Katrina Deliramich
Libr 260a
Assignment 3
October 23, 2010
Historical Fiction
Book Talk
The book I would
like to share with you today is Heaven to
Betsy written by Maud Hart Lovelace. This is a wonderful book about a young
girl named Betsy and her adventures in high school during the 1900’s.
“Betsy
was visiting at the Taggarts’ farm…A hundred times a day she checked off on her
fingers the days that must elapse before she went home. She checked them off
now…one, two, three, four, five, six…as she walked down the long narrow road to
the mailbox. This was the happiest hour of her day; not because of the
walk…that was hot and dusty…but because of the blessed anticipation of mail.
Tacy wrote faithfully, and sometimes there were letters from Tib, who used to
live in Deep Valley but had moved back to her native city of Milwaukee.
“…She heard a clop clop of hoofs and
saw the mail wagon’s halo of dust. She jumped to her feet. Mr. Simmons, red
faced and genial, handed her a card from Sears Roebuck for Mrs. Taggart, and a
letter bearing Tacy’s dear angular script.
…Today, however, Tacy’s envelope was
lacking in lively decorations, and when Betsy opened it, there was, as she had
feared, only a single page inside. But its message was potent to hold homesickness
at bay.
‘Dear
Betsy, I don’t dare to write much for fear I’ll give something away. Your
mother said I could tell you that they have a surprise for you, but of course I
can’t tell you what it is. It’s nice for you, but not so nice for me, too. I’d better
stop. You see how it is. If I write I’m sure to give it away. Love. Your
sincere friend. Tacy’” (Lovelace, 1979, p.1-7).
Betsy Ray has lived in Deep Valley all her life. She
has a lovely home that is filled with an older sister named Julia and a younger
sister named Margaret. Everyone who comes to visit at the Ray’s house loves
Mrs. Ray’s soft words and Mr. Rays humor. Betsy has grown up with her best
friend Tacy and her other friend Tib since they were five. The three have been
inseparable but Tib has recently had to move away back to her hometown of
Milwaukee. It is now Betsy’s freshman year of high school and everything is
changing. High school brings new challenges, some that Betsy is ready for and
some that she is dreading. High School subjects are hard on Betsy who is not
the best student. She struggles with Latin and algebra. Some positives to the
new school are an opportunity to meet new people and create new friendships. A
new crowd of friends is made and Betsy is faced with the challenge of finding a
place for Tacy with her new friends. Betsy is very popular and Tacy is shy,
which puts Betsy in an awkward situation at times.
Boys have started
making an impact in young Betsy’s life but things get complicated quickly.
Betsy has many admirers but the one boy she longs to date only looks on her as
a sister. Betsy soon learns how to string boys along like her older sister does
and she faces some jealousy issues and misunderstandings with her friends.
Betsy has longed to be a writer but she finds it difficult when her friends do
not understand her dreams. She is constantly teased for her writing ability but
finds an ally in an unexpected place. Will Betsy and Tacy survive their
freshman year as best friends? Will Betsy ever be admired by the boy of her
dreams? Can Betsy put aside her friends prejudices and follow her own path?
What will the life changing surprise bring Betsy when she returns home from the
Taggarts’ Farm? Heaven to Betsy tells an endearing story of high school days,
friends, parties and disasters. To find out more pick up a copy of Heaven to Betsy by Maud Hart Lovelace at
your local library.
Questions
When children and parents arrive
for the book club they will be greeted by two staff members. A table will be
set up in the center of the room with chairs around the perimeter. Children
will be asked to sit towards the front with the parents in the back. If anyone
is uncomfortable accommodations will be made. Nametags will be passed around to
help break the ice. When the book club starts everyone will have a chance to
introduce themselves and tell a funny fact about their life. The flowing
questions will be asked to the entire group, but if there are too many
participants we will break up into two groups to help move the time along faster.
Can you give specific examples of
differences in high school curriculum and activities from the 1900’s compared
to high school today?
What are some positives to how
social life was back in the 1900’s compared to how they are today?
What is your opinion on why Bonnie
Andrews preferred living in Deep Valley to living in Paris? What might be the
draws of living in a small town compared to a large city?
When Betsy’s family moves into
their new house on High Street, Maud Hart Lovelace lists all the new features
the house has. Did you find any of the features strange? How would you have
liked living in their old house on Hill Street? What do you think it would have
felt like moving into such a new, updated house on High Street?
If you could date one of the boys
Betsy is acquainted with, who would you choose and why?
Would you rather be a Zetamathian
or a Philomathian? Why? Did you find it funny that the girls chose their side
because of the boys?
