November 18, 2011 - In the 1940s, the stories of two fictional Minnesota girls named Betsy and Tacy became a sensation. Author Maud Hart Lovelace based the stories on her own happy childhood in Mankato in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This month HarperCollins is publishing a new Betsy-Tacy Treasury. The collection includes the first four books of the ten book series. Over the years, the stories have inspired generations of devoted fans. Today those fans can visit the Betsy-Tacy Society in Mankato and tour the childhood homes of Lovelace and her best friend. The society's president is Susan Brown and she joins me now from Mankato. Welcome! Maud Hart Lovelace was born in Mankato in 1892. She based the character of Betsy on herself. She was a stickler for historical accuracy-- how accurate a portrayal are the books of growing up at the turn of the century in Minnesota? What was Maud like as a girl growing up in Mankato?
September 27, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” This segment is the the story of a woman who had mixed success as a novelist but eventually found her voice in the character of Betsy, whose antics and adventures mirrored Maud's real-life childhood in Mankato at the turn of the century.
February 5, 1996 - Mainstreet Radio’s Rachel Reabe profiles Maud Hart Lovelace and her Betsy-Tacy books, which present nostalgic stories about growing up in turn-of-the-century Mankato. As part of report, Reabe talks with Louise King and Kathy Baxter, of the Twin Cities based Maud Hart Lovelace Society, about the resurgence in interest of ten book series.
March 16, 1995 -
June 11, 1993 - An interview with Louise King ("Carney's" daughter) about a Maud Hart Lovelace celebration; Anna Quindlen will give a talk, "Betsy Ray, Feminist Heroine".
April 24, 1992 - The Minnesota Historical Society republishes Maud Hart Lovelace's Early Candlelight (1929). This historical novel set at Old Fort Snelling in the 1830s is a rich and romantic re-creation of the early settlement period in Minnesota's history. Maud Hart Lovelace's careful research into the documents of the Historical Society, combined with her knowledge of the actual setting, enabled her to write a story that conveys a sense of time and place both accurate and compelling for young adults as well as general readers.