I grew up in Minnesota. As a result, I certainly read the Little House series of books. My grandpa taught in a one-room schoolhouse when he was a young man in Iowa. So stories of Laura’s school gave me an extra connection to him. My family was close-knit, and so was Laura’s.
But I have to say my hands-down favorite when I was in 2nd grade through junior high was the Betsy-Tacy series by the wonderful Maud Hart Lovelace. I lived in small town MN when I fell in love with the books, and imagined the town of Deep Valley to actually be my town. My two closest friends (Brenda and Mary) and I loved the books. We regularly pretended to be Betsy Tacy and Tib. I was ALWAYS Betsy. the other two traded being Tacy and Tib. they were both actually much more like Tacy than Tib, at least in those days.
Summertime makes me think of those carefree times with my little girlfriends. It makes me think of the stories we created, and the mini-picnics and let’s pretend times we had.
When I began blogging, I happened upon a blogger (Kathy) in TX who knows and loves these books as well. Wonder of wonders there is a Betsy Tacy Society. Well, of course there is!! She writes about it here, so check it out. http://havinsnest.com
I don’t know why the hyperlink doesn’t appear!
Anyway, Kathy posted an article on her blog http://www.dailybulletin.com/arts-and-entertainment/20140204/many-readers-go-into-ecstasy-about-betsy-tacy . It is from the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. For fans of the series, there is a picture of the Friendship Bench. It is in Claremont, CA. that is where Maud Hart Lovelace spent the last 26 years of her life.
So if you are in the mood for sweet books this summer, try the Betsy Tacy series.
Believe Anyway 
Love me some Betsy and Tacy and Tib! I have been to Mankato (Deep Valley) to see the houses and sights and scenes from the books. I cried. Well, of course I did, it’s what I do.I give BT to little girls for their 5th birthday. That’s how old Betsy and Tacy were when they met. My favorite line in all of literature is the opening sentence in Betsy and Tacy:
“It was difficult, later, to think of a time when Betsy and Tacy had not been friends.
This one is a close second:
“But the nicest present she received was not the usual kind of present. It was the present of a friend. It was Tacy.”
those are my favorites, too! I loved how their friendship was so immediate….and don’t you have girlfriends that you can say that about? It IS hard to think of a time when some of my girlfriends and I have not been friends. Sigh…to SEE the houses must have been amazing. When I lived in Winona, MN, my girlfriends and I were CERTAIN that Maud Hart Lovelace had walked our streets and written about the town….
I hope the little girls you have given BT to have loved it, just like we did.