I suddenly got a hankering to re-read the Little House books after moving into my own house that was built around the same time Ingalls-Wilder and her family were beginning their travels. My adult eyes were able to appreciate much more about the stories (i.e. rich details of pioneer life intermingled with true prejudice against American Indians). The educator and pedagogue in me also deeply appreciates Ingalls-Wilder's lived perspectives on what turn-of-the-century education was all about. Each of these books offers something different, but I think my favorite is "Little Town on the Prairie" in which you can literally watch the town of DeSmet, South Dakota, rise up from the ground.

Overall, a wonderful classic collection: however, there are some politically-incorrect portions in some of these books.

Original rural American lifestyle influencer! The ballerina farm of her day

I read this series at least twice, maybe three times, growing up. I need to find the whole set for myself now. :)

The first book and a couple after were read aloud to my class in third grade by my wonderful teacher, Miss Genevieve Emrich. Truly a childhood classic, even though I have read a lot of criticism of the series in my years teaching children's literature. At the time, it was magical.

I finished this serial a long time ago when I was in the elementary school!

Back then, I didn't really care if the plot or writings were good or not. I do remember the translation were bit confusing.

This is part of my childhood, a very personal one for me. Laura Ingalls accompanied me through some hard times and good times when I was a kid. Like a friend that I ran to to when I needed to hide from the world.

I hated Nellie Oleson with her, grieved when they lost their baby brother, trapped in the snow with them, tearful when Mary lost her sight, and because I was still a kid back then, I didn't really understand the part she fell in love with Almanzo Wilder.

I should thank Laura for the beautiful & heartwarming stories. And thank you for being my childhood memory.

These books were amazing!! I started reading them in 1 grade and they really helped improve my reading skills overall. They are also ready good for a range of different ages. I would totally recommend if you haven’t read them yet.

Whenever, I try to write something about this series, I feel dissatisfied. Like I am not worthy yet for it.

I'll try to give a review another time, when I will have again read the books. Oh yes, I plan to re-read it again in a lifetime. Maybe. I only wish there were more stories of Laura.

I want more! more! moreEE! Sigh!

I don’t think I’d ever read all 9 Little House books in a row before. I have read all of them on their own and several repeatedly, but it wasn’t a series I re-read in its entirety. The whole series is a roller coaster for me and (to be completely honest) my childhood self preferred the spinoff series to most of the Little House books.

I’ve heard it said that the Little House series glorifies the pioneer lifestyle. While I can’t deny that some people read it that way (see The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure), I simply do not. Sure, I dressed up as Laura when I went to visit De Smet, but I never wanted to live like the Ingalls, nor did I wish myself back in their time period. Their lives were difficult and dangerous. It makes for great suspense, though some of the Ingalls family’s problems are due to Charles’s poor decisions. I keep wondering why they didn’t go on to Oregon. Plenty of good farming there, with more temperate weather. I know Caroline didn’t want to keep going west, but with hindsight, it would have been a safer option.

The genius of Little House lies in three things: good writing, a memorable close-knit family, and bringing the ways of the past to life. There are plenty of good books that have the first two elements, but the third is what sets Wilder’s books apart. It’s why they have lasted for more than 90 years. It’s still a big part of what I love about history today. Knowing about how lives in history were lived doesn’t mean I want to go back to those times; it’s about saving knowledge and expanding our concept of human lifestyles. The series is not perfect by any means--there are plenty of scenes I skipped, plenty that made me angry--but good literature should make a space for difficult questions. Even as a child, I knew Caroline’s attitude toward the native peoples whose lands she was colonizing was horrible. I didn’t have the language of xenophobia or white supremacy to express it, but my conscience knew right and wrong. There’s something to be said for a series that gave me, at a young age, the chance to see and reject a hate-filled way of life. I also can't separate the fact that I love fiction by/about indigenous people from spending so much of my childhood reading on the prairie.

Overall, I enjoyed the books I knew I would enjoy again, and only found one book surprisingly delightful upon re-reading. There’s a space between idolizing the past, glossing over its horrors, and pretending it didn’t happen. The Little House books fit in the between space for me, and I am happy to nestle in the nuance.

Little House in the Big Woods: I was wondering why this book was not a part of my regular childhood re-reads, and then I remembered…I like Renée Graef’s picture books about Wilder’s Wisconsin life much more than this book. It’s so violent. I just can't with the Charley scene. And Pa is so unfair to Laura. Being a toddler is hard and it's not easier when your parents have a favorite child.

