A review by bethreadsandnaps
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield, Dorothy Canfield Fisher
4.0
This is a warm middle grade story about Elizabeth Ann (Betsy), an orphan, who spends her life with her Aunt Frances until Betsy is nine years old. Then Aunt Frances has to take her mother to a warmer climate to heal (this is a classic, so back then you healed in warmer climates :) ). Aunt Frances is smothering, and she has household help. So Betsy hasn't had to do chores or make many decisions for herself.
Aunt Frances places her at a different relative's house while she's gone. Now living with Aunt Abigail and her children, Betsy learns how a different family from her own lives and how school and friends can be different than she's used to. It's so sweet to see how she adjusts to her new, less structured life with more responsibilities.
There is very little conflict in this book. I did appreciate the trying to clothe the local boy whose father didn't take care of him. That wasn't necessarily conflict, but again it showed to Betsy how other families function (not so well). The big/final "conflict" in this story was resolved in a paragraph, so perhaps there could have been more tension. :)
I know it's a classic, but there's some fat shaming in this. For example, a young girl is called a butter ball within the narrative.
All in all, the story has a great message, but it could have had more conflict/tension and less fat shaming.
Aunt Frances places her at a different relative's house while she's gone. Now living with Aunt Abigail and her children, Betsy learns how a different family from her own lives and how school and friends can be different than she's used to. It's so sweet to see how she adjusts to her new, less structured life with more responsibilities.
There is very little conflict in this book. I did appreciate the trying to clothe the local boy whose father didn't take care of him. That wasn't necessarily conflict, but again it showed to Betsy how other families function (not so well). The big/final "conflict" in this story was resolved in a paragraph, so perhaps there could have been more tension. :)
I know it's a classic, but there's some fat shaming in this. For example, a young girl is called a butter ball within the narrative.
All in all, the story has a great message, but it could have had more conflict/tension and less fat shaming.