. It's the eighth book in the fun Betsy-Tacy series. This story follows Betsy and Joe during their final year of high school, also known as their senior or twelfth grade year. The whole Betsy-Tacy series, including Betsy and Joe, was re-released in 2000 by HarperTrophy with cool new cover art.
Contents
What Happens in the Story?
Betsy and Joe takes place during Betsy Ray's senior year of high school. This is from 1909 to 1910 in Deep Valley, Minnesota. Betsy first met Joe Willard in an earlier book, Heaven to Betsy. They met at Willard's Emporium, a store in the countryside. At first, they weren't close friends. They even competed for the best grades in English class. They also competed in the annual high school essay contest. Joe had lost his parents, so he worked hard to support himself. Betsy thought this made him a bit proud.
Summer Letters and New Friends
At the end of the last book, Betsy Was a Junior, Joe Willard sent Betsy a postcard. He wanted to write letters to her over the summer. Joe was working in the harvest fields. Soon, he moved to North Dakota to help run a newspaper. While Betsy was on vacation at Murmuring Lake, she and Joe wrote to each other. Betsy used her special "scented, greensealed" paper. Joe sent her "typewritten letters."
During this summer, Betsy's good friend, Tony Markham, visited her often. Tony sometimes hung out with a wilder group. Betsy encouraged his visits to keep him with her group of friends, called "the Crowd."
School, Dances, and Decisions
When school started in September, Joe visited Betsy's home for the first time. Soon, he came every Sunday night for "Sunday Night Lunch." The first school dance was announced. Tony asked Betsy to go first, which surprised her. Betsy explained the situation to Joe. He then invited her to all the other dances. Betsy said no because she felt it wouldn't be fair to Tony. She only liked Tony as a friend.
As fall went on, both Tony and Joe took Betsy to different events. Soon, it was time for the New Year's Eve dance. Betsy tried to give Joe a chance to ask her first. But Tony asked her again. Betsy felt she couldn't say no, so she accepted. She really wanted to go with Joe. When Joe found out, he was upset. He said they should stop seeing each other. After the school break, they were no longer friends. They barely spoke.
Reconnecting and New Beginnings
Tony became more serious about Betsy. Just before Easter break, Tony tried to kiss Betsy. She told him she only liked him as a friend. Then, Betsy went away for a week. She visited her father's friends, the Beidwinkles, in the country. At the end of the week, Betsy and the Beidwinkles visited Willard's Emporium. This was the place where Betsy and Joe first met. They met again there and became friends once more. They spent the day together.
When they both returned to Deep Valley, they started "going together." Tony left school to work on Broadway in New York. Joe and Betsy ended the school year very happy. They were "almost engaged."
Other Fun Storylines
Besides Betsy's main story, other things happen in Deep Valley:
- Ralph Maddox is a new football star. He starts dating Tib. His team kept losing because he didn't want to mess up his good looks. But after a funny skit at a pep rally, Tib told him she'd stop dating him unless they won.
- Tacy Kelly turns 18 in February 1910. She meets Harry Kerr, a business friend of Mr. Ray's. Harry is about 10 years older than Tacy. After their first meeting, Mr. Kerr told Mr. Ray he planned to marry Tacy. He said he would wait as long as needed.
- Up and Down Broadway was a local play. Many members of "the Crowd" were in it.
- Julia Ray spent the summer traveling in Europe. Then she studied opera in Germany. She stayed in a castle with a rich family.
Meet the Main Characters
- Betsy Ray: A high school senior in the class of 1910. She dreams of becoming an author. She sends her stories to magazines, hoping to sell them.
- Joe Willard: Also a high school senior. He became an orphan at age 12. He lived with his Uncle Alvin and Aunt Ruth. He moved to Deep Valley for high school. He works for Mr. Root, who owns the local newspaper.
- Tacy Kelly: Betsy's best friend since they were five years old. She is also a high school senior.
- Tib Muller: Betsy's other best friend, also a high school senior.
- Tony Markham: A high school senior. Betsy had a crush on him as a freshman. He became a good friend to Betsy and her whole family.
- Mrs. Ray: Betsy's mother.
- Mr. Ray: Betsy's father, who owns a shoe store.
- Margaret Ray: Betsy's younger sister, who is five years younger than Betsy.
- Julia Ray: Betsy's older sister. She spends the year studying opera in Europe.
- Carney Sibley: A freshman at Vassar College. She used to be part of "the Crowd."
- The Crowd: This group of friends changes a bit. It usually includes Betsy, Tacy, Tib, Carney, Alice Morrison, Irma Biscay, Hazel Smith, Dennie Farisy, Dave Hunt, Cab Edwards, and Tony Markham. Other friends join them sometimes.
Interesting Facts About the Book
- The book starts with a quote: "All's well that ends well" by William Shakespeare.
- Maud Hart Lovelace dedicated Betsy and Joe to her husband, Delos Lovelace.
- The story is based on the author's own senior year in high school. However, she didn't meet Delos Lovelace until after high school.
- Julia's letters in the book are based on real letters. Maud's older sister, Kathleen, wrote similar letters during her own trip.
