Reviews

Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

iford07's review against another edition

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4.0

Love this book. It reminds me of helping the librarian in 4th grade so I could check out more than the limit allowed. It is a simple story, but very heartwarming. Although I knew the ending I still cried and I cried with the Lias' story, too.

chrisannee's review against another edition

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3.0

One upon a time I saw this book in a catalog and begged my mom to buy it. The price being a bit high, she didn't. But since then I've always wanted to read it.

There's a lot of valuable ideas here. Every child needs a place and time to run wild. I would have liked some changes in Aunt Frances at the end, but it wasn't necessary. I do think that this may not work for every child. And not everyone will have a Molly to adopt. 8-11 year old me would have loved this book.

amandacrandall14's review against another edition

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3.0

At times I thought it was a bit "preachy" trying to make a point in favor of a specific education style, and it made me wonder if the story was constructed in order to favor that, but I also enjoyed just living those new experiences with Betsy as well, having felt many similar experiences in my own childhood. By the end it was a very cozy-feeling book.

tamarayork's review against another edition

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5.0

Read aloud to my 8 year old daughter and 10 year old son. We all loved it, even my son! The story follows spoiled, coddled Betsy as she leaves the (over) protective shirts of Aunt Francis to stay with the Putney relations on a farm in Vermont. Betsy finds her own two feet in this delightful story. The narrator talks directly to the reader, which makes for a fantastic read aloud. I can’t recommend this book enough. It has become one of my favorite classic children’s books. This will be one that I will reread. It’s a book friend.

juice916's review against another edition

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4.0

I'm not sure how I never read this as a kid. A classic coming of age story with great morals.

byz's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was utterly charming. Can't believe I didn't stumble upon it until now! If you like Montgomery or Alcott, this is certainly one you'll want to read.

iiitsariii's review against another edition

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funny inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

0.5

jennpellecchia's review against another edition

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4.0

Super cute, and, I believe, in the public domain, since I downlaoded it to my Kindle for free. Predictable in that I knew the Putneys were going to be rad upon discovering that 1. they were New Englanders and 2. they gave Betsy a cute cat within 5 minutes. The fun surprise is that Betsy learns about stuff like irony and hyperbole in addition to useful farm stuff. Dates pretty well, too - I would recommend it for kids.

andrealectora's review against another edition

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4.0

#MiddleGradeMarch
Una historia muy tierna y entrañable, sobre una niña que aprende a valerse por sí misma después de estar sobreprotegida por su tía. Muy bien escrita, el narrador nos hace partícipes de la historia de vez en cuando. Me ha recordado en ciertos momentos a “Ana de las Tejas Verdes”, con familia granjera adoptiva, la importancia de la naturaleza, la escuela, etc.
Si te gustan ese tipo de historias a lo Ana, pues este es muy recomendable. Además, hay traducción al español y gallego.

Prompts: ‘historia con una huérfana’ / ‘libro más viejo que yo’.

nedge's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0