STAR SPANGLED SUMMER by Janet Lambert

This summer I bought the complete works of Janet Lambert. You may recall how I aired them out with some (minimal) success They still smell a bit musty, but I put them in order in a lovely bookcase and have started my reading of them.

I was told by many to start with STAR SPANGLED SUMMER and with good reason. It is adorable! However, I was on a road trip with my dear friend Lady Chardonnay and she was kind enough to read CANDY KANE out loud to me, so that was actually my first Lambert. But I am going to wait to write about that until it comes up in order about 5 or 6 posts from now. It was terrific and had more depth than I was expecting.

So - STAR SPANGLED SUMMER is our introduction to the Parrish family who are adorable. The father - Major Parrish (salute) is strong and kind, a military man who is an excellent horseman and a charming husband. The mother Marge is kind and full of fun - always up to help her kids organize some kind of fun or another.

David, the eldest son plays it close to the vest. He is dreamy-ish, mostly because of the way he holds himself apart. He is slated to go to West Point at the end of this summer and is studying and obsessing about equestrian matters.

Penny is adorable! I was worried that I was going to find her enthusiasm tiresome like that of JOAN FOSTER, FRESHMAN (don't ask...) but she was wonderful! A little Tobey Hayden-like with shades of (dare I say?) Betsy Ray. She is a good friend with a creative imagination and definitely her mother's daughter.

Bobby and Tippi are amorphous blobs of little children tropes, but I believe Tippi will become more important as she ages.

There are also two servants - Trudy and Williams who are, well, wonderful people but written a bit problematically. We will get back to them later.

The plot is thus - Carrol Houghton is a poor little rich girl who visits the Parrishs at their home on an army base and finds that the warmth of a close family is far more valuable than material wealth. And also there is intrigue with a jealous bitch named Louise who wants David because she can't have him and may or may not have attempted to murder Carrol to this end.

The thing I am most interested about in these books is the look at how gender, class, and race are dealt with and there is some real meat here.

On page 49 Carrol and David are talking about why girls chase boys and Carrol says, "...a lot of it is because girls don't have any ambition. They aren't planning a future as boys are, and aren't trying to amount to something someday." Well, that stopped me dead in my tracks with its accuracy. Girls did not have a fraction of the opportunities boys had to succeed so they had to find a star to which they could hitch their wagon. A boy-star. Yikes.

Carrol goes on to say that she wants to study languages in college and then "do something" afterwards. She is not like those other girls. She is a cool girl! Well, not really, but she is pretty awesome and is more than just that PLRG trope I expected.

Next up is Tubby. She is a fat girl, naturally, and is teased by the aptly named Dick. I think she is a bit of a wet blanket, but she doesn't deserve to be treated like that. It made me sad. Dick will get his at some point I am sure.

Now a big problem in this book is racism. I know it sounds harsh, but it is clearly there. The attitude towards Trudy (one of the family - couldn't live without her) is kind but patronizing. She is hardworking and kind, with a sense of humor, but all her dialog is in dialect straight out of AMOS AND ANDY. Williams is treated worse - same dialect, but also there are inferences that he is lazy - even though he seems to be Johnny-on-the-spot as far as I am concerned.

There are some sweet parts with Trudy and Williams. Clearly the Parrish's love Trudy and treat her respectfully. After "the hop" Penny takes time to tell Williams how well he played (he is in the second post orchestra). But this is not a book I would give to a kid without talking seriously and thoroughly about how African Americans were treated at this time.

Dialect always creeps me out. Even the brilliant SUMMER OF MY GERMAN SOLDIER used it for Ruth who was otherwise one of the most wonderful characters I ever met in a book. I am hoping this peters out in Lambert's writing eventually, but I don't know if it is likely.

If you have delicate sensibilities, look away now. On page 238 David is being razzed by his friends because he gets to take a plane to West Point with Carrol and her father rather than the train like the other fellows. Dick says, "Aren't you sumptin'. Mr. Gotrocks flying to the Point..." According to Urban Dictionary it means to flaunt money, but it sure sounds like a dick joke to me! It doesn't help that he goes on to say, "We'll all look the same when we get dyked out in those grey flannel shirts." I assume that means "dressed up" but Urban Dictionary assures me it has a very different meaning that is not Parrish approved!

At any rate - I enjoyed this book a lot. The description of life on the base is fascinating and there are some nice touches. At the moonlight picnic the kids ride horses out to where they are going to eat and sing songs not unlike the crowd in the Betsy Tacy books. (They are the gold standard, I am going to reference them a lot!)

So far the war is kind of in the background, but I believe that it is going to be more than just a plot device in these books. I am looking forward to the next installment DREAMS OF GLORY and will let you know what I think when I finish it!

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

I am currently sitting at table 21 in the Gale Family Library at the Minnesota Historical Society, waiting to get my paws on the Maud Hart Lovelace papers!
Some of the things I hope to see are Maud's GREAT WORLD memorabilia, the Okto Delta constitution, a little essay called AN ADVENTURE ON PUGET SOUND.
I am agog.
In other news, I was visiting my friends Pete and Mandi in Chicago a couple days ago and Pete is trying to offload some records he acquired and he gave me a snazzy little disc called - THE GREAT CARUSO! He was quite surprised when I squealed like a 1990s teenybopper at a Backstreet Boys concert.
The anticipation is killing me. If they find my body draped across table 21, you will know why!
More to come...

Laundering My Lamberts!

SO as you can see, my new collection of Janet Lambert books is currently being aired out. I bought them from a friend who is relocating and wanted them to have a good home. I would mention the friend, but I am about to cast aspersions on the smell of her basement. Believe me, honey, it smells better than mine! Those poor books would turn to dust in self-defense if the had to go in my basement. We have a sign on the door that says, "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here." (And my beloved is currently riding an exercise bike down there. He abandoned hope a long time ago...)

So yesterday I bought a new bookcase for these lovelies and am attempting to debasement-ize them. They are in really good shape, but have been in storage for awhile. Since I would rather smell lavender dryer sheets than musty book, I am taking extreme measures! They are on my back porch with a dryer sheet in  and between each book. 