Book Suggestions
Heaven
to Betsy is a part of the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace. The
Betsy-Tacy series follow Betsy Ray as she grows up in the 1900’s. Her everyday
life is the focal point along with the difficulties children and young adults
face. The first four books of the series follow Betsy growing up from the age
of five. The books progress in difficulty as Betsy grows in age. Heaven to
Betsy is the first book in the high school stories. Betsy’s adulthood is
showcased in the last two books of the series. Betsy is an aspiring writer and
she is continuously having opportunities to showcase her skills in the books.
She is not the best student and she gets into scrapes with her friends but with
the help of her close family Betsy learns to grow up. Betsy is faced with
difficulties in the last two books because World War I has hit close to home
and is affecting her loved ones. If you enjoyed Heaven to Betsy I would
recommend the following books:
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Montgomery, L M. (1987). Anne
of Green Gables. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc.
Anne Shirley is a
young orphan in this classic book. A stroke of fate brings Anne to Prince
Edward Island to live with siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. Unfortunately
the Cuthbert’s had requested a boy, not a girl. What will they do now that Anne
has come into their lives? This is just the beginning of a series of accidents
and fun adventures that follow Anne growing up in the early 1900’s and the
lives she touches with her wild imaginations and her skill for writing. To find
out what silly adventures Anne gets herself into pick up a copy of Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud
Montgomery.
If you liked Anne of Green Gables
you should read the entire Anne series that follows Anne Shirley as she grows
up, gets married, has children and faces difficulties when World War I forces
her family apart.
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
Wiggin, K D. (1965). Rebecca
of Sunnybrook Farm. Racine, WI: Western Publishing Company.
Rebecca has grown
up in a large family but they are extremely poor so her mother ships her off to
live with her two maiden Aunts. Rebecca struggles to be understood and to fit
into her new lifestyle. With the help of some friends and a wild imagination
Rebecca grows up and finds happiness in the strangest situations. To learn more
about Rebecca’s unique friends you will have to read the book. Find Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate
Douglas Wiggins at the library.
If you liked Rebecca of Sunnybrook
Farm you should also read the Emily of New Moon series by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
The series follows Emily, an orphan who comes to live with her aunts and has a
love for writing and crazy antics.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Alcott, L M. (1955). Little
Women. Garden City, NY: Nelson Doubleday Inc.
Set during the
American Civil War, Little Women follows four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy
and their struggles while having their father gone off to war. Jo takes the
lead of the family even with her mother present. She develops plays for the
girls to act out and creates a strong family bond. The story has ups and downs
but shows how important respecting your family is and how everyone has their
own strengths to bring the family together. This is a classic book that will
make you laugh and make you cry. To find out more pick up a copy of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott at
your local library.
If you liked Little Women you
should read the other two books in the series that follow the girls growing up
and the adventures of their children.
The Letter Writer by Ann Rinaldi
Rinaldi,
A. (2008). The Letter Writer.
Orlando, FL: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
There is unrest in
America before the Civil War and Nat Turner turns to Harriet Whitehead for
help. Harriet lives in Virginia during the
mid 1800’s. She is the letter writer for her stepmother who has lost her
eyesight. When Nat Turner comes into her life she is faced with a difficult
situation. Should she help Nat Turner and his fellow slaves or should she stick
by her family? To find out how this important event in history turns out read The Letter Writer by Ann Rinaldi.
If you liked The Letter Writer you
should read some of Ann Rinaldi’s other books, all focused on historical
fiction from different time periods.
Activities
To
make the book group discussion more fun I thought of a few activities to have
the children and parents participate in. Budget is very limited at most
libraries. The Friends of the Library can help with some expenses but it would
be beneficial if the group could help participate as well. To advertise the
book group I thought mentioning the books being read to parents at story time
could help them spread the word if it is a beloved book or if they have older
children as well. Putting out flyers at the library or local school libraries
will help. Some of the books suggested and authors are used in school
curriculum, so having a teacher suggest the book club and similar books could
help bring in prospects. Although getting children to read is the point of the
book club, many of the books have been turned into movies. This can be a
benefit because the library can show one of the movies and then draw the kids
into reading the book or a similar book.
Heaven to Betsy
focuses on Betsy Ray’s home life in many chapters. A staple of her family is a
tradition called “Sunday Night Lunch.” “Sunday night lunch was an institution
at the Ray house. They never called it supper; and they scorned folks who
called it tea. The drink of the evening was coffee, which Mrs. Ray loved, and
although Betsy and Margaret still took cocoa, their loyalty was to coffee for
her sake” (Lovelace, 1979, p.92). There are many different ways that a book
club could incorporate a “Sunday Night Lunch.”
