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LisaM

(29,505 posts)

101. The Betsy-Tacy books, set in Minnesota.

Mon Jan 19, 2026, 01:01 AM

8 hrs ago

Interestingly, two of them, kind of rare for the time, deal with prejudice against Syrian immigrants. The books are set between about 1897 and 1918, and they are semi-auto-biographical, so the author, Maud Hart Lovelace, was recounting real events. The Syrians in her home town, Mankato, lived in a part of town called Timcomville (sp) but she called it Little Syria in the books. When I was little, I thought it was pronounced like "Sigh-REE-ah".

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As a child, what was you favorite book that you read? Mine was Mary Poppins. What was yours? [View all] debm55 18 hrs ago OP

Where the Wild Things are Sun-Moon 18 hrs ago #1

Thank you , Sun-Moon. I read that book to my class. debm55 18 hrs ago #3

The Black Stallion, I just loved that book. Diamond_Dog 18 hrs ago #2

Thank you very much for sharing with us. Diamond_Dog. Also,read to my class. I did a Teacher Read classics for my class. debm55 18 hrs ago #4

Reading aloud is a lost art, good for you Deb! Diamond_Dog 18 hrs ago #6

Thank you very much, Diamond _Dog. debm55 18 hrs ago #8

Me, too! pandr32 18 hrs ago #11

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner True Dough 18 hrs ago #5

Thank you very much for sharing with us. TrueDough. debm55 18 hrs ago #7

Yoknapatawpha County True Dough 18 hrs ago #9

I don't remember that one. Thank you for sharing. True Dough. debm55 18 hrs ago #12

That's where The Sound and the Fury was set, deb. True Dough 18 hrs ago #15

Thank you Thank you. A recommendation for you would be Hatchet or Julie of the Wolves. Chrispin, or The Island of the debm55 18 hrs ago #19

Oh, I just love it when you are loquacious 🤭 Polly Hennessey 17 hrs ago #26

How unusual True Dough 17 hrs ago #38

Dang. That was a tough go for me in high school Easterncedar 17 hrs ago #53

You read it as a kid? The Blue Flower 16 hrs ago #61

Psst... True Dough 16 hrs ago #66

Yes don't flatter yourself. And use the sarcasm emoji. debm55 13 hrs ago #78

Oh, look at that! There's a sarcasm emoji! Will I use it? True Dough 13 hrs ago #80

You should .if what you are posting is sarcasm. That is why it is there. debm55 12 hrs ago #82

What about these other ones? True Dough 12 hrs ago #83

I grew up with lots of favorites. pandr32 18 hrs ago #10

Wonderful selections, Thank you for sharing with us. pandr32. debm55 18 hrs ago #16

Go Dog Go! I loved the big dog party in the canopy of the tree. applegrove 18 hrs ago #13

Thank you very much applegrove. Thank you for sharing your book selection debm55 18 hrs ago #17

I also loved Go Dog Go and could read it before I went to school Diamond_Dog 18 hrs ago #20

I was 4 at Montesori. I don't think I ever read it until I read it to my nieces and nephews. applegrove 18 hrs ago #21

My mother was a reading teacher Diamond_Dog 18 hrs ago #22

My grandmother taught me to read 3 letter words applegrove 17 hrs ago #27

Charlotte's Web. mucifer 18 hrs ago #14

Thank you very much. I cried at the end of book. But it is a classic. Thank you mucifer. debm55 18 hrs ago #18

"Wind in the Willows." n/t malthaussen 18 hrs ago #23

Thank you very much, malthaussen. I loved that classic. debm55 17 hrs ago #25

The Secret Garden MoonlightHillFarm 17 hrs ago #24

Thank you very much, MoonlightHillFarm ----another classic. debm55 17 hrs ago #28

Still a favorite Easterncedar 17 hrs ago #55

For me always and forever, The Secret Garden. Polly Hennessey 17 hrs ago #29

Thank you Polly Hennessey for sharing with us. I loved it too debm55 17 hrs ago #34

Two books, both biographies no_hypocrisy 17 hrs ago #30

Wonderful , outstanding books, Thank you, no_hypocrisy, I read the second book in my classroom. Classic books debm55 17 hrs ago #36

I *STILL* have both in my library. no_hypocrisy 13 hrs ago #75

I had other books twenty copies of each that we would read together or in reading groups. I took them when I left debm55 11 hrs ago #96

Constantly reading so I will guess MuseRider 17 hrs ago #31

Sorry...BOOK MuseRider 17 hrs ago #33

Thank you very much, MuseRider. for sharing with us. debm55 17 hrs ago #37

Anne of Green Gables dflprincess 17 hrs ago #32

Yes. outstanding book that is a Classic because it held up over generations and time.Thank you dflprincess. debm55 17 hrs ago #40

My favorite childhood book too - Anne the red headed orphan womanofthehills 8 hrs ago #100

Mike Mulligan and the Steam shovel and all of Virginia Lee Burton's other stories Chasstev365 17 hrs ago #35

