Should I be reading the approximately twelve thousand books that are due for class by week 8? Probably. Is this what I’m reading instead? Yes. Am I making a definitive ranking of all the Little House books while I reread them instead of doing homework? OBVIOUSLY

I really love the pioneer spirit in this novel. It is even stronger than in Little House on the Prairie.
I was feeling with the family and especially with Laura much more than in the previous books. I so hoped that things would turn out alright for them especially when Laura's father gets his claim.
I'm really looking forward to reading the other books in this series!

Another wonderful part of the series. I admit some stories weren't as marvelous as others. I would have given this book 4.5 stars.

Some of these stories are outdated for kids (I mean, we don't teach nowadays that girls should be quieter than boys, etc.) but as an adult, I am charmed by them.

There are chapters in this book that caught hold of me in a powerful way. Several of them could have been award-winning short stories in their own right. But as always, the Ingalls saga continues strong!

Pa continues to drag his family all over the country in search of his prairie glass castle. I’m starting to view Ma as more of a pleasant-tempered hostage than a wife. Even still, it’s fun to read.

This isn't my favorite of the Little House books, but I still enjoyed it. Reading through as an adult, I am so amazed at the things "Ma" went through - wow. I love the view of settling the American West through the eyes of a child - they were in some really dangerous situations. Anyway, it's a great "comfort food" series for me.

Perhaps my least favorite of the four I've read so far, but I still can't give it anything less than five stars. Most of the second half is wonderful! I guess, like Laura, I just didn't love the town and busy-busy aspects of their lives in this one but it was still well written.

These books give such a view into the psyche of America back when the land was being settled. The pace is slow compared to today's literature, but there is something here.

One of the best parts of the book is toward the end. The Ingalls family are living out on the prairie alone during the winter. The spring comes and droves of men begin coming through. The Ingalls have the only house so they all stay with them. The town literally is put up in two weeks. I was shocked. I can't believe how that happened.

The most intense part of the book is the day Charles goes to claim the homestead and 15 men come through and need to spend the night. Ma and the girls have locked themselves in their bedroom while the drunk men are fighting downstairs. It was a deeply unsettling piece to read. I could feel the tension. Very well written.

It is a window into our past for sure. I did enjoy this or parts of this. It is a much more innocent time. Ma kind of gets me down. She is a killjoy in the book. She is always saying that seems heathen and she can't simply laugh at Pa's jokes. I have a modern perspective. We really have changed as a society. I will read more of these.

I just love reading about how the town is built and the homestead. It’s so fascinating! I think I enjoy winter chapters most of all.

It's interesting to see Laura as she begins to embrace the fact that she's growing up. Of course, there are still those moments of childish thoughts that come out in her inner thoughts and occasionally in her actions. She begins a major transition in this book, especially as she has to step up since Mary is blind.

I love to see her relationship with Pa and her growing relationship with Ma.

Here comes Almanzo and his family!! I'm so excited to see the stories from Farmer Boy mix in with the Ingalls family adventures.

The first mention of Almanzo!!!

I think these are starting to feel just a bit repetitive. I expected the writing to mature a bit as Laura became older, like the Harry Potter books did, but that hasn’t happened yet. I’m not sure it will. Also, there’s even less emphasis on plot movement and characterization than in previous books. The inclusion of songs was quaint in the first few books, but was far overused here. However, this is where the plot started to really diverge from that of the show, so that maintained my interest a bit more. I will be continuing, as I really want to finish the series, but I think I’m going to give myself a bit of a breather before starting book six.