-
If the library could hold a special event after
the library is closed on Sundays the group would feel special being let in
while everyone is gone. I would suggest the library close and allow the book
club to enter approximately fifteen minutes after closing. The group could be
held out in an open space to allow room for no more than twenty people.
Refreshments would be given by the Friends of the Library for fifteen dollars.
An email could be sent out ahead of time to inform guests and allow anyone to
bring snacks for the group.
-
Tea or coffee for the adults and iced tea for
children would be a good snack to have along with a group discussion about the
book. I would suggest the Friends provide tea and someone could bring a coffee
pot. If this is all volunteer the Friends could save on money. If no one will volunteer
iced tea is relatively cheap and would be appropriate for everyone.
-
Holding a full-blown tea with sandwiches and
refreshments would cost money, which most libraries do not have. If the Friends
of the Library were willing to participate this might be a one-time
possibility. I estimate the cost of having sandwiches, cookies, cakes and
refreshments along with supplies would be around one hundred dollars.
-
A flyer could be put out about the tea or an
email if it is for a specific group that has been meeting. If the details are
known ahead of time the children can dress up for the tea.
Picnics play a
role in the Betsy-Tacy books. In Heaven to Betsy, Betsy takes picnics with her
best friend Tacy, she has a picnic with her parents, her girlfriends and with
her “crowd.” A fun event would be to hold the book discussion outside the
library. It does not have to be a different location but if there is a lawn out
front this would work well. Everyone could bring his or her own lunches and a
blanket could be provided by a volunteer for everyone to sit on. Once everyone
is gathered on the blanket a casual conversation could be started about Betsy
and her fun picnics from the book. This would break the ice and lead into a
more thorough conversation of the book.
-If
the library is not able to have the picnic out of doors a fake picnic could be
set up inside with blankets on the floor for everyone to sit on.
Because the
Betsy-Tacy books start from such a young age many parents might want to bring
along their younger children to events. This would be a great opportunity to
allow the younger kids to color an illustration from the book. Vera Neville
creates beautiful illustrations that are already black and white and easy to
photocopy to create a coloring page. For the older children bookmarks can be
made very easily adding an illustration to the top and a quote form the book.
On the back a list of all the books in the series can help remind the children
to keep reading! The illustration on the top would be fun for kids to color
while discussing the book. I would suggest having the bookmarks and coloring
pages available towards the end of the book club meeting. After the questions
have been discussed and one the kids get antsy. Then the pages, pens, pencils
and scissors can be brought out onto the table and the parents can continue the
conversation drawing on the images and quotes provided on the bookmarks.
-
If the children like the book and the book club
continues with some of the suggested books a new bookmark can be made for each
book to create a great keepsake and a constant list of new books to read.
-
Before the meeting takes place photocopies
should be made of the books illustrations. These need to be shrunk down using a
program such as Photoshop. Once the images are shrunk down to an inch wide and
no more than two inches tall, multiple images can be placed on the same page to
use less paper. When the day arrives children can choose which picture they
would like on their bookmark and cut out the image and glue it onto a template.
The template for the bookmark is just a rectangle that is anywhere from five to
eight inches long and two inches wide. This can be printed beforehand.
-
Children can cut their own bookmark by tracing a
template onto construction paper and choosing their own color of paper.
-
If there is not enough time to create bookmarks
they can be created beforehand. In Photoshop a template can be made, two inches
by six inches. An image can be placed at the top and a quote from the book can
be typed into the body of the bookmark. For an extra touch a list of books from
the series can be added to the back. Once printed the two sides can be glued
together.
In Heaven to Betsy, Betsy and her friends
create “friendship pillows.” “The girls in the Crowd were making friendship
pillows. Carney and Bonnie had started the fad. They asked friends to write
their names, nicknames and pet jokes on pillows, and then they embroidered over
the penciled scrawls” (Lovelace, 1979, p.226). This would be a very fun
activity to get children interested and participating in the book. Since the
activity would not be very simple maybe someone could sew up some small squares
ahead of time, Instead of embroidery, puffed paint would be used to write names
on the pillows. The kids could help stuff the pillows and parents could help
sew up the open side. I would bring all the children in and allow them to sit
on the floor or small tables to complete their work. This would allow more room
to move about to get their friends and family members to participate in the
pillows. Once all the coloring and painting is done the pillows might have to
stay and dry for a few minutes. This would allow the group to gather around a
table and discuss the book in detail.
-If
there are scraps of fabric left over at different home people could suggest
donating them in the weeks ahead of the project.
