Don't say I did nothing of value during this pandemic, for I explained the super problematic minstrel show in this book and its racism to an 11-year old.

And this book is still a delight and a great ethnography of its time and an excellent read with my middle schooler.

Love love love these books!! Absolutely wonderful! What will happen with Almanzo and Laura now that she'll be teaching school 12 miles away? Carrie will be lost without her big sister Laura around! Laura and Pa and Ma are all smart! I love the Literaries the town does! What neat community-building!

The gold standard of children’s literature. Someday I’ll write my own memoir for kids: Little Town in the Midst of Endless Other Little Towns. I’ll tell the story of my hard scrabble suburban life, prior to the invention or at least wide distribution of computers, cell phones, sophisticated computer games, and everything else that makes life worth living for modern teenagers. I’ll describe a time when you had to get up and turn the channel to watch something else.

This book has always been one of my favorites of the Little House series, because it focuses a lot on Laura's schooling. I'm a teacher, so stories about school are very near to my heart. Laura is studying to be a teacher, so that she can make some money to help her sister Mary stay in college. Her friends at school are sweet and kind, and they develop a strong friend group, loyal and generous. However, that mean snitch Nellie Oleson makes their lives difficult. Laura often loses her temper and says spiteful things to Nellie, but she deserves it!

One of my favorite chapters is when Laura rocks the desk in defiance of her teacher's unfair punishment of Laura's sister, Carrie. Laura has a strong sense of justice and she is very protective of her little sister, and I always admired that.

Although the Ingalls family are not wealthy, at this point in the series they are prospering and have a little extra money for some nice things. Laura is able to join in with her friends at social events and have clothing and accessories similar to her friends. I love the chapter when they all buy the trendy name cards.

In this book we also establish Almanzo Wilder as a potential suitor for Laura. He shows some interest in her, but there is nothing definite yet. We have to wait for the next book to see how their romance unfolds.

I love how wholesome and soothing these books are. It takes me back to my childhood when I first read them!

Most problematic of the bunch so far.

Minstrel show? Lunatic fringe? Half-wit? 23-year old Almanzo slithering around 15-year old Laura?

And why is Ma so keen on Laura becoming a teacher? It seems to be a one-year-of-teaching-and-then-get-married sort of enterprise. Why even bother?

Helped me understand a bit more of the daily living aspect of colonialism and country/wooded American living in the 1800s.
Still pretty mid—didn’t have a big connection to it.

**This is at least my third time through the Little House series; I read "The Long Winter" this past winter and enjoyed it so much that I kept going. These are not comprehensive reviews but just thoughts.

In this book Laura is in her mid teens and is definitely coming into her own; no longer the little "Half Pint" of the Big Woods but a young lady, although she's still shocked and confused when Almanzo Wilder asks to walk her home from town social events. She faces the turbulence of adolescence: "She did not know what she wanted, but she knew that she could not have it, whatever it was."

I enjoyed the bits about her autograph book, since I had one as a child too. Those are no longer a "thing" in the 2000s.

I could really feel the sadness of the whole family when Mary left to attend the college for the blind. These books are so well done in the way the writing is so basic, but yet conveys such emotion beneath the surface. I felt Ma's sadness too as she was first shocked and then slowly understood the passing of an era with Mary going away to school and Laura catching Almanzo's eye.

Reading about school events, I was so impressed by the education those prairie folks got, even if it was for fewer years than these days. Pa winning the town spelling bee with "xanthophyll" was impressive -- no prairie dummy there!

December 2024 reread, audiobook.

December 2021 reread, audiobook.

I'm pretty sure Little Town on the Prairie is responsible for the box of 500 printed name cards I ordered as a teenager - with a floral design like Laura's.

This is such a warm and happy book after the cold and bleak survival of The Long Winter. I was as surprised as Laura was that I loved every moment of her life in town.

December 2013 reread.

When I was younger, I distinctly remember not enjoying the later books in this series as well because Laura grew up and the events weren't as exciting. But now, as I re-read it, I eagerly keep reading and lavish over the events of her young adult years. I love these books, every single one, every age, aspect, and adventure of Laura's life. It's just so exciting.

Plus I embarrass myself by my reaction to Almanzo's appearances. What a dreamboat! :)

This is the 7th book in the Little House series. It follows 15 year old Laura as she begins the transition from childhood to adulthood set in South Dakota. She gets a jobs to help support her family, she attends school, attends parties, and starts to develop a romantic relationship. As she is growing, she is starting to face more challenges that come with age, such as societal pressures and expectations, but it all prepares her to be a woman during this time.

I didn't ~completely~ finish this book. I'll be honest, almost every time I tried to read it I fell asleep!! I definitely read modern books easier than older ones. But from what I did read, I really enjoyed! I thought Laura was awesome in her selfless desires to help her family. I have never read anything that is set during this time and in this area, so it was really cool to learn more about daily life for these people. It was a new perspective in a new setting for me, and I did enjoy it (when I wasn't falling asleep).

Content Warnings:
Racism
Mild Bullying
Gender Roles

oh, this one is so good. the ingalls family is no longer starving/freezing, so things are starting to look up for them.
highlights:
-they get a cat!!
-mary goes away to college in an extremely pretty dress
-almanzo wilder starts sniffing around
-they have enough to eat
-it does not snow inside the house
-they get chickens

low points:
-miss wilder being a real jerk. although, as evidenced by laura's own teaching certificate, teachers were only tested on knowledge and not classroom-management skills.
-pa participating in a racist literary minstrel show. i love garth williams but i cringed so hard when i saw that illustration.
-ma continuing to hate indians
-i'm really worried about carrie's headaches
-kinda bummed me out that even in the 1880s Laura was looking in the mirror and wishing she could be tall and willowy like Nellie Oleson.

I love re-reading this series as an adult. There are details I completely forgot, like the brimstone revival that upset and unsettled Laura and Nellie’s creepy brother Willie pretending to be mentally impaired.