Farmer Boy: Top tier. A true favorite! (Though I skip the school violence in the beginning, yikes!) As one of my childhood friends said, “I like reading about plenty.” It’s a delectable book with some good stories. We see Laura’s emerging horse girl tendencies vicariously through Almanzo. I really wonder why the Wilders moved west--their farm seemed stable and prosperous, but times, places, and people change.

Little House on the Prairie: Ugh, I did not like this book as a child and I don’t enjoy it now. What was Charles Ingalls thinking, moving into territory he knew he could not rightfully claim? Honestly, sir, get a grip. This book also has malaria, an interminable covered wagon journey, wildfire, and many other reasons why I never, ever wanted to live “back then.” My friends’ classes read this book in school, and I was so confused. It’s nowhere near the best of the series.

On the Banks of Plum Creek: This was my favorite as a kid. The cover still brings me so much joy, and I feel a spark of delight whenever I see pink or blue morning glories. I visited the site of the Ingalls dugout as a child and it brought this story to life. The way Wilder wrote Nellie is a study in pure, unabashed hatred. Honestly a little shocking to re-encounter as an adult, the way Wilder held such anger in her heart over the decades! Not even Little Town on the Prairie has that much ire. I also cannot believe Caroline’s audacity in giving Charlotte away. To quote Caroline back to herself, for shame! If Carrie had been the one throwing a fit in a neighbor’s home, Caroline would never have allowed her to accept a toy. You can bet that the next time some modern parent says they won't let their child read a certain book because of the characters' attitudes, I will ask them about Laura's hatred for Nellie Olesen.

By the Shores of Silver Lake: Regretting that this one wasn’t part of my regular re-reads growing up. It’s so cozy and delightful! The scene of Laura watching the building of the railroad is fantastic, too. Maybe my favorite Christmas scene in the series. It made me wonder why Mrs. Boast is absent from the rest of the series, except for that heartbreaking scene in The First Four Years.

The Long Winter: This one is just rough. I’ve lived through blizzards and forty-below temperatures, but with the comforts of electricity and a well-insulated home. Wilder does a good job of building suspense with Almanzo’s narrative.

Little Town on the Prairie: The Ingalls family deserve a break, and here is where they get it. There are antagonists to keep the plot rolling, and Mary’s leaving for college always makes me tear up. (I skip the blackface scene.) I love how the Ingalls rally to send Mary to college so she can live more independently and continue her studies.

These Happy Golden Years: This is my favorite of the series. Laura learns she loves to earn money, she shows her strength of character and lives up to her principles, and the romance between her and Almanzo is sparely written but delightful. I feel for Mrs. Brewster, too. She must be suffering from PPD or some sort of psychosis. It’s so sad. I can’t believe how Laura kept it a secret from her family. She can honestly be so mercenary! Horse girl Laura is in her element here.

The First Four Years: Like certain other books in the series, this one is hardship after hardship. Hard to catch a break on the prairie. I wonder how Almanzo convinced Laura to move and try farming somewhere else. It does have me wanting to read the Rose books again…

An American classic.
My favorite was #8, least favorite was #2.

I've read all the books in this set may times over. I've also read other Wilder books, as well as those by her daughter, Rose. Love them all!

From Wikipedia:
Little House in the Big Woods (1932)
Farmer Boy (1933) - about her husband's childhood on a farm in New York
Little House on the Prairie (1935)
On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937), a Newbery Honor book
By the Shores of Silver Lake (1939), a Newbery Honor book
The Long Winter (1940), a Newbery Honor book
Little Town on the Prairie (1941), a Newbery Honor book
These Happy Golden Years (1943), a Newbery Honor book
On the Way Home (1962, published posthumously) - a diary of the Wilders' move from de Smet to Mansfield, Missouri, edited and added to by Rose Wilder Lane.
The First Four Years (1971, published posthumously)
West from Home (1974, published posthumously) - Wilder's letters to Almanzo while visiting Lane in San Francisco in 1915
The Road Back (Part of A Little House Traveler: Writings from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Journeys Across America, highlighting Laura's previously unpublished record of a 1931 trip with Almanzo to De Smet, South Dakota, and the Black Hills)
A Little House Sampler, with RoseWilder Lane, edited by William Anderson
Farm Journalist : Writings from the Ozarks
Writings to Young Women (Volume One: On Wisdom and Virtues, Volume Two: On Life As a Pioneer Woman, Volume Three: As Told By Her Family, Friends, and Neighbors)
A Little House Reader: A Collection of Writings
Laura Ingalls Wilder & RoseWilder Lane (Letters exchanged by Laura and Rose)
Little House in the Ozarks: The Rediscovered Writings
Laura's Album (A Remembrance Scrapbook of Laura Ingalls Wilder, edited by William Anderson)

I really love this series！