-If
there is no budget, or time to do the project directions could be handed out
for people to hold their own Betsy-Tacy get together and make friendship
pillows at home.
-Since
many elementary school and middle schools have children sew it might be
possible to allow the children to do the sewing on their own. It might be a
good idea to check with the parents to see if this would be a positive idea or
if the kids are not into sewing.
Directions:
-Using a ruler measure out on a
piece of paper a square that is six inches by six inches. Cut out the square.
-Using the square template, place
it over a folded scrap piece, inside out, of fabric and trace around the
outline.
-Cut out the square, through both
pieces of fabric.
-Once the squares are cut, use
straight pins to hold the edges together.
-Sew around three edges, leaving
the last edge open. Flip the pillow so the correct side is now on the outside.
-Using puffy paint or fabric pens
have your friends and family write their names and messages on your pillow.
-Stuff the pillow with fluff and
sew up the open side.
Fudge is mentioned
in the book numerous times; especially when Betsy gives it up for lent. A great
idea would be to have everyone create their own unique fudge to bring to the
book club one day. Yummy and fun!
-An easy fudge
recipes is:
Heat up a saucepan
to medium/low heat.
Take a can of
chocolate (or any flavor) frosting and add to the pan.
Use a bag of
chocolate chips and pour into saucepan.
Stir until all the
chocolate chips are melted into the frosting.
Spread into a
narrow pan until cooled.
Singing takes a
center role in the book. Most of the songs mentioned are not known today but it
would be a great chance to hold a little sing along or act out a scene from the
book. Getting the children to learn lines and participate will help them to
remember the book.
-If
many books are read a whole play day could be held to act out favorite scenes
from each book that was focused on at the book club.
-If
the Library is part of a main library flyers could be sent out to allow many
book groups to join together in creating a play/performance day.
Essays and writing
is what Betsy loves to do in the book. In one chapter Betsy is given a topic
and has to write a story about it. Her story turns out very humorous and is the
talk of the school. Filling a hat with topics and having the children come up
with a short story could ad excitement to the group and help the children with
their writing and speaking skills. I would bring the children into a room with
an empty table. They would all pick from a hat filled with paper topics and
they would be left alone with paper and pencils to complete their assignment.
Once the few minutes is up I would have everyone gather on the floor and each
child would take turns getting up and reading their essay to the group.
-Topics could be
chosen by the Librarian or the parents. Some choices are: Skating, horses,
moving, picnics, and singing.
-I would recommend
either having the children have a quick five minutes or less to write the story
during the book session or sending them home with a topic to read the following
week if it is during summer time.
Some other simple activities would
be:
Betsy Jeopardy
Betsy word search
Betsy Cross Word
(All of these have already been
made by the Betsy-Tacy Society and you can go online at http://www.betsy-tacysociety.org/
and download them).
Works Cited
Alcott, L M. (1955). Little
Women. Garden City, NY: Nelson Doubleday Inc.
American Libraries Magazine Website (2010). Retrieved
October 20, 2010 from HYPERLINK “http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/betsy-tacy-houses-designated-literary-landmarks-altaff”
http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/betsy-tacy-houses-designated-literary-landmarks-altaff
Betsy-Tacy Society Website (2010). Retrieved October 21,
2010 from HYPERLINK “http://www.betsy-tacysociety.org/”
http://www.betsy-tacysociety.org/
HarpersCollins Publishers Website (2010). Retrieved October
21, 2010 from HYPERLINK “http://www.harpercollins.com/”
http://www.harpercollins.com/
Lovelace, M H. (1948). Betsy
and Joe. New York, NY: Thomas Y. Crowell Company.
Lovelace, M H. (1979). Heaven
to Betsy. New York, NY: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc.
Montgomery, L M. (1987). Anne
of Green Gables. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc.
Montgomery, L M. (1992). Rilla
of Ingleside. New York, NY: Harpercollins Publishers.
Mother Daughter Book Club Website (2009). Retrieved on
October 20, 2010 from HYPERLINK “http://motherdaughterbookclub.com/” http://motherdaughterbookclub.com/
Peck, P.
(2006). Crash course in children’s
services. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Rinaldi,
A. (2008). The Letter Writer.
Orlando, FL: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Rinaldi,
A. (2004). Sarah’s Ground. New York,
NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Children.
The
Literature Network Website (2000-2010). Retrieved October 20, 2010 from
HYPERLINK “http://www.online-literature.com/alcott/littlewomen”
http://www.online-literature.com/alcott/littlewomen
Wiggin, K D. (1965). Rebecca
of Sunnybrook Farm. Racine, WI: Western Publishing Company.
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