Great, sweet story....I miss stories like this. Those who like the original Boxcar Children would probably enjoy this too.

For those that homeschool, this story would be a good read-aloud to use with a poetry study, as Pop is always quoting bits of famous poetry.

Book is out of print, so I got ILL to see if it's worthy to purchase. Stay tuned.

Setting is fall of 1930. I wanted to find some children's lit written about the last crises period we had in the US.

*****
Nice story, but not really what I was hoping for.

Another find among the older juvenile books. Takes place during the Depression when a father and his 2 daughters, down on their luck, are stranded in northern Wisconsin near a closed up summer cottage. They decide to stay in the cottage for the winter, and the oldest daughter (the only practical member of the family) is left trying to find a way to pay rent to the unknown owners. I thought the book had a slow start. But, over time, I grew fond of the characters and found the ending, though not surprising, very satisfying. A cute read.

Such a delightful Winter's Tale by Carol Ryrie Brink!!!
I don't know how I missed this one when I was filling my children's bookshelves with "good reads".

Great idea, not so well carried out.

Two girls and their grandfather are traveling by car to live with an aunt who doesn't want them after the grandfather's store fails during the Great Depression. After taking a wrong turn, the family takes shelter in an empty house for the night - and through one thing and another, end up staying the winter. The neighbors never suspect that the "renters" aren't actually renting, and they end up picking up a runaway who adds some spice to the story. Then the owners show up and - well, that's exciting, too.

As I said, great premise. Unfortunately, Carol Ryrie Brink could (IMHO) have made a better story out of it. There are loose ends. Things that don't quite add up. Things that would have added up if only their grandfather had actually been their father.

But there are also brilliant elements to the story. The poetry - that's fun. And the pancakes (my family still jokes about "whales"). And the contests. I won't give away the ending, but at least it's generally happy!

Overall, not Brink's best, but a cool idea and a cozy read.

So glad I heard about this through the Betsy-Tacy list. It has some of the same "homemaking" charm as another favorite, Dandelion Cottage, the coziness of winter, and a fun twist at the end.

Delightful read aloud.

Loved reading it out loud to the family during the Christmas season.

A little-known gem by the author of Carrie Woodlawn. I wish I had discovered it as a child, because I would have adored it beyond all reason. As it is, the adult me really, really, really REALLY liked it.

I read a scanned version of Macmillan's 1968 First Edition HB, which is available at The Internet Archive: archive.org/details/wintercottage00brin

Cute little read

Lovely winter read, written in 1939 describes how a family down on their luck shelter in a summer cottage during the hard months of winter. About hope, making friends and trusting people.

A lovely story. Very sweet. A great family story. I found it predictable, but I think that children may have been surprised. Lovely to see the family working together.