Caddie Woodlawn (1935)

Read again to my daughter. Forgot about the racial slurs, had to skip a lot and explain a lot but the overall story is good. ( )

For some reason the beginning of this book really had a plot-less, garbled feel to me. If I had viewed it as “one year with Caddie Woodlawn” from the very start, I probably would have felt the cohesion between blurbs sooner. My mistake, I think. So setting that aside, she’s a mighty headstrong girl… who may perhaps be a little too mighty. Some scenes took me out of the moment because it was pushing “strong young female!” too hard. Caddie is likable, and the book is well done. But her amazing tenacity was pushing the bounds of credulity for me.

Everything could have been redeemed, though. As things were wrapping up, I saw one scene with Caddie and her father as adorable, and a perfect nod to Caddie’s struggle with her place in the world. I would totally have this book’s back (covers?) if the book had ended there. It won me over completely. Buuut... the author tacked on a rouse of the dad’s long lost English noble heritage, and how everyone in the family deserved a vote on what the family would do. Parents deciding what’s best for their children? Naw. It brought me back to the disbelieving side of things. Super sweet scene in there, though.
( )

I have a feeling that Caddie Woodlawn is actually a much better book than its audiobook narrator would have me believe, but after reading the Little House series, I think I still would've found this novel a bit of a letdown. From what I've seen, people seem to identify with (and love) one or the other, and I appear to be more of a Laura Ingalls Wilder person than a Carol Ryrie Brink one.

Caddie is certainly an engaging scamp and she has plenty of adventures, but most of those adventures read, to me, more like predictable sitcom hijinks than genuine happenings: at times, I could almost hear a studio audience laughing or awwwing in the background. It's possible I would've enjoyed the story more if I'd read it as a child, but to be honest, even as a kid, I had a pretty low tolerance for vicarious embarrassment...and there's plenty of that in Caddie Woodlawn.

I definitely understand why others might enjoy Caddie's story, but for me, I'll stick to the dangers and triumphs of pioneer life with the Ingalls family. ( )

Follow a young Caddy Woodlawn around the wilderness adventures of Wisconsin for a year. ( )

I have always loved classic children's literature and have read much of it. I especially love the classics that have animals in them. This particular book is one of my favorites and I think it is equally good when you read it as an adult or as a child. The characters are engaging and realistic and the story draws you in. It is a book I enjoy re-reading. ( )