It could certainly have been worse, but I think this was an odd thing to write in the first place, and I hoped for better from Rylant (who I do think was a good choice, if the publisher really wanted it). The writing is dumbed down in a way not seen in the early LIW books. LIW did well at increasing the reading level with each book, but this one seems to fall somewhere between the first and second (if not lower). I also felt there were many distracting incidences of "telling instead of showing"--I never realized what a master LIW was at show-not-tell until I read this attempt.

I can still remember checking this book out of the library when I was 9-10 years old. Although it wasn’t an “original” Laura book, it was still a big part of my childhood, and rereading was quite nostalgic.

It’s rare to have a writer be able to match the voice of the original author, but Rylant managed it quite well. The characters, settings, and descriptions are heartwarming. Of course, there is a sad section in the middle dealing with the loss of a child, but on the whole, this story is full of family values, simpler times, and hope on the western horizon. An insight look into the “lost years” of Laura Ingalls.

Recently I came across this "addition" to the Little House books written by Cynthia Rylant. And while I can be hesitant about continued stories written by other authors, especially about a most beloved series of my childhood, I found it wonderful.

It stayed loyal to the style of Laura's writing (though of course, it isn't quite the same) it felt like Little House, simply with new chapters and untold stories. It was clear Cynthia Rylant had done her research and that she loved the Little House books. It was written with clarity and simplicity. Some chapters are difficult, speaking to the loss of baby Charles (Little Freddie), Pa facing the weight of financial debt after several years of locusts, and natural disasters. Through it all, you find yourself once again reminiscing with the beloved Ingalls family and these unwritten chapters of Laura's life. If you are a Little House friend, it will be a welcome read and addition to the beloved stories of our favorite Prairie girl we so cherish.

Content Warning: infant death.

Three and a half stars.

This wasn't spectacular but Rylant did a great job at taking on LIW's voice. The Freddie chapter made me cry.

This is a book written by someone else who wrote it based on 12 pages Laura actually wrote about it. Therefore it doesn’t have the same authenticity and feel of her books. Also, one bone to pick, when they talk about how Caroline had a son who died and then a girl, Grace, it was written as like oh the girls came home from school one day or back from errands and oh she had a baby and they’re all surprised. Like wouldn’t you know your mother was pregnant? Like there is no way that’s how they reacted when those kids were born, they HAD to have known she was pregnant, I mean come on, why would you write it like that? Idk

When I was younger I devoured the Little House books and when I came across this book I had to read it. I loved it. It is written very much like Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote herself. I loved getting to see Laura, Mary, Carrie, Ma and Pa again. I cried over the death and rejoiced over the birth of Grace. I loved hearing of their travel and of living in a town rather than a farm.
A really good addition to the Little House series.

It just doesn't have Laura's voice. And honestly, I can understand why she chose not to include these years in her original series... They are rather depressing!!

People are always getting on Charles, and I think it's a bit unfair- Charles (and Laura) were visionaries; they could forever see bigger, better things out west. But I admit by the end of this book, my heart felt heavy as I imagined them packing up and moving on yet again... I suppose it's just my own preference for home and stability.

I enjoyed learning a little more about their time in Burr Oak, IA. This book helped fill in some of the pieces in their lives.

I recently came across this book, although I forget now what I was looking up at the time. I’ve read as many spin off series of Little House that I can, as some of them are very rare/out of print now and can go for ridiculous amounts of money. Unfortunately, this one also has a preview in the back to “Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls” by Heather Williams - which is going for crazy amounts on all the usual sites.

This covers the forgotten/missing period of time from the original series of books, which I have read and loved since I was a child. This fits neatly between “On The Banks of Plum Creek” and “By The Shores of Silver Lake”, the fourth and fifth books respectively. In reality, Laura had only written 12 pages about this period of time, some of which was briefly touched upon in the TV show. This covers the Ingalls running a hotel (in the TV show, I reckon this would tie in to them meeting Albert for the first time) and also losing Laura’s baby brother, Charles Frederick. It wasn’t a particularly good period for the family, however I’m not sure why it was never written up as a full length book by Laura. Perhaps because there wasn’t much that actually happens, and they seem to spend most of the time unpacking/packing, hopping from place to place.

The author does a good job of sticking to the tone and formula of the original series, although I’m sure I could start picking holes, had I read the original series closer to reading this. It’s relatively short, as the actual story only goes up to page 163, with some additional extras at the end - a recipe for mashed potatoes anyone?! There was just something missing - whether endless re-runs of the TV show have coloured my view of the books now, but there was just something missing for me, which I didn’t find with the original series of books.

I still have my mum’s copies of the books, with the covers illustrated by Garth Williams, so there’s something about these re-releases/spin offs, which I feel a little resentful towards. The little girls on the front of this book, one is presumably supposed to be Laura but as for the redhead - who is that supposed to be, Anne Shirley? This is probably meant to be her friend, Alice, who gets mentioned towards the end of the book, since they’re holding kittens. I’ve grown up with the illustrations and even on the Caroline/Rose spin offs, most of them had similar illustrations/covers, rather than these models posing.

The book also comes with some extras. There’s a 3 page biography of Laura, a Q&A with the author, a “Travelling by covered wagon” history, the mashed potatoes recipe, the lyrics to “The Star Spangled Banner” and the very short preview to the Nellie Oleson spin off book. (I’m still annoyed about the price that this is going for.)

If you’re a fan of Little House On The Prairie, or just a completist of anything related, this is worth getting, to expand the book series. I would probably say that it’s not necessary though, and certainly not worth paying a lot for.

I'm so grateful to Cynthia Rylant for having written this story. I grew up an avid Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, however I never realized that there was a gap in the stories she told. This past summer I did a little road trip with my mom (also a fan) down to Burr Oaks and a few other places the Ingalls' family lived when we were visiting family in Minnesota. It really brought the place and Laura's stories to life. We learned a lot at Burr Oaks in particular, especially the speculation that Laura didn't tell this story because it was a very unhappy time in her life, and that she tended to talk about her past with rose-coloured glasses (hence why people find The First Four Years to be a difficult read, because Rose had a heavy hand in it and was much more authentic about her mother's stories). I understand that some things are hard to write about, but I also think vulnerability and authenticity are really important, especially to modern readers, in a way that they weren't quite as much for people of Wilder's era.

I was so impressed with how Rylant followed a similar style to Wilder's writing, and even the artist had a similar style to the original books. It truly felt like it slotted right into the series, and I feel as if I have a stronger understanding of Laura's life (and some of the realities and challenges) now.

4.5/5

I enjoyed this “Lost Little House Book” quite a bit. In Old Town on the Green Groves, Laura and her family move from Walnut Grove, Minnesota to Burr Oak, Iowa when grasshopper eggs hatch once more. Pa and Ma will help operate a hotel in Burr Oak. Before they leave, Laura’s little brother Freddie is born. Freddie is a sickly baby and he later passes away at Uncle Peter and Aunt Eliza’s farm, where the family spends the the summer. Ma and Pa and the girls work tirelessly at the Burr Oak House and the family is crammed into one room. Life at the hotel is anything but peaceful, with the saloon next door. Pa moves the family into rooms above a grocery store as soon as possible and then begins work at a feed mill. Later, Pa moves the family once more into a brick house on the edge of town and that is where Laura’s sister, Grace, is born. Shortly after her birth, the family sets out west once more.

Interesting to read what happened in those years, but definitely reads like a filler book by a different author.