- an overprotected 9-year-old girl needs to go live with other relatives for a while
- these new cousins radically transform her life for the better
- makes for a wonderful family read-aloud
- language: x3 gosh, stupid, “Lord” as a swear word, darn
- convo points: one boy suffers from a drunk stepdad and brief mistreatment from his school mates (which is rectified), a few incidents of lying
Type: chapter book
Ages: 6-12
Author: Dorothy Canfield Fisher
I absolutely loved reading this one aloud. The long sentences were so rich and uniquely penned! More than once, I had to fight tears (happy ones!), and my children loved the overall story.
It’s too bad that the experimental public school system has infiltrated so many of these lovely books, but fortunately, it’s not the only part of the book by any means.
Betsy makes all sorts of friends, proves resourceful, is quite clever and has many funny “first-time” experiences. Hers is a charming story with a happy ending.