I also have a handful in some plastic boxes with [box 1] baking soda, [box 2] more dryer sheets, and [3] a charcoal bag my beloved keeps in my car in the vain hope that it won't smell terrible all the time.  That's what the internet told me to do. But who trusts that guy?

In other news, have received an AMAZING chronology that Susie Welsh put together for the interrelated books. My plan is to put those in her order and do the rest chronologically.  If you aren't friends with her on facebook and want the list - I will check and see if it is in the public domain. I can't wait to get started!

But first the airing out...

THEN AGAIN MAYBE I WON'T because I am a middle aged lady...

I love to read the books I was obsessed with as a young person with my little old lady eyes in the 21st century to see how they hold up. Today's installment is that classic of adolescence by Judy Blume that had quite an impact on me. From shoplifting to looking into the neighbors windows to nocturnal emissions - there was so much to learn here!

First off, the cover of the version I am currently reading pulls no punches. This boy is LOOKING THROUGH THOSE BINOCULARS with SOMETHING ON HIS MIND. What could it be?

It is hard to tell what is the reflection at the bottom of the cover. Could be a nicely stained wood floor, could be some sort of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS bug - your guess is as good as mine.

[Here there be spoilers. If you haven't read this since the mid-80s like me, you can still get one of the 16 copies in the Noblenet system. Or at the evil empire. Or you could order it from your local bookseller because they aren't keeping it on the shelf unless you're talking about someplace HUGE.)

Now to the story. The basic premise is it is early summer and nearly 13 year old Tony Miglione is living in Queens, working a paper route for his spending money and thinking about going to junior high next year (7th grade). He lives with his parents and mute grandmother and his older brother, a teacher, and sister-in-law knocked up earlier in the marriage than they planned, live in the in-law apartment. Because of his impending grandfather-hood, Tony's dad takes one if his inventions to an investor and - just like that - they become upper middle class. Maybe even upper-class, depending on how you define it.

I read this book in the late seventies when I was 11 or 12, it was written in 1971 and from what I have read so far, it holds up. It would surely have the feel of historical fiction to a young reader of today, and for me it takes me right back to Smithtown, Long Island, sitting by the back window, listening to Billy Joel and wondering just what the hell a wet dream is.

Now for the deep dive.

In reading this again, I realize that as a kid I never took in the impact the death of Vinny, Tony's older brother. The loss of Vinny weighs heavy on the story. It was published in 1971, When the Vietnam war was still going on. This loss does a lot to explain why Mrs. Maglione wants to start fresh with all new things when the family moves to Long Island. She is clearly trying to escape from the memories of the old place. I’m interested to see how this plays out in the rest of the story.

Another thing that I completely missed is the discussion of class. It is a story about a family moving on up from being a blue-collar family where the father is electrician (not the lucrative career it is now that there are so many fewer electricians), the mother works in retail, the disabled Grandma is home helping with childcare and cooking and the son has to have a job at 12 to have any spending money.

I also never noticed how caught up Tony is in a fear that the money is not going to last. This is very interesting to me because it shows that he’s been sort of indoctrinated to have fears about money as a member of a family that is just scraping by would at a very young age. I’m also interested in the fact that the brother and sister-in-law were studying to be teachers and how education is shown as a bridge to a better life.

When the Migliones move, the description of the new house is so funny to me. Having grown up on Long Island, I know exactly what that house felt like. My house wasn’t that big with the extra bathrooms but we did have three!  We had one upstairs near the kids 'rooms, one attached to the master bedroom and one downstairs for company and emergencies. And yes, many was the time I sat there with the door open so I could see the TV. We were a family without shame. And we were bathroom rich. I have lived for the past 22 years in a one bathroom house And luckily we only have two children both boys who had to be urged to have good hygiene as at a young age. And the rule has always been, when Mama says get out of the bathroom, you have 30 seconds to wrap up whatever you are doing! (And no, you can't see the TV from the bathroom.)

So, the idea of the room having three windows being a big deal stuck out to me.My sister Susan had two windows out front and one to the side that looked into the neighbors house. My room had two windows in the front with a built-in window seat and two windows in the back and a little bit of porch that I could climb out and sit on the roof if I was feeling angst-y. But I didn’t do that very much because it involves climbing which I was far too lazy to do. The number of windows just seemed normal, but now that I think about it, the houses we lived in as we were "moving-on-up" had progressively more windows as my dad climbed the corporate ladder.

For his first rich-boy birthday, Tony gets a new bike- a 10 speed, mother-scratcher! He has such a feeling of freedom now. He learns his way around the town and it’s completely liberating. I did bike some as a kid, but again see laziness above. It was good to ride my bike to the library. That was always one of my very favorite things to do. But I would often try to catch a ride at least downtown, and then walk back later in the afternoon. Tony doesn't seem to walk much.

Nowadays, I don’t see kids riding their bikes much. That could be because we live on a main road. I did a study in graduate school about obesity rates in kids who live on on main roads as opposed to roads that do not have outlets on to main roads. It was a master work. But I digress.

Ooh, the next-door neighbors with a pool, I know it well! The etiquette behind this is very touchy stuff. Both our neighbors had pools. The family on one side had a pool but we were never invited over. But the Jenkins on the other side had a pool and we had an open invitation. This was problematic because Kenny Jenkins had a bunch of gorgeous friends who I had tremendous crushes on so I would have to beautify before I could go over there. It was awkies. I had no game. I used to tell myself that it was because they were late developers, and that’s why I never got to make out with any of them. But the actual truth was, I was awkward as hell in high school. No doubt about it. I made up for it I had some game in college and I'm married now so, well played me...

So Tony finally meets the neighbor kids. Joel, oh Joel, I never saw your underlying issues when I was a kid, but I can clearly see you need a lot of therapy now that I am an adult. Lisa, the perfect princess becomes Tony's obsession from the minute he meets her. Hot older girls are still a thing for middle school boys, I suppose.

