News

Betsy-Tacy in the News!

On the September 7 episode of The Daily podcast, titled “Sunday Special: The Books We Read in School,” New York Times book review editor Sadie Stein talks about the BT series.

In the September 18 New York Times article “The Books We Loved This Summer,” editor Leah Greenblatt mentions Betsy and the Great World.

Mankato Free Press reporter Renee Berg wrote about the new picture book: “New ‘Betsy-Tacy’ book meets with early success,” October 1.

On October 8, BTS Executive Director Jennifer Davis-Kay and Board VP Shelley Harris, along with Rebecca Glaser of The Creative Company, appeared on Kato Living.

Karen Tolkkinen wrote a marvelous piece about the Convention (“Book readers across the U.S. adore Mankato. Only they know it as Deep Valley”), which ran in The Minnesota Star Tribune on October 18.

We Celebrate National Novel-Writing Month

Join us in November for three extraordinary Writers Lounges!

Learn more about each author here. To register, see the Events listings on the right or visit our Shop.

A New Betsy-Tacy Book for the First Time in 70 Years!

We’ve been working with The Creative Company on a 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐬𝐲-𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 called Betsy-Tacy for Small Children.

With beautifully colored illustrations (the originals by Lois Lenski!) and a simple adaptation of Maud's words and stories, this hardcover edition will captivate the youngest readers and serve as an early introduction to the world of Betsy-Tacy.

And the best news: You can purchase your copy today! The Betsy-Tacy Society has exclusive rights to distribute the books from now through the end of December.

We are simply thrilled with this sweet new book, and we hope you – and your littlest friends – love it too.

p.s. The subtitle is an homage to Lois Lenski's “Small" characters (Farmer Small, Papa Small, Engineer Small, Pilot Small, etc.)!

Rush Week 2025!

We are thrilled to announce the success of our annual BTS membership drive. As Rush Week 2025 wrapped up, our membership count was 1,001!

Our Amazon Wish List

Want to be part of the Betsy-Tacy Houses and support our work in a very concrete and tangible way? Check out our Wish List on Amazon.com and see the various items we’d love to receive. (Many years ago, a member donated a new vacuum to Tacy’s House, and every time she visits she checks to see how “her” vacuum is doing! 🤣) We update this list regularly. Thank you for your support!


—> Looking for older News stories? They can be found here.

Events

Note: “Deep Valley Time” (i.e., Central Time) is our default when listing an event. To be sure that you’ve correctly calculated the time difference for your location, we suggest using an online world clock such as this one.

Featured
Drop-In Writers Lounge: November 11
Nov 11
Drop-In Writers Lounge: November 11

In honor of National Novel-Writing Month, we're hosting a Drop-In Writers Lounge every week in November: two Sunday afternoons and two Tuesday evenings in November.

This session includes a special pre-event: a writerly pep talk and an opportunity for Q&A from special guest Gabrielle Meyer!

The event is free for BTS members. There is a fee for non-members to attend the writer talk, though non-members may skip the talk, arrive 30 minutes later, and take part in the two-hour writing block for no charge.

Pre-registration is required.

Drop-In Writers Lounge: November 16
Nov 16
Drop-In Writers Lounge: November 16

In honor of National Novel-Writing Month, we're hosting a Drop-In Writers Lounge every week in November: two Sunday afternoons and two Tuesday evenings. This session includes a special pre-event: a writerly pep talk and an opportunity for Q&A from special guest Anna Rose Johnson!

The event is free for BTS members. There is a fee for non-members to attend the writer talk, though non-members may skip the talk, arrive 30 minutes later, and take part in the two-hour writing block for no charge.

Pre-registration is required.

“Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown” Book Discussion, Part 2
Nov 17
“Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown” Book Discussion, Part 2

Join us for a deeper look at Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown by Maud Hart Lovelace, Part 2. This 90-minute Zoom discussion begins at 6:30 p.m. Deep Valley time. Open to all, though best for ages 12 and up. $3 for Betsy-Tacy Society members, $15 for non-members. Pre-registration is required. Once you have registered, please email Jennifer (Jennifer@betsy-tacysociety.org) for the Zoom link and discussion questions.

Drop-In Writers Lounge: November 25
Nov 25
Drop-In Writers Lounge: November 25

In honor of National Novel-Writing Month, we're hosting a Drop-In Writers Lounge every week in November: two Sunday afternoons and two Tuesday evenings. This session includes a special pre-event: a writerly pep talk and an opportunity for Q&A from special guest Perri Klass!

The event is free for BTS members. There is a fee for non-members to attend the writer talk, though non-members may skip the talk, arrive 30 minutes later, and take part in the two-hour writing block for no charge.

Pre-registration is required.

Drop In Writers Lounge – December
Dec 14
Drop In Writers Lounge – December

Each month, we offer a two-hour block for writers to gather via Zoom and have a chance to work quietly on their own while enjoying the fellowship of other writers.

Free and open to all. Pre-registration is required. Once you've registered, please email Jennifer (Jennifer@betsy-tacysociety.org) to get the Zoom link.

"Emily of Deep Valley" Discussion – International edition!
Jan 17
"Emily of Deep Valley" Discussion – International edition!

Join us for a closer look at Emily of Deep Valley on Saturday, January 17, 2026. In an effort to make our book discussions more accessible for our outside–the-U.S. members and friends, this two-hour Zoom discussion begins at 11 a.m. Deep Valley time. Open to all, though best for ages 12 and up. $3 for BTS members; $15 for non-members. Pre-registration is required. Once you've registered, please email "Jennifer@betsy-tacysociety.org" for the Zoom link and discussion questions.

Drop In Writers Lounge – January
Jan 27
Drop In Writers Lounge – January

Each month, we offer one or two two-hour blocks for writers to gather via Zoom and have a chance to work quietly on their own while enjoying the fellowship of other writers. In 2026, we will offer a Tuesday evening session every month and a Sunday afternoon session every other month.

This event is free and open to all. Once you've registered, please email Jennifer (Jennifer@betsy-tacysociety.org) to get the Zoom link. We'll use the same Zoom link for Tuesday evening sessions all year.

Drop In Writers Lounge – February (Sunday afternoon)
Feb 8
Drop In Writers Lounge – February (Sunday afternoon)

Each month, we offer one or two two-hour blocks for writers to gather via Zoom and have a chance to work quietly on their own while enjoying the fellowship of other writers. In 2026, we will offer a Tuesday evening session every month and a Sunday afternoon session every other month.

This event is free and open to all. Once you've registered, please email Jennifer (Jennifer@betsy-tacysociety.org) to get the Zoom link. We'll use the same Zoom link for the Sunday afternoon sessions all year.