Busy Betty and the Circus Surprise

3.0

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Author(s)

Reese Witherspoon

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Xindi Yan

Publisher

Flamingo Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

October 03, 2023

ISBN

978-0593525128

Buy This Book

Busy Betty has always been busy. Every day she wakes up with a million questions and a billion ideas! And today she has an amazing idea: she’s throwing her mom a birthday party. Shhh . . . It’s a surprise!

Then Betty and her best friend, Mae, have the best idea of all: What if they threw Mom a circus surprise party?! It will be the greatest day in the history of the universe!

Everything is perfect until Betty realizes—oh, no!—Mom’s birthday isn’t today . . . it’s next month. Whatever will they do with their circus surprise now?

Reese Witherspoon’s Busy Betty is an exuberant, smart, and larger-than-life character who encourages young readers to tackle each obstacle with enthusiasm, excitement, and big ideas.

Editor review

1 review

Who is surprised by the birthday party?

October 07, 2023 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

Overall rating

3.0

Plot

3.0

Characters

3.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

3.0

Busy Betty is back, and this time she has an enthusiastic plan! She tells her friends Mae and Jeffery that it's her mom's birthday, so she needs to throw her a surprise party. Of course, this needs to include all of her mother's favorite things, including purple, petunias, and her puppy, Frank. Betty's brother Bo tries to tamp down her enthusiasm, but Betty decides to have a CIRCUS. This, of course, takes a lot of effort and planning, but Betty jumps right in with make up, costumes, and a tent. WHen her parents come home, Betty is crushed to find out from Bo that her mother's birthday isn't until next month. Oh, no! Betty wails in devastation, but her mother tells her that a circus is perfect even though it's not her birthday, and they invite the whole neighborhood to celebrate.

Good Points

There is a lot of white space on the pages, and the word are in a san serif font, making it easier to read. Children will laugh at Betty's unbridled enthusiasm, which often seems to be misplaced. Poor Frank is NOT enjoying being a lion, although her friends are good sports and go along with her.

I was a bit bothered by the fact that Betty seems to be wearing her glasses upside down, and some of the illustrations make her seem a bit overly enthusiastic, but young readers will just think this is funny.

Read this while decorating and mixing up and frosting a birthday cake along with Sauer's I Love Cake, Pham's A Piece of Cake, Huget's The Best Birthday Party Ever, and Ode's Bigfoot Does Not Like Birthday Parties. Just make sure that it actually IS the birthday of the person for whom you are planning the party!