The maid was something, huh?  No one I knew had a made growing up, except for Saul and Minnie. They also had a pool, and we had an open invitation to swim there. They were loaded! Now that they’re both dead I think it’s OK to say that Saul was my dad‘s sponsor in AA. He was an old man and had a wife that he was deeply in love with whom he fought with constantly and she also was crazy about him, and argued with everything he said. I believe that Saul and Minnie did have an impact on my marriage, Rich and I are very Saul and Minnie. His grandparents also used to fight all the time, and his family said he is just like his granddad. I was born the same day as his grandma and hope that I have some of her fiery spirit.

Anyway,  the Richman's had a maid and their pool was an in ground pool. And they had a pool house, we didn’t go into the house because we didn’t want to irritate them. And I think that was for the best. This place was in walking distance and Katie and I used to go over pretty frequently. We would read-walk on the way up and on the way back. My gosh we were nerds. Anyway God bless Saul and Minnie.

The school thing is 100% right. Being the new kid is never as easy as Tony makes it seem making his two new friends on the first day, but it is a big learning curve. I could go on for days about that.

Reading about youth group is a hoot, that was my whole social circle when I was growing up. Where I lived,  if you didn’t have kids your age in the neighborhood, you didn’t have a social life. (If you were a big nerd who only wanted to read and didn't want to ride your bike too far.) My sister had a nice group of kids in the neighborhood and was very popular with them, but I was too young. They already had one kid who is two years younger to be their mascot. They were nice to me and that they would invite me to activities like tobogganing, and every once in a while horseback riding. (Okay, my sister had a horse, maybe we were rich.)

It’s great that Tony’s going to get to play basketball and youth group. And that one of his new friends is also in youth group. This girl Corky, I remember her coming up. I was never a fan. I can’t stand skinny girls, Just like Tony.

Oh my gosh, the erections! TAMIW was my first introduction to the human penile erection! Thanks Judy, I can’t believe I forgot why I was so fascinated by this book. I’m going to end here before it gets too graphic and hopefully make my next post more about Tony and less about Barb. Then again maybe I won’t.

BIG HILL chapters 7-9

CHAPTER 7 – OUT FOR VOTES

The race is on! Maud takes us down the street to meet the neighbors as the girls canvas for votes.

First up is the Rivers' we met Mrs. Rivers when she distracted Betsy as the birthday party girls came over earlier in the book. Next up are the Hunts. They are “deaf and dumb” in the parlance of the day.

How interesting that she uses the name Hunt! Dave Hunt was a silent fellow – could be be their son? There is only mention of a baby in that house in BIG HILL, and Dave Hunt (according to Sharla Whalen) is based on Bob Hughes whose father was a judge, so probably unlikely to be hearing impaired. And Buehlah Hunt was one of the Winonas. There is no meniton in the Companion of this neighborhood family at all. [1]

We hear a lot about the need for inclusivity in children's books and here is Maud in 1942 highlighting characters who have disabilities and promoting acceptance of immigrants. Yay Maud! [2], [3]

Miss Williams, the music teacher is on team Julia. As is her brother Ben who is one of those non-royal book carrying kind of boys. Julia hits up Mrs. Benson – but the girls aren't worried. She loves them best. The postman will sign both or neither requiring a new rule of no double signing. The bigs pick up Dorothy. No mention is made of her jowles, but she is their enemy now. BT&T pick up Alice who is given two more attributes – earnestness and thick blond braids.

The baker's boy signs for Julia. (Clearly, she used her wiles. Look at that picture, she is seductively pinching his arm.) But he gives Tib a donut to make up for it. Corruption in government already! He is angling for baker-friendly legislation regardless of who wins. This is a down and dirty business...

There are some strange houses as the girls wend their way to the ice cream social. They are so confident in getting all the votes there that they just send Tib. Yep, they rest while Tib does the work. Again...

But Tib comes back furious! The evil ones have not only gotten all the social votes – they are dining on cake and ice cream! Oh the horror! You can see how pleased they are in the picture. Our gals are just tiny little figures in the back, but I am guessing Tib's right fist is clenched.

They hatch a plan to go to Little Syria for the votes. They know it would be frowned on, but they haven't been specifically told not to so they are going to take the chance. Oh girls... [4]

CHAPTER 8 – LITTLE SYRIA

Betsy Tacy Society marker is where the houses are and the Jefferson
Elementary School is the site of the Meechum Mansion.
James Avenue still has a few of the old homes that were inhabited by early
Syrians in Mankato.

The girls go up the hill. They try to act dejected on the way up, but they overplay it and Julia and Katie get suspicious, but they don't follow their guts and just rest assured that they will be victorious.

They are nervous, but they know Naifi lives there so that makes it feel a little less scary. 

They start at Mr. Meechum's pointedly unfriendly house. They try the door but are chased by a dog. Dogs are the worst. Betsy gets caught on the fence as they try to escape. The picture is hysterical. They all looked completely freaked out. I am freaked out by the hugeness of Tib's hands in this picture! No wonder she usually clenches her fists.

They are rescued by a young man who is chopping wood outside who turns out to be Naifi's father! He recognizes BT&T from his daughter's story and is pleased to meet them. He refers to her as “My heart. My eyes,” which strikes strikes Betsy as strange but Tacy likes it. Your eyes are important! [5]

They go into Naifi's house and there is her grandpa pulling on a hubble-bubble pipe, otherwise known as a narghile. You can still purchase those today! Although I can't imagine what on earth you would use it for. In other news, Grandpa is super mellow.

Grandma is making kibbe – which according to the internet is the Lebanese equivalent of meatballs made with lamb. She gives them raisins and dates for a snack.

Naifi's family all sign the ballot and her father sends them off to get signatures from all the neighbors. There is a delightful look at all the new things that they see, the people they meet and the growing sense of comfort they take in this new and exciting place. [6]

There is a picture of Tib petting that rascally goat as Naifi looks at her grandma like she's thinking, “Enough with the raisins already!”

On the way out of town, they see Mr. Meechum and his beautiful white horses (and his daughter) and the Meechums (and driver) all sign for Tib. The girls head home filled with the joy that only screwing over your big sister can bring!

CHAPTER 9 – THE QUARREL AGAIN

Seriously, they look like piles of intestines. 

