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Little House #8

These Happy Golden Years

laura ingalls wilder cherry jones paul woodiel

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Laura is teaching school, and it's terrifying! Most of the students are taller than she is, and she must sleep away from home for the first time. Laura is miserable, but the money is needed to keep Mary in a college for the blind. Every Friday—no matter what the weather—Almanzo Wilder arrives to take Laura home to her family for the weekend. And even though Laura is not yet sixteen, she knows that this is a time for new beginnings.

Read by Tony Award-winning narrator Cherry Jones. Fiddle music by Paul Woodiel.

7 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1,1943
Series
Little House
Literary awards
newbery medal, 
Places
de smet south dakota, south dakota, 

This edition

Format
7 pages, Audio CD
Published
March 28, 2006 by HarperCollins
ISBN
9780060565084
ASIN
006056508X
Language
English
Characters More characters

More editions

About the author

Profile Image for laura ingalls wilder

laura ingalls wilder

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Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
33(33%)
4 stars
37(37%)
3 stars
30(30%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
100 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Hak_Fanboy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I loved that we got so much sweet romance and courtship in this book. Laura’s cluelessness was entertaining (and at times a bit annoying). It was fun to see Laura growing up and going out on her own. This was probably my first or second favorite book of the series competing with The Long Winter.
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BaeConMan
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Such a lovely happy book. I felt quite emotional finishing it. Especially knowing sorrows that lay ahead.

I loved that Laura appreciated her happy moments at this time in her life though, and knew that they really were happy golden years.
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LaukNLoad
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I had previously thought that the Harry Potter books were the first series where each book got more mature to match the growing maturity of the readers, but this series also does that. They may stay about the same length each, but the content matures. This book covers Laura teaching, finishing school, getting engaged and married. The beginning with Mrs Brewster made me incredibly sad - she’s portrayed as such a bitch and maybe she was, but I had to wonder that she might not have had postpartum depression. I can’t imagine being stuck in a tiny house in the winter with nothing but a crying baby for months on end. This is perhaps one of the most positive of the series - really, nothing bad happens to any of them, which is a bit of a surprise.
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Marco135
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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As I said in my notes for 1 & 4, yes, these have issues. That doesn’t mean they didn’t have a massive impact on me as a child. It’s possible to have conversations about books that you love for nostalgic reasons that maybe don’t hold up under a current lens. I think that’s the ideal rather than removing them from the conversation.
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Kurobancho
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Sloane: my favorite part was the little house Almanzo built. It sounded pretty! I love the songs throughout all the books that Pa sings with the fiddle.

Me: gosh, watching Almanzo and Laura’s relationship blossom is so tender and satisfying! I love when Mary asks Laura if she is sure, and Laura says, “we just seem to go together.” Having such a non-passionate, honest and realistic relationship to strive for in early reader literature is so valuable. Almanzo really shows his love for Laura as he drives her to-and-from her first school, when he trusts her to drive Barnum, and in the great care he takes when building their home. What a tender journey to go through these books again!
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dawnblk
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Although I have read this book many times, I chose it to be the last book I read in 2018. I love all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books but this one is my choice because she really conveys how it felt to come into adulthood and the next phase and all the fear that accompanies change. Since I’m hoping 2019 will be a year for change, this seemed appropriate. ❤️
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Kusunoki
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Another of my favorites out of the series! The best aspect, in my opinion, is the understated development of Laura and Almanzo's romance.
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NanashiMoriko
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Secretly, I'm jealous of the simplicity of the times. Buggy rides, just getting married & setting up house without a big charade, the sunsets and the sights of the rolling hills...

I didn't think this book was as exciting as a child. Laura was older and growing up. I didn't understand it. But now I'm in the same time of life, it seems, as Laura is in this book and I enjoy her stories. Maybe my life has stories too.
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