This book was sweet and a quick read.

I enjoyed the transition from one governess to the other. Martha making breakfast for the full family was great and giving advice to her older sister.

My daughter and I are really enjoying reading about Laura Ingalls Wilder's ancestors :). History and a spirited little girl make for great reading for an 8 year old!

A good story that I enjoyed!

I admittedly didn’t enjoy the second book, as it was quite boring. This picks up the pace slightly, as Martha is now older - I still don’t know how the author is going to squeeze all the story into 4 books, when Martha is only 8-9 in this.

I think this book really opens Martha’s eyes to the goings on in her day to day life. She gets a governess and then loses a governess. She then gets another governess who she at least gets on a bit better with, but Miss Crowe does talk about going to America. And obviously we know that Laura will be born in America, so at some point, her ancestors will move there.

At the moment though, Martha is still the daughter of a Scottish laird. She is also seeing the differences between her, a laird’s daughter and the tenants daughters/children, between their clothes to how they eat. I think this was a bit of a shock for Martha and I hope this continues in the final book in the Martha series.

“Lew” Tucker is also mentioned, who we know from the family tree in the beginning, is her future husband - little do either of them know it yet! There’s also hints of what is to come, as there’s talk of a laird’s daughter marrying someone of her station, and potentially of her father’s choosing. Much is made of Lew being a blacksmith’s son, and with this, we know there may be some fallout. HOPEFULLY this will be mentioned in the final book, although I dread to think of what I have to come.

Martha also gets faced with her sisters growing up and a serious illness, although not within the family. the author is using these tidbits to show how Martha is growing up and being a bit more aware of her surroundings.

In all honesty, I would give the second one a miss and move straight onto this one.

Read in 2005-6.....

This book is timeless and descriptive in every word and drawing. I enjoy learning more about where Laura Ingall's reckless and fun spirit came from. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the Little House book series!

Wiley, Melissa

I wish I could give this book seven stars. I love Martha. I love Melissa Wiley. This book made me feel so much!

When I first read this story (age 6) I was entirely confused by the dialect. But when I picked it up again at about age 10, I really enjoyed it.

In this third book of what is a four book series, we see Martha hitting that age where she is starting to grow up. She still loves to be outside and have fun instead of doing her lessons (like any child), but she starts to become aware of the world around her. She begins to see that her sister, Grisie, is of an age where she might be leaving home soon and what responsibilities growing up and becoming a woman entail. You can see a real difference between the reckless child of the beginning of the novel (or from the first two books) and the young girl who is taking her actions into account and starting to consider the future beyond five minutes away. This is certainly the theme of this novel and one that most of the age-appropriate readers will understand. Despite this growing up phase, there is still one rollicking adventure in the last quarter of the book!

We also see some set up in this novel for obviously book 4, but also for what will take us into the Charlotte years (Martha’s daughter). We first meet Lew Tucker, who will end up becoming Martha’s husband down the road and there is a lot of discussion regarding what lies beyond the glen that they live in – the big cities and America, where Martha will eventually travel.

There are still some Scottish traditions, dialogue, and stories here that we have grown to expect and enjoy from the earlier novels.

I look forward to seeing how this series concludes and how it will link into the next – the Charlotte Years. I have read widely from within the various parts of these series, but never completely through each to see how they connect.

This review was previously posted at the Maiden's Court.

As Martha gets older, she needs a governess to teach her needlework, copying, and etiquette. She is relieved when her first governess is fired, then is pleasantly surprised with her new governess. Martha continues to develop interesting relationships with the servants and neighbours.

For completeness' sake. :)