Julia and Katie are, I don't know - maybe playing with intestines? - in the picture at the top of the chapter as BT&T come back with their massive pile of signatures. They are PISSED! Those signatures aren't even in ENGLISH!!

Now to step back, when they saw all the work the big girls had done, Tib was all for conceding. But Betsy is a stubborn little troll. I know, I still support her over Julia, but she could give in this one time. Tacy rolls however Betsy does so they dig in their heels. It does not go well.

Katie brings the sass - “You might have let a chicken run over the paper.” Watch it, Katie. Their alphabet is older than yours.

The carnage begins. Arms, legs, lists and streamers all are flying. Mrs. Ray comes out to see what is going on. [7]

When Betsy mentions Little Syria, we hear the scratch of the needle as is drags across the soundtrack and everything stops. Oh, they are in SO MUCH TROUBLE!

It is decided that Mr. Ray developed this plan and he will sort it out, but he conveniently has a Lodge meeting that night. So it will be sorted tomorrow.

Betsy and Julia each spend the evening pretending the other doesn't exist. After supper Betsy goes out to play, but it isn't fun. She does NOT like this quarreling. The fact that Julia almost cried when she said everything was ruined really hit Betsy hard. Julia never even cries when she gets spanked! And Tacy is feeling bad about Katie, too. These girls know that they really do get some benefit from their older sisters.

At bedtime Mrs. Ray makes them apologize, but everyone knows it's just hollow words. As Betsy lies in bed, cue the flashback footage of all the fun times she and Julia have had together. Betsy starts crying quietly. Then she hears Julia crying – not quietly at all! They reconcile.

Julia is feeling so guilty about Betsy going to “that awful place” Little Syria. But Betsy tells her that it was a lovely place and they talk and talk until they realize they have never been up that late before. OH!! I love it when Betsy stays up late. All the best things happen when 
you stay up late! [8]

They go to sleep happily with but one question hanging in the air. What will they do with those streamers??

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Questions for discussion -

[1] What do you think is the deal with the Hunts?

[2] Maud is so forward thinking in her (dare I call it?) feminism - here she writes matter-of-factly about neighbors with disabilities fitting in to the neighborhood and acceptance of immigrants - both of these ideas are not necessarily things you'd see in 1940s kid lit. Or am I wrong? Do you know of other examples?

[3] On a related note - in what other ways does Maud and her depiction of Betsy seem more forward-thinking than you'd expect from the time?

[4] MORE CONFESSIONS!! You knew you were't allowed, but you weren't NOT allowed. What did you do young Maudlers? What did you do? Tell all... 

(I wasn't allowed to play in the woods behind the elementary school the summer after 5th grade because bad kids smoked back there, but no one said anything about the woods beside the elementary school. That didn't end well...)

[5] This makes me choke up a little bit - did your Dad have a special nickname for you? 

(Mine was Boomer or Slug. I know - weird. But I fell down a lot as a toddler and said "Boom!" and was covered with slime. Just kidding! Slug was short for Slugger-duggar. Don't know why...)

[6] Betsy is awesome at adopting places! GREAT WORLD is the high bar for this - she makes a home of nearly everywhere she goes. What is your favorite Betsy-goes-to-a-new-place-and-makes-it-her-own story?

[7] Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like this is a real physical altercation? Did you physically fight your siblings? 

(I was more a proponent of psychological warfare with my sisters, but there was the rare occasion of biting or scratching, And one very memorable throwing of a vase.)

[8] Oh come one, you saw this coming - what is your favorite Betsy-stays-up-late story in the books?

BIG HILL - chapters 4-6

Chapter 4 – NAIFI

 So when the lunch basket disappears, the first though the immortal trio has is the villains – Julia and Katie. They are morose, thinking about the teasing. There is some lovely writing here -

“It would sound queer, said out loud and in public, that they were in love with the King of Spain.”

“Betsy very seldom said “Gee whiz!” She was too religious.” and “The sooner we don't see them the better.”

The great goat chase is on. They realize it was an animal who stole lunch and they go after it. Mostly Tib, natch.

But they are stopped short when Tib bumps into “a little girl so strange that she seemed to have stepped out of one of Betsy's stories.” She is dressed like a grown woman, but is a girl like them. She is talking in a language they don't understand and she is very obviously upset at the goat's behavior. “She is the excitedest person I ever saw,” says Betsy. They try to assure her that they aren't fussed about the lunch – which has been scattered across the grass.

They decide to invite her to their picnic. There is a bit about the importance of picnics and then they commence to eat. The little girl joins them and she has pita and cheese of her own. They start teaching each other words in English [1] and whatever language the little girl speaks.

The pictures for this chapter show a running goat, a naughty goat and a welcoming picnic - all lovely.

They share some words and then their names. She is Naifi. But it gets late and everyone has to head home. They talk about Naifi as they head home and it is only when they see their newspapers blowing around that they realize that their letter is gone. They fear that Julia and Katie might find the letter and make their lives a misery. It can NOT just be worry. Those older girls are a pain. I will fight anyone who says otherwise. Middle sisters forever!!

They decide to keep Naifi a secret and Tib says okay, but she wants to lose the underpants pictures of the king. Betsy and Tacy acquiesce, but tell Tib that they aren't done with trying to make her a queen.

They all head home. The picture of the Ray kitchen is the most Julia picture ever! She is practicing her piece and she is SO the center of attention in this pic. She lives for the spotlight. She is talking about being “Queen of the May” - hmmmm... I wonder what that is?

Chapter 5 – THE SCHOOL ENTERTAINMENT

Tib - Marjorie Gerlach in the baby dance dress!
Accordion sold separately.

There is a school entertainment coming and everyone is excited. Maud compares Julia and Katie's personal senses of anticipation. Julia is thrilled! “Her feet loved a platform as Betsy's loved a grassy hill.” I would make some snarky attention-whore comment here, but I have just finished the book (for the first time in ages) a few minutes ago and am in love with Julia once again. I will try very hard to regain my level of scorn once we get into chapter 6. (Spoiler – it's called “A Quarrel.” Can you guess who ruins everything with her sense of big-sister entitlement? Oh, I bet you can.)

