It was a long slog but my daughter and I finally finished this tonight. Overall I’d say this book is probably best for girls (and boys) older than five. It’s a bit dull in parts and not very much fun to read aloud. My daughter was quite caught up in the scarier incidents with the Indians and also when a prairie fire came within a hair’s breath of engulfing the little house.

Brief character analysis: Pa is god-like, Ma is a martyr and a bit of a party-pooper, Mary is quiet and good and dull, Laura is wild and keenly observant (naturaly), and Baby Carrie is present only when convenient (quite unlike any baby I’ve ever known.)

It was interesting at the end when Pa decided, in a huff, to abandon the little house rather than wait for the Government to force him to leave. Turns out they built in Indian Territory, and the Government wasn’t planning to declare it otherwise anytime soon, contrary to Pa’s initial understanding. I guess you could say Pa was a bit of a Libertarian. And he could play a mean fiddle.

This book was fun to read out loud to my girl. It was kind of interesting to read about the way they lived. That said, I think Pa was very selfish to bring his family out to the middle of nowhere and at risk from being massacred just because he didn’t want to be around other people. Also, children need to think about the point of view of the Indians when they read this book.

I’m reading this one to my five-year-old daughter. It’s taking forever because she’s not really that into it. I think it’s a little dull for her after so much Dahl. The prose is rather plain and the narration delves deeply into 19th Century prairie house-building techniques. Still, I think it’s a worthwhile read because the girls in the story are good role models. Maybe she’ll decide to give it another go when she’s older.

Great descriptions of life on the frontier 130 years ago. I often found myself turning pages quickly because the story was so horrowing.