“On The Banks of Plum Creek (Little House #4)” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Genre: Children’s Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classic
Source: Gift
Summary from Goodreads:
Laura and her family find a new home in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, where the nearby creek and swimming hole lure Laura with dangerous, yet thrilling adventures. Too soon, their life is threatened when prairie fires and other strange events jeopardize their crops.
It’s a nice continuation of the series. I’m glad to see that family finally put down roots somewhere. It was fun to see Laura and Mary interact with kids their own age. I love how excited/nervous they both are for things we take for granted: going to school, having parties with friends, socializing at church. It kind of reminded me of Anne and her excitement. I liked the new characters even though Nellie was a major brat. She definitely brought back memories of childhood and awful classmates that you’re forced to be nice to.
This book helped me see things in my life quite a bit clearer. Everyone has been hit by the economy lately. Some are worse off than others but most people are having a tough time. Reading about the Ingalls and their struggles made me realize things aren’t that bad. We don’t have everything [money, debts, our house] riding on a wheat harvest that can be destroyed in a few days because of locust. We don’t have to walk 300 miles on foot to find work and spend months away from our families. I love that Laura was able to get me so emotionally invested in the book. I didn’t simply think “Oh, that’s unfortunate” when something happened to the family. No, my stomach dropped to the floor and I wanted to cry at the family’s misfortunes. I care about these people. I don’t want bad things to happen to them.
The bottom line? Even though it’s not a terribly happy book, I enjoyed it.
The Cheap Reader 
The Ingalls are such an amazing family! I think reading these books as an adult would be extremely interesting; I haven’t them since elementary school, but I still remember everything so vividly. But, it’s a child’s memories. I think going back and looking at the Ingalls’ situation as an adult might give me a new appreciation for this series!
You should definately do it!
It’s so interesting how the outside world can affect how you read a book. It’s like a new reading every time you pick up the book.
I read these in Winter 2010. I DEFINITELY intend to reread. 😀
For sure. They are definitely re-readable. 😀
I read these when I was young and absolutely adored them 😉 Then I read them with my daughter when she was younger and I liked them even more!
How fun! I hope to read the books with my future kids. 🙂