Katie, on the other hand, despised performing. But she is a reliable memorizer and a smart cookie, so she finds herself obligated to perform The Gettysburg Address.

THE CAT DUET!! THE CAT DUET!! Here we have the dramatic unveiling of the cat duet – complete with Betsy climbing up from the alto line to join Tacy. No matter – they are adorable and it is a classic routine that will bring joy to Deep Valley for at least 5 more books. Tib will bring the Baby Dance, complete with the death defying Russian step which is done from a squatting position. As someone who is attending physical therapy to learn how to squat again (WHY? Can't I just plan to live a squat-free life from here on out?) this seems unbelievably risky.

Fashion Alert – Tib's Baby Dance dress is described in glorious detail. I have read it, seen pictures of it and still couldn't describe it other than “accordian pleated” which I am 99.6% sure doesn't mean that she can play La Vie en Rose with it. But I could be wrong. It is awfully skippy though. So much so that Mrs. Mueller loans Tib her Opera Cape. This glorious garment is made of black lace trimmed with ribbons and rosebuds. Real rosebuds? I imagine not. But I could be wrong. Man, the clothes in Betsy-Tacy, they get described a lot... [2]

Off they go – the school is on high alert for the Mothers are coming! Miss Dooley, grade 4 teacher, is dressed to the nines and looks tense. There is no more joyful time for an educator than when the parents come to school. I know it well.

“Position! Rise! Turn! March!” When I would read books about pre-1970s school, I though the marching that was mentioned was special occasion kind of stuff. [3] I didn't realize that in many schools, that was how students changed classes – in quiet orderly lines. Trust me when I say, that is no longer the case.

The program begins with Men of Harlach which probably sounded not very much like this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtnWVvDX6k

Julia is up next. She kills. “She smiled and yet she seemed ready to cry.” Betsy overhears someone say, “That child is certainly going to be an actress,” and she is embarrassed and proud. Then some no-name talent and shortly up – Katie.

The paragraph about Katie's performance is comedy gold. I know you've read it, so I won't type it verbatim but it ends with, “When she had to take bad medicine, Katie knew how to take it.” That is worth embroidering on a sampler. More kids after Katie and them Tom plays the violin. He's probably up there thinking he's going to steal the show, pitying the act that has to follow him. But no. Betsy and Tacy bring down the house with the Cat Duet.

I love the way Mrs. Ray is playing the piano in the picture with her head turned completely to watch the girls. If that isn't motherly multitasking, I don't know what is.

Here's a cute version of the Cat Duet for the uninitiated - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMngXo9B_Vg Miss Dooley says that they will have to sing it again next year. And Maud assures us that they do it until Betsy and Joe... I mean until they graduate from high school.

Tib closes the show with the Baby Dance. It is magnificent! She gets a curtain call. She's a natural. You can see her charm in the illustration at the beginning of the chapter. On the way home Betsy and Tacy offer to carry The Opera Cape so that she can show off those snazzy pleats. Tib thinks it's funny because to have them waiting on her because usually, she says, “I wait on you.” Which is such a Tib thing to say. [4]

As they walk home, they hear some concerning noise. Someone is being teased. They hear boys dressed in their good clothes behaving very badly. Nicely put, Maud! When they see who is being tormented, they are shocked! It is their new friend Naifi being tormented by horrible boys! How dare they?? The picture is really evocative. Those boys look wretched and Naifi is terrified. There are the girls on the sidelines, but not for long. Tib is already making a fist and is ready to rumble.

Tacy, shy shy Tacy starts yelling! But there is no response other than some teasing. But there goes Tib against these giant inbred boys! She pushes Sam, he pushes back. And the accordion pleated dress rips! Tib doesn't even care, she is in the zone – she breaks through the circle and tries to get Naifi out. 

Betsy recognizes her friends' bravery and drops the Cat costumes to join in. This distracts Sam enough for Naifi to run away. Now he is acting the fool with the costumes and some of his gang start to look ashamed. But another bonehead is promenading in the Opera Cape.

Betsy and Tacy almost start crying until they remember they are 10. Not to point fingers here, but Tib is the one with the ripped dress and defiled Opera Cape and she is not even considering crying. Tib is a boss. But things are looking dire. But not for long! Julia and Katie storm in. Julia shouts, “Leave my little sister alone!” Katie issues orders and they are obeyed. Everybody minds Katie. It's the law.

The bigs offer to go to Muellers' with the trio to explain what happened. Now that the fight is over, Tib is taking in the damage and she is downcast. Never fear, little Tiblet, your mother is proud of you! Mrs. Mueller has a speech about how it is important to appreciate newcomers and we (nearly) all come from someplace else back in our family history. [5] She assures Tib that the dress can be fixed. Betsy and Tacy are relieved – Tib's future Queen-hood is mostly based on wardrobe. And they are determined she will be some sort of Queen.

All is well in Deep Valley. Everyone is getting along fine. (Except Sam and his buddies. They'll live lives of misery and die alone) Yep, it's just friendship and sisterly affection from here on out. I'm almost sure...

Chapter 6 – A QUARREL

There are some haughty looking gals in the illustration at the top of this chapter. It is Katie and Julia off to corner the Deep Valley market on crepe paper. They have plans. But so do our girls and they are digging in their heels. But more on that later.

Betsy and Julia (and the rest) usually get along fine. At one point Julia bought Betsy a candy egg in a little tin pan to make up for a fight. It cost a penny at Mrs. Chubbocks. Man, you could get a lot of candy for next to nothing back then. Remember the ALL OF A KIND FAMILY girls and their half penny's worth of chocolate babies. If I ever get to travel in time, I am going to bring a ton of pennies. I was trying to find a picture of an egg/frying pan candy and came across this - http://www.truetreatscandy.com/ - which is a candy story website, but it has lots of neat historical candy facts.

Julia is reciting “Queen o' the May” all over town. Insufferable. The immortal trio are eating carrots from Tacy's garden and trying to suss out what is going on. They decide to focus their energies on making Tib a Queen. Betsy asks her mom about May Queens. Mrs. Ray has finished the morning chores and is sitting around embroidering waiting for callers. Did people just show up for calls? Did you serve snacks. It seems I have read enough fiction (and seen enough Masterpiece Theater) to know about this, but if anyone has any actual knowledge based on facts, I'd love to hear it! [6]

And it comes out. 

