Hardcover, 290 pages
English language
Published Oct. 13, 1953 by Harper & Row.
In the days of the building of the railroads and the final settlement of the West the Ingalls family moved from Minnesota, the scene of On the Banks of Plum Creek, to Dakota Territory. Pa became a railroad man for a time until he found a homestead and filed a claim. The family spent the winter in a surveyor's house sixty miles from the nearest neighbor. There was excitement when Laura and Mary took a thrilling train ride and when the attempted payroll robbery took place. That winter the family spent their happiest Christmas ever. In the Spring Pa put up the first building on the town-site near his claim, and two weeks later there was a brand-new town.
Man this family moved around a lot.
This was another enjoyable mostly-lighthearted tale about the Ingalls family moving yet again. This time Pa got a job doing payroll for some railroad workers with the intention of claiming a homestead once the work was done.
I still enjoy Pa's optimism in these stories, and the fact that he can build a shanty in less than a day.
On the road again with the Ingalls family and we say goodbye to Plum Creek. Sadly, this time without my boy Jack. We are headed to the wilds of the Dakota Territories, friends. On a train! To claim a homestead and settle down, no matter how much Pa and Laura want to go to Oregon.
Pa heads to Dakota to work the railroad and be the payroll clerk, then Ma and the girls head out to meet them. The railroad men are filled with rough talk and violence, but Laura is fascinated with them as you would expect. Pa proves himself to be smart and brave, as usual, and then the railroad moves on to leave the Ingalls family alone in the Big Slough. After a cozy winter in the surveyor's house (what luck!) they stake a claim to their 40 acres and move into the claim shanty to win …
On the road again with the Ingalls family and we say goodbye to Plum Creek. Sadly, this time without my boy Jack. We are headed to the wilds of the Dakota Territories, friends. On a train! To claim a homestead and settle down, no matter how much Pa and Laura want to go to Oregon.
Pa heads to Dakota to work the railroad and be the payroll clerk, then Ma and the girls head out to meet them. The railroad men are filled with rough talk and violence, but Laura is fascinated with them as you would expect. Pa proves himself to be smart and brave, as usual, and then the railroad moves on to leave the Ingalls family alone in the Big Slough. After a cozy winter in the surveyor's house (what luck!) they stake a claim to their 40 acres and move into the claim shanty to win their bet with the government. Three stars, and onto the Long Winter! BRRR.
Pa Ingalls, you are a starry-eyed optimist. Always looking on the bright side. Grasshoppers destroy your wheat? No problem. Holes worn through your boots? No problem. Deadly blizzards nearly kill you? Still no problem.
How Caroline Ingalls kept from choking this man to death is beyond me. And she moved AGAIN when she didn't want to. Also, a baby pops up out of nowhere with barely a mention. However, this is one of my favorite books in the series because I fell in love with the idea of living in a dugout. In fact, I would go move into one right now. That's right, I'm a prairie gal. Sue me. I was sad when they moved into the real house. Plus, this book kills me because of everyone in this series, I love Jack the most.
To this day, I am terrified of a grasshopper plague and have thought through …
Pa Ingalls, you are a starry-eyed optimist. Always looking on the bright side. Grasshoppers destroy your wheat? No problem. Holes worn through your boots? No problem. Deadly blizzards nearly kill you? Still no problem.
How Caroline Ingalls kept from choking this man to death is beyond me. And she moved AGAIN when she didn't want to. Also, a baby pops up out of nowhere with barely a mention. However, this is one of my favorite books in the series because I fell in love with the idea of living in a dugout. In fact, I would go move into one right now. That's right, I'm a prairie gal. Sue me. I was sad when they moved into the real house. Plus, this book kills me because of everyone in this series, I love Jack the most.
To this day, I am terrified of a grasshopper plague and have thought through what I would do. Burn them. Burn them with fire. Thanks, Laura. 4 stars.