I read that book to my son. Brings back memories. Thank you Chasstev365 debm55 17 hrs ago #44

As I got older, I loved Nancy Drew, but as a kid I loved The Cricket in Times Square. terip64 17 hrs ago #39

Thank you very much, terip64. I two loved the Nancy Drew series and the Cricket in Times Square. debm55 17 hrs ago #48

I can't believe someone said what was going to be my answer. Xavier Breath 12 hrs ago #88

Any of the Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mysteries Ritabert 17 hrs ago #41

Thank you so much. My local library had the complete set of both. They were free at the time. So I read and read. to my debm55 17 hrs ago #49

Charlottes Web samplegirl 17 hrs ago #42

All of the above plus... 2naSalit 17 hrs ago #43

Thank you very much, 2naSalit. I remember reading through the shelves at our mill town Carnegie Library. Little Women, debm55 17 hrs ago #47

We were... 2naSalit 17 hrs ago #50

The Hobbit/LOTR! buzzycrumbhunger 17 hrs ago #45

"The Wind in the Willows". Still have it on my bokshelf. sinkingfeeling 17 hrs ago #46

The Enormous Egg Mz Pip 17 hrs ago #51

A Wrinkle in Time, The Secret Garden Easterncedar 17 hrs ago #52

The Black Stallion biophile 17 hrs ago #54

Thank you very much, biophile. I agree with you about the sad places in the book. Reading a book you bond with the debm55 16 hrs ago #60

The Saggy, Baggy Elephant SheltieLover 16 hrs ago #56

Misty of Chincoteague. I loved that book. n/t livetohike 16 hrs ago #57

Bread and Jam for Frances choie 16 hrs ago #58

The Boxcar Children PJMcK 16 hrs ago #59

The World Book Encyclopedia. greatauntoftriplets 16 hrs ago #62

I loved reading the World Book yellowdogintexas 7 hrs ago #102

As a younger child I liked reading the Golden Books series. Endlessmike56 16 hrs ago #63

Franz: a Dog of Police Rhiagel 16 hrs ago #64

Great topic. Harriet the Spy Alpeduez21 16 hrs ago #65

Two series of books, The Sci-fi/fantasy books by Andre Norton and the Tom Swift books by Victor Appleton. wcmagumba 16 hrs ago #67

Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come UpInArms 16 hrs ago #68

The Phantom Tollbooth surrealAmerican 15 hrs ago #69

likewise jgo 10 hrs ago #98

The Time Machine and War of the Worlds. H. G. Wells was ahead of his time. Borogove 15 hrs ago #70

Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson Onthefly 15 hrs ago #71

Thank you very much, Onthefly. Loved that story. debm55 10 hrs ago #97

Cherry Ames series zeusdogmom 15 hrs ago #72

Excellent selections, especially the second.Thank you for sharing with us. Three Came Home lit a spark in you. Sometimes debm55 11 hrs ago #95

Kim by Rudyard Kipling chowmama 15 hrs ago #73

Thank you very much for sharing with us.chowmama. Love your selection. debm55 11 hrs ago #94

Salem's Lot. Read it many times by age 12. (n/t) OldBaldy1701E 15 hrs ago #74

Thank you OldBaldy1701E for sharing with us. debm55 11 hrs ago #93

Half Magic by Edward Eager nikatnyte 13 hrs ago #76

Thank you very much, nikatnyte. Half Magic. sounds very interesting. debm55 11 hrs ago #91

The Jungle Book FullySupportDems 13 hrs ago #77

Thank you very much, FullySupportDems. debm55 13 hrs ago #79

Anderson's Fairy Tales, 1930 edition some_of_us_are_sane 13 hrs ago #81

Thank you very much for sharing that Fairy Tale . Wonderful. Thank you some_of_us_are_sane debm55 11 hrs ago #92

So many possibilities. 3catwoman3 12 hrs ago #84

A Wrinkle inTime is a great book. I have never seen the movies, but have read it to my class and they loved it as did I debm55 11 hrs ago #89

I'm thinking National Velvet, Black Beauty. But very soon after... electric_blue68 12 hrs ago #85

Thank you very much electric_blue68. I couldn't remember the name of another book I read and it was "A Wrinkle in Time" debm55 12 hrs ago #86

Little house on the prairie ExtraGriz 12 hrs ago #87

Thank you very much, ExtraGritz for your two selections. Excellent choices debm55 11 hrs ago #90

"The Hobbit". I got a copy after seeing the animated TV version in 1978. Aristus 9 hrs ago #99

The Betsy-Tacy books, set in Minnesota. LisaM 8 hrs ago #101

There were several favorites yellowdogintexas 7 hrs ago #103

Two actually - Charlotte's Web and Anna and the King of Siam. nt woodsprite 7 hrs ago #104

Tom Sawyer.. Permanut 6 hrs ago #105

ZOTS multigraincracker 4 hrs ago #106