Katie has decided that Julia should be queen of something and they are going to make her Queen of Summer. Oh yeah, that just occurred to Katie – I'm sure no one put a bug in her ear about that. Katie is so full of romance and pageantry, surely it was HER idea... Humph.

Betsy is FREAKING OUT!! They had been Queen-planning for ages! J&K are copy cats! THIS WILL NOT STAND!!! Truly, Betsy's descent into madness is beautifully written. Maud has a great ability to show Betsy's emotional life. What is your favorite Betsy Ray meltdown? Okay, not meltdown, perhaps "What is your favorite example of Maud's illumination of Betsy's emotional life?" [7] Yep, that sounds better!

BT&T discuss this. Tib is all for caving, but “Betsy and Tacy would have none of such weakness.” They are kicking themselves for not getting started on organizing something Queen-ish, but it is manifesting itself in righteous indignation. I have to say, Betsy can procrastinate. What do you think was her worst case blowing-something-off scenario from the books? [8]

Betsy composes some fine verse about the big sisters and the girls treat them to a performance when they come back up the hill. The older girls are confused. Katie speaks calmly and reasonably – as ever. It is just hilarious. “This time Julia spoke, using that tone of gentle patience which Betsy, Tacy and Tib found particularly maddening.” I know that tone! Big sisters get special training to use that tone. (And many people use it with me, I have no idea why...) And a measly offer of flower girls?? PLEASE!! It goes down.

The picture shows the precise point where Betsy's soul leaves her body and she goes all Hulk. Tib - once again – has her hands in tiny fists! She is always ready to throw down, our Tib. Everybody's eyebrows are angry, except Katie. She has a look of dopey resignation on her face.

The whole neighborhood is in an uproar, crepe paper is torn, and here comes Mr. Ray up the hill – just wanting to read his paper before dinner. Instead, he has to become judge jury and executioner. He says, “What's up?” which sounds so modern, he lets Old Mag find her way to the barn and he tries to sort out the issue.

The picture is adorable. BT&T are just staring into space because Julia is doing three acts of tragedy (with real fake tears!) and they know they shouldn't have let her have the closing argument. “Katie and I would give in. We always do...” But Mr. Ray is aware of her wiles. And he is just. “It seems clear that each side thinks his side is right.” Can you think of any current day situations where both sides are completely convinced of their infallibility? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHH!!!

Please, don't answer that...

Wise King Bob says that the American way is to count on the vote to sort this out. Can you think of any current-- nope, never mind. Moving on...

To wrap up, there is going to be an election in Deep Valley and it is going to solve EVERYTHING!

Below are the questions for discussion I posted to the MAUD-L listerv. Please feel free to contemplate them however you see fit!

-----------------------------------

[1] Foreign language in BT - there are many times that Betsy is caught up in not understanding, or trying to understand other languages. What is your favorite?
(I am a spinach mit ei girl, myself...)

[2] Oh go ahead, what's your favorite outfit you fashion-pay-attention-to-ers? I'll just wait here...

[3] Did any of you go to school back in the day when you had to be orderly in the halls? Was there an actual marching protocol?

[4] I'm just going to put it out there - are Betsy and Tacy kind of bad friends to Tib? Does Tib not really care?

[5] I am trying very hard to keep the questions Tome-centric this time around, but I just have to ask - what part of your immigrant background do you think of as your "old country" identity?
(I am pretty much a mutt, but my paternal grandfather's parents came from "Da Bohemian Country" and that is what I always considered myself. My English/Irish forbears came to this country speaking "Da American Language". How dull...)

[6] What do you know about "making calls"?

[7] What is your favorite example of Maud's illumination of Betsy's emotional life?"

[8] What do you think was Betsy's worst case blowing-something-off scenario from the books?

BETSY AND TACY (and for the love of God, TIB) GO OVER THE BIG HILL group read part 1

There is a group read on the Betsy-Tacy listserv and these are my copious notes for the first three chapters. 

Chapter 1 – GETTING TO BE 10

The book is dedicate to “Kathleen and Tess – the villains of the piece.”

The girls look so pensive in the first picture. Well, they have a lot on their minds. Being 10 is very important. Two numbers in your age is “the beginning of growning up” Betsy would say. She WOULD say it – clearly they have had this philosophical conversation more than once...

This threshold into maturity makes them feel solemn, important and pleased. Maud often lists groups of threes when the girls are ruminating.

Julia and Katie don't have as much fun because they are 12, the little siblings are too young. Clearly “going on 10” is the sweet spot. Remember how important age was when you were little? I used to narrow it down to the quarter year and now I can't remember if I am 51, 52 or 53.

They talk about wearing “pugs” whatever the heck those are. The girls are often defined by their hair color. They are like Charlie's Angels. Clearly, Tib is Farrah, Betsy is Jacklyn Smith and Tacy is Kate Jackson. Any other famous trios you can line them up against? I don't know the Stooges well enough to offer an opinion.

So birthday time is a'coming. Tacy and Tib are too polite to discuss it at length because Betsy isn't there yet and she is the one driving all this 10 is the best stuff. Tacy is first, but she doesn't have a party because there are so many kids. But Betsy and Tib come over for cake. Tib has the flu instead of a party, but her mom sends cake to Betsy and Tacy. Cake that is crawling with disease!

And now it is the day before Betsy's birthday. The girls are going nuts. They climb the hill, putting on a singing show for the Eckstroms who are “making a garden” - which is an interestingly specific turn of phrase.

The Big Hill is so exotic – there is the secret lane and the mystery house! They are “hunting” violets. Tib is ready for the challenge. “We'd better go get those violets.” she says. But I picture her yelling it like - “We'd better go GET THOSE VIOLETS!!”

Tacy realizes that they have gone further than they ever have before and by golly – there is Little Syria over there at the bottom. Tib points that out and Betsy and Tacy freak out! Little Syria is FAR. You go there on a drive, you don't walk there! The world has gone topsy-turvy!

