Although Joe Willard was based on Maud Hart Lovelace's husband, Delos Lovelace, the book concentrates more on Betsy's adventures with the Crowd, including her self-described first love, Tony Markham, and the effect of the Crowd on Betsy's burgeoning talent for writing.

The story differs from the first four books, by expanding the Betsy-Tacy-Tib circle to 'The Crowd,' a group of boys and girls that frequently meet at Betsy's house. A major character is added to the series' cast when Betsy meets Joe Willard, an orphan working for his aunt and uncle in their store at Butternut Center. In fact-except for the Oz books-they were the only books whose authors name I remembered Images from all these books remain vivid in my memory-Betsy and Tacy going to the top of the hill, the twosome becoming a threesome, Tibs blond hairs, and all the rest. The events of the novel span Betsy and Tacy's freshman, or ninth-grade, year of school. The Betsy,Tacy and Tib books were among my favorites when I was a child. The first book, Betsy-Tacy, begins in 1897, when Betsy is about to turn 5, and the series continues through Betsy’s Wedding in 1917, with the world at war. The book, along with the entire Betsy-Tacy and Deep Valley series, was republished in 2000 by HarperTrophy with a new cover art illustrated by Michael Koelsch. Heaven to Betsy, describing Betsy's first year in high school, is written for an older age group than the earlier Betsy-Tacy books. They get into a little more trouble in this book, though If you ever wondered what child life was like in 1900, you’ll love this series.

Heaven to Betsy (1945) is the fifth volume in the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace. In this book, Betsy, Tacy, and Tib, who are now eight years old, play just as well together as Betsy and Tacy did, and they never quarrel.

Betsy tacy and tib books