Melissa WileyBesprekingen

This fiction based loosely on some information about Laura Ingalls Wilder's grandmother's childhood has the usual didactic references to trying to be one's best self, the incident of danger to a younger sib, yearning to find out more about the world around her (gas lighting in Boston! The visit of president Madison!) and a conflict with a teacher. A pleasant enough read.

It's 1788, and six year old Martha lives in a little stone in Glencraid, Scotland. Martha's father is Laird Glencaraid, and the life of the Laird's daughter is not always easy for a lively girl like Martha. She would rather be running barefoot through the fields of heather and listening to magical tales of fairies and other Wee Folk than learning to sew like a proper young lady. But between her dreaded sewing lessons, Martha still finds time to play on the rolling Scottish hills.

It's 1814 and Charlotte lives just outside the city of Boston. She always has something to look forward to--tending Mama's garden, visiting Papa's blacksmith shop, and embarking on her very own Scottish adventure!

I really enjoyed this book about making silent movies. I really liked Pearls character and felt she was very relatable. I liked the dynamic between her and her brothers, they would tease her mercilessly but when it came right down to it, they loved her and would protect her. I thought all of the characters were very realistic. Her parents reluctance to let her act but finally letting her do it rang very true for what parents would actually do.
I thought the whole bit about raising ostriches was really interesting and taking the feathers to "town" once a year. I had never really thought about people raising the birds for the feathers that women used to wear on their hats.
The only thing I didn't love was that the story started in the middle of the scene and then the book went back in time and I kept waiting for them to get back to that scene but it wasn't until near the end of the book.
Overall though, a nice clean book for kids. I would highly recommend that you read the authors note at the end. Really interesting and made the story seem even better when you know that's it's loosely based on real people.
If you enjoyed this book I would also recommend Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen by Anne Nesbet which is also about a young girl making silent movies.

This book is really amazing! The main character is brave and real. The story and plot was very interesting and I really liked it! I think you all should read it!

None of the other "Little House Years" books are as good as the ones about Laura but other then the Laura books I prefer the Martha books but the Charlotte books are a close third for me. I am from the Boston area so I enjoy reading about this region of the world plus the descriptions are excellent.

None of the other "Little House Years" books are as good as the ones about Laura but other then the Laura books I prefer the Martha books but the Charlotte books are a close third for me. I am from the Boston area so I enjoy reading about this region of the world plus the descriptions are excellent.

None of the other "Little House Years" books are as good as the ones about Laura but other then the Laura books the Martha ones are definitely my favorite. I love Scotland so that made this books particularly interesting to me but in general I just think they are the best written and most engaging titles from this set of books.

None of the other "Little House Years" books are as good as the ones about Laura but other then the Laura books the Martha ones are definitely my favorite. I love Scotland so that made this books particularly interesting to me but in general I just think they are the best written and most engaging titles from this set of books.

None of the other "Little House Years" books are as good as the ones about Laura but other then the Laura books I prefer the Martha books but the Charlotte books are a close third for me. I am from the Boston area so I enjoy reading about this region of the world plus the descriptions are excellent.

None of the other "Little House Years" books are as good as the ones about Laura but other then the Laura books I prefer the Martha books but the Charlotte books are a close third for me. I am from the Boston area so I enjoy reading about this region of the world plus the descriptions are excellent.

None of the other "Little House Years" books are as good as the ones about Laura but other then the Laura books the Martha ones are definitely my favorite. I love Scotland so that made this books particularly interesting to me but in general I just think they are the best written and most engaging titles from this set of books.

None of the other "Little House Years" books are as good as the ones about Laura but other then the Laura books the Martha ones are definitely my favorite. I love Scotland so that made this books particularly interesting to me but in general I just think they are the best written and most engaging titles from this set of books.

This book hit me just right this week. Wiley's style is straightforward, but she trusts her young readers to fill in the blanks so she doesn't feed them every hint and detail. The setting feels a little insubstantial (the details are vivid, but I don't feel myself rooted in the prairie while reading), but the main characters are delightful. And I learned that Wiley's a blogging homeschooler who used to live in San Diego, so that's kind of cool.

I don't really know what to say about this book. Very fun, but...

One of my favorite childhood books

One of my favorite childhood books

One of my favorite childhood books

One of my favorite childhood books

One of my favorite childhood books

One of my favorite childhood books

I loved this. Reading any of the Little House books has such nostalgia for me, and I’m glad people have expanded it to include the women that came before Laura Ingalls. Though much of this had to be pieced together through research and it doesn’t accurately reflect who Charlotte may have been as a person, it’s interesting to see how someone might have lived in the early 1800s in Boston. I especially liked how it isn’t sugarcoated to be without conflict; the War of 1812 is a hot topic with Charlotte’s family and is actively talked about.

Overall, I found this book to be a nice, quick read that was in keeping with the other Little House books. Charlotte has such a curious and adventurous spirit — she’s a joy to read about, and I’m sure that children will appreciate her imagination (I certainly would have devoured this book as a child!). The incorporation of little history facts is also well done; the book details how to make certain foods and how a brick oven was used at this time. I love when good stories can also be educational. Anyone with an interest in history will find this story fascinating for that reason.

Definitely pick this up if you have a little one around in need of a good book! Laura Ingalls and historical fiction fans will especially enjoy this one.

Also posted on Purple People Readers.

Laura has a dog named Jack and they love to spend time and adventure together, especially when her family moves west. He protects her and loves her, but can't be a puppy forever.½

In my opinion, this is a very good book. The language is very descriptive and easy for readers to understand. For example, the text says, “His light-brown fur was short, with darker-brown streaks through it. He had a large head and strong, square jaws.” Also, there is an illustration for each chapter in the book. These illustrations help readers know what the most important plot event from each chapter is. The plot is suspenseful and includes various different conflicts that keep the reader engaged. However, there is not too much going on that it confuses the reader. I think the story’s themes of family and overcoming hardships are very meaningful. The setting is also accurate for the time. The characters do act and speak in authentic ways for the time period. The story helps readers understand the difficulties that pioneers went through during this time period. The book explains the dangerous elements and animals that they had to encounter. I think the big idea of this book is that there are any families who live different lifestyles depending on the time period and location. This book shows readers that other families might be different than theirs and it exposes the reader to a different way of life.

Laura and her bulldog, Jack, share exciting adventures while growing up on the wild American frontier.