Then there is the story of Mr. Meecham who tried to sell lots as Meecham's Addition, but the “American neighbors” didn't want to live that far out of town, so he sold to Syrian immigrants. Then he stopped going in to town much and just lived out there with his grown daughter. It would be interesting to know what the daughter thought about that.

There is a little uncomfortable language about the Syrians. They were “strange” and “dark”.

But back to the wonder of being so close to L.S. Betsy says now that they are growing up they are going to do to all the hot spots – Little Syria, Minneapolis, Chicago, New York. She knows what's what.

Tib doesn't see the magic of this geographic miracle. She is so literal. It's always been there, they just didn't know it. Betsy and Tacy have to convince her how amazing that is. And then she jumps in with the idea to go down there. Betsy and Tacy are fabulists- they get excited about stuff, but Tib is the one who is ready to go in, guns blazing.

Tacy and Betsy look a little concerned. Little Syria has a bit of a reputation for knife fights. There is this man, Old Bushara who supposedly chased a boy from their school. It sounds at first like those old “my cousin who goes to a different school knows this teacher who keeps an ocelot in the classroom” stories all kids tell.

But when Tacy brings it up – Tib basically says “Sam's a racist shithead.” She says that Sam yelled “Dago” at him and yells at all the Syrians. I love it that Tib is so quick to recognize that this is horrible. Our little social justice warrior! She is really rarin' to go.

Betsy and Tacy share a look, as they often do around Tib, and say – another time...

They head back home with no marching and singing. They pick some flowers. Maud got all the way to page 5 before talking about nature (the bird calls). She is so adept at folding the living world into her work. I have taken so many things from these books as touchstones in my life. The two exceptions are fashion and nature. They just don't stick in my head.

They are definitely subdued. They talk more about growing up. Tib is practical as usual. “Will it be fun?” They are resigned, but she wants clarity. This mood stays to the end of the chapter when Betsy has that middle-of-the-night queer feeling in her stomach. But she falls asleep. And in the morning she is 10.

Chapter 2 – TEN YEARS OLD

In the morning, that queer feeling is gone and Betsy is psyched to be 10. There are clearly shenanigans afoot based on the picture of Papa and Margaret “pounding” Betsy as Julia looks on. Birthdays were clearly more aggressive back in the day. We just “spanked” at my house. And now nobody gets hit at all.

There is snow. In April! Minnesotans, you are truly the hardiest of all the midwesterners.

Julia is far too reserved for pounding. She politely wishes Betsy a happy birthday and Betsy responds “carelessly”. You know, it looks like now that Betsy has two numbers in her age, these two are really going to get along. I can't way to see how this plays out.

Betsy does a lot of things carelessly this chapter and it is just adorable. Kudos to Maud for showing the way that little girls pretend to be grown up in a kind and yet still really funny way.

Betsy is “careless” all over the place this morning, in spite of Mr. Ray and Margaret pouncing on her like a pair of jackals. She crooks her finger when she drinks her milk, but subtly so Julia won't notice. I wonder if her “grown up” behaviors would have been so twee if Julia (from whom she is learning the grown up ways) wasn't so affected. Oh stop it, she is SO affected. Even as a tween. Gah!

There is a problem here. No one has mentioned having Tacy and Tib over for dinner. Has no one noticed that there has been no kick-ass birthday party for these three 10 year olds? In person cake from Tacy, disease cake from Tib and now...crickets... It's cleaning day, says Julia, Mamma can't be bothered to celebrate a birthday. Cold, Julia. Very cold.

Betsy goes to pick up Tacy and the word of the moment is “indeed”. Wow, they have matured fast! They discuss coming over for tea, nail powder and putting up their hair on the way to school. Betsy and Tacy are on message, but Tib is floundering a little.

“Tib didn't know how to talk in the new way. She hadn't learn yet. But she tried.” This is adorable to me, especially knowing that (spoiler) Tib becomes the tiny siren of DVHS and takes Minneapolis by storm as an adorable career girl – charming tramp newspapermen and millionaires alike. Once Tib learns to play the grown-up game, she learns to play the grown up game!

After school it gets awkward. Something is clearly amiss here. Tib jumps into the breach and invites the girls to her house to read the funny papers. That is, if funny papers are still allowed on the grown-up plan. Tacy knows that some pleasures are for children and grown-ups alike and the funny papers are one of those pleasures.

When they get to Tib's they loosen up a bit and have a laugh, but they keep crooking those fingers and decide to call each other by their given names - Elizabeth, Anastasia and Thelma. This freaks out Matilda, the hired “girl” who can't keep up. She looks downright flummoxed in the picture. She also doesn't have eyes behind her glasses, which makes her look a little scary. Must turn page as thoughts of zombie-hired-girl begin to float in my head.

Betsy gets a little sad on the way home. There will be no special birthday supper and she is taking it hard. Tacy is clearly embarassed for her.

When she gets home, the house is spotless. Good thing, Mamma, you've ruined Betsy's birthday. At least the house looks good. And frankly, the rest of the Rays are all looking sharp as well. Julia helps Betsy clean up her messy self for dinner and mentions her birthday. Bitch. Way to rub salt in the wound. Margaret is het up about something, but you know how those unnecessary four year olds are. Completely clueless about birthdays...

Okay, I am just going to say it here. There is a surprise party afoot. Can you believe it?? And I just love how psyched Margaret is about it! She knows a secret! And big grown-up Betsy doesn't know it! She must be savoring the joy of knowing something. And in the cleaning up Betsy picture she looks so pleased with herself. Betsy looks absolutely miserable, though, slump-shouldered and splay-legged. Well done, Lois Lenski.

Now that I have spilled the beans - and frankly, any reader over 7 is going to see which way the wind is blowing here - it is fun to see how it falls in to place.

Mrs. Ray informs Betsy that she needs to go return an egg to Mrs. Rivers. Are you effing kidding me?? On top of the birthday ignoring fiasco, now she is errand girl? Surely Julia could do it the ONE TIME!! But no. There is a cute detail about how many “outdoor clothes” she is required to wear. When I think of the number of outdoor clothes these kids have to wear to survive the elements, I am so thankful I raised my kids in the days of the snowsuit.

