About this title: The Ingalls family moves from Minnesota to the Dakota territory. Pa goes to work for the railroad and as a result Laura and Mary experience their first-ever train ride.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date Published: 1953
ISBN-13:9780060264161ISBN:0060264160
Description: Good in good dust jacket. Good, In good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 304 p. Contains: Illustrations. Ex-Library expected imperfections. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Scholastic
Date Published: 1967
ISBN-13:9780590014014ISBN:0590014013
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Good reading copy. Pages clean but yellowing; edge wear; cover has creases and a couple of tears repaired with clear tape. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. Audience: Children/juvenile. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harper & Row, Publishers, New York
Date Published: 1953
Description: Williams, garth. Good in Poor jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. The book is very solid with bright, unmarked pages. A sticker has been removed from the first end paper. A price is written on the second end paper. The dust jacket has moderate shelf wear & heavy edge wear. A 1 1/4 X 1 inch piece is missing from the bottom of the spine. read more
"In the "Little House the Prairie" Series, Laura Ingalls Wilder shares the story of her life, beginning in her early childhood and continuing through the early years of her married life. In "By the Shores of Silver Lake", Laura tells of their life in Dakota Territory when her Pa was working for the railway construction there. This was my least favorite book of the series because it has a rougher theme than the others."
"On page 2, Mary goes blind. On page 12, the dog dies. It's not much uphill after that.
This is is the Azkaban of the "Little House" series, where it suddenly gets darker. Survival's always been an issue, but now there are horse thieves, hangings, the possibility of death... And while Wilder makes an effort to remind us of the fun they're all having, there's still that massive undercurrent of "We could all die, Laura's going to have to be a teacher, we hate and fear outsiders."
Interestingly, this is also the first book that's not rife with how-tos. Little House on the Prairie was about a third full of "Here's what you did to live on the frontier"; Laura's older now, she knows what to do. And that, too, is a loss.
Still, I adore this series. I see why it's still read to this day - and I can't say how I'd like this if it weren't part of a series. In the outside world, it might well be five stars. In the Little House series? It's four. But that's still pretty damn good."
"The only problem is that now I want to read all nine books.
I think I found this book so sweet and touching because Wilder doesn't try to gussy up any of the scenes or dramatize the emotions. Most of it is written in a strict, almost journalistic, tone, and everything from angry mobs to the death of their dog is told matter-of-factly. It heightens rather than dampens the emotions, and makes you respect the narrator even more. Although obviously written as an adult, the young Laura comes across as a preternaturally self-composed and intelligent child, who is open about her reactions and her viewpoint, and you can't help but admire her.
The book also, almost impossibly, makes living in a shack in North Dakota in the winter look exciting.
"Olivia: I liked the book because they see Almanzo. I like all of the book except that they gave away Pet and Patty.
Chloe: At the beginning it was a bit sad because Mary gets blind. And at the beginning she can't even see the brightest light because they got scarlett fever. Grace is a little girl who is a baby, Ma gets a new baby. I didn't like when Jaxk passed away."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.