Mrs. Rivers is, frankly, acting cagey. She asks Betsy to watch the smallest of her three under four children. Oy. She keeps peering out the window as Betsy uses her new grown-up words and finally she shooes her back home.

When Betsy gets home, she can't believe they have started supper without her. She slogs into the dining room and sees – A PARTY!! Margaret is losing it, “It's a surprise party!!”

There's 10 girls:

• Betsy
• Julia
• Tacy
• Tib
• Katie
• Dorothy
• Alice
• three also rans

Is this our first mention of Alice? Welcome Alice! You will remain the dullest girl of their acquaintence for 8 or 9 other books. (Is she in Carny and Emily? Who can remember?) You are smart and your parents are strict. There you go. Behave accordingly.

The picture is adorable. You can definitely ID the big three and Julia and Katie (smiling-ish) but there is something of a math problem. Maud gives us the guest list, but in the picture there are 10 girls, but one of them is Margaret! She is not on the guest list due to her being too little. Even I get that! But there she is taking the place of one of the school friends. (I am guessing Dorothy is the jowly one on the right due to her height.) Maybe Alice had to leave early because of her strict parents? Oh, it is a mystery!

They play Blind Man's Bluff and Going to Jerusalem (which appears to be musical chairs) and forget to say “indeed” and “prefer” and crook their fingers, but Betsy still feels grown up because she is having a night time party. Tacy, of course, gets the importance right away - “It's practically a ball.” but Tib points out that it isn't a school night so no big deal. Oh, Tib, they love you anyway...

Chaper 3 – THE KING OF SPAIN

The picture at the top of page three raises an interesting question – what the hell is on Mrs. Ray's shirtwaist? Are they pickles? Squashes? Larvae? It is some pattern...

Maud comes out of the gate with the big news – the girls are about to fall in love! All at the same time, all with the same person. Get the popcorn!

Dinnertime at the Rays and the object of conversation is the new King of Spain. He is not yet 16 and yet he is going to take the throne. Betsy is fascinated! He lives somplace – Spain! She knows that kings and queens exist outside of fairy tales (although how long she has known this seems unclear).

Julia helpfully points out (HA!) that Spain is the country they just had a war with. She also says that it's Betsy's turn to wipe the dishes and then they go through that dance that all siblings do about chores. I did it for you when... You owe me because... Nonetheless, I am on team Betsy. Julia is a misery. But Betsy doesn't care because she can learn more about this smokin' hot king.

Madrid is “turned inside out with excitement” according to Mrs. Ray. As is Betsy!

She meets Tacy at the hitching block. They are supposed to be playing games with the neighborhood kids, Betsy usually loves this, but she is too het up.

“Just think!... We're sitting here on the hitching block and at this very moment he's somewhere doing something.” Oh man, I remember that feeling of just existing in the same world as my crush. My gosh, the thrill!

Betsy decides she is in love with him. It's her first time being in love with someone! Tacy is quick to jump on board as soon as she realizes Betsy is okay with that. Tib shows up and they tell her the grand news. They all want to marry him, but Betsy thinks Tacy would make the best queen because she has the best hair. Isn't that always the way?

Tacy is concerned that her bashfulness would not be an asset to the throne, so she is quick to pass off the King to Tib and her accordian pleated dress. Betsy wants to make sure Tib's love is real but FOR ONCE Tib catches on right away. She's down.

The hitching block picture is adorable. Betsy and Tacy are all over the newspaper stories about their beloved and Tib is really just wanting to play Pom-Pom-Pullaway. They all go off and play, but they are not done with that monarch.

They determine they should have badges and Tib can make them because she can do practical things. When Tib solemnly pins them on her pals, Betsy declares that they now have a lodge. It is like a club but more important and very secret. Those girls do love a secret club.

They talk smack about their big sisters for awhile. Julia could never understand the love they have for the King of Spain. She likes stupid regular boys who carry her books. Well, one thing they can certainly learn from Julia is how to make boys do things for her. She's an expert. And Katie would just think it was silly. She's a major buzzkill.

They decide to name the lodge KOS for King of Spain. (That's Kappa Omega Sigma if you're planning on making others feel left out and losing your shot at the essay contest, but I digress.)

They pin his picture to their undergarments and have to hid them from their sisters when they change. That – of course – adds to the excitement!

They learn about mantillas and are quick to culturally appropriate them. Well, they get some shawls from their mothers and wrap their heads in them. They pick some flowers and set up a blanket on the lawn. They are celebrating their beloved's birthday. Julia takes some interest, but is shot down.

They decide to go up the hill Monday and bring the Sunday papers so they can read the accounts of the KOS's big day all together. Tib is a little warm in her mantilla, but Betsy and Tacy remind her that beauty is pain and they just have to get used to it.

They save the papers and go up the hill. They are so excited to read the accounts that they put off eating. Well, that doesn't sound like our girls! Tacy feels awful that they couldn't be there. I'm sure they'll make it up to him someday. They look at pictures and Tib remarks that the castle looks like the post office. Heh...

But then Betsy drops the bombshell. They are not of the blood royal. They can not marry him. Sadness descends. Well, except Tib. In true Tib fashion, she remarks that she'll just dance her baby dance in the pleated dress. She doesn't need a man to fulfill her! Yay, Tib – that attitude will serve you well in BETSY'S WEDDING, I assure you.

These girls need closure and Betsy has a grand idea. They will write to him and tell him of their love. The love that can never be... Betsy and Tacy send Tib off to get writing supplies from Mrs. Eckstrom. Tib doesn't mind, “She ran lots of errands for Betsy and Tacy.” Seriously, Betsy and Tacy? Way to make her feel like the weakest link. While she's gone, they bat about some other Queen-related ideas.

Then Tib gets back and they write the letter, which is hilarious and adorable. It boils down to - you don't know what you're missing, Fonzie... They decide to mail it the next day and go back to the picnic basket. But it is GONE!

I hate to leave you hanging on this cliff, but there you are.