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Farmer Boy Goes West: A Little House Chapter Book About Family and Making Friends for Children (Ages 8-12)
Almanzo Wilder is going west! He and his family are moving all the way from their cozy farm in Malone, New York, to the bustling town of Spring Valley, Minnesota. Almanzo can’t wait to explore, but life in Spring Valley isn’t what he expected. The Wilders have to stay with relatives in a small, cramped house where Almanzo’s aunt Martha is cold and unfriendly. Almanzo longs for the freedom he had back home, and he especially misses his horse, Starlight. Even as he makes new friends at school and helps his father pick a plot of land for the family to settle on, Almanzo can’t help but wonder: Is Minnesota the right place for the Wilders? Or do they belong in New York?
First introduced in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic Little House book Farmer Boy, Almanzo Wilder’s adventures continue in Farmer Boy Goes West.
First introduced in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic Little House book Farmer Boy, Almanzo Wilder’s adventures continue in Farmer Boy Goes West.
311 pages, Hardcover
First published February 14, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
April 28, 2020
It’s a fitting and nice continuation of Almanzo Wilder’s childhood days as written in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Farmer Boy, but yet at the same time it feels like a replay of Farmer Boy as it didn’t add anything new to Almanzo’s story. We know he likes horses, food, and farming, and he dislikes school and Eliza Jane. I especially felt this sameness in the first 2/3 of the book.
Then there is a turning point when Almanzo himself even realizes that he has changed: “He felt as if he had stepped over a line he hadn’t known was there, from being a boy into being a man.” (p. 217) The last 1/3 of the story really exemplifies Almanzo’s thoughtful nature, sound moral character, and practical reasoning as he moves from boyhood to manhood, and this latter part of the book made the story for me.
I appreciated the author’s note at the end separating fact from fiction, and offering the reasoning behind various parts of the storyline. What started out as a rather ordinary read turned into a gratifying coming-of-age story that I would recommend to true fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder as it helps fuel your imagination to fill in the gap between Almanzo’s childhood days and his eventual courting and marriage with Laura.
Then there is a turning point when Almanzo himself even realizes that he has changed: “He felt as if he had stepped over a line he hadn’t known was there, from being a boy into being a man.” (p. 217) The last 1/3 of the story really exemplifies Almanzo’s thoughtful nature, sound moral character, and practical reasoning as he moves from boyhood to manhood, and this latter part of the book made the story for me.
I appreciated the author’s note at the end separating fact from fiction, and offering the reasoning behind various parts of the storyline. What started out as a rather ordinary read turned into a gratifying coming-of-age story that I would recommend to true fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder as it helps fuel your imagination to fill in the gap between Almanzo’s childhood days and his eventual courting and marriage with Laura.
March 22, 2020
Alas, this was a miss for me. I will say my seven-year-old son enjoyed it, but for me it fell well short of the original. I think partly because the writing felt uninspired and partly because the events Williams chose to highlight just would not have been my choices and, for me, do not reflect what makes “Farmer Boy” so special.
Much of what my son and I (and I think many readers) love about LIW’s “Farmer Boy” is that we really get to experience what it was like to BE a farmer boy. We are in Almanzo’s shoes during the daily and seasonal changes and work on a farm. The details make it come alive. We are there, planting or harvesting or shivering or sweating, through the ups and downs, all along the way. In “Farmer Boy Goes West” the Wilders take over a barely-worked farm and are almost starting from scratch in Minnesota – there is a whole house and barn to be built, new crops to sow, etc. etc. and yet these things are covered in merely a few sentences. No, no! That is what I wanted the focus to be. Instead, we get something like “Almanzo went home from school and did his chores around the farm” and… that’s it. *What* was Almanzo doing on the farm!? The building of the new house and barn take up just a few paragraphs but, we have two chapters (yes, two chapters) about a basket social at the school and whether or not Almanzo is going to be able to figure out which basket belongs to Catherine (the fictional and utterly cliché empty-headed beauty all the boys are besotted with) and muster the courage to bid on it. I get that Catherine is the foil for the eventual Laura relationship, and Almanzo does come to his senses and realize she is not worth pursuing, but I didn’t want to see Almanzo in school or dealing with girl drama. I feel like Williams took just a few key points from “Farmer Boy” (Almanzo’s love of horses, or how much he enjoys food) and tried to make it work yet I didn’t feel at all that this was Almanzo Wilder at all. Moreover, the writing feels young but Almanzo is fourteen to sixteen years old in this book and I felt like he just seemed far too "young" for what a teenager in his day and age would have been doing or thinking. It just doesn’t quite work. Also, if you read the Author’s Note, most of the events are pure conjecture so I wish she had made the focus different.
I know there are many favorable reviews of this book but for me, it was a huge yawn. That said, it held my son’s attention and he asked for multiple chapters at a time.
Much of what my son and I (and I think many readers) love about LIW’s “Farmer Boy” is that we really get to experience what it was like to BE a farmer boy. We are in Almanzo’s shoes during the daily and seasonal changes and work on a farm. The details make it come alive. We are there, planting or harvesting or shivering or sweating, through the ups and downs, all along the way. In “Farmer Boy Goes West” the Wilders take over a barely-worked farm and are almost starting from scratch in Minnesota – there is a whole house and barn to be built, new crops to sow, etc. etc. and yet these things are covered in merely a few sentences. No, no! That is what I wanted the focus to be. Instead, we get something like “Almanzo went home from school and did his chores around the farm” and… that’s it. *What* was Almanzo doing on the farm!? The building of the new house and barn take up just a few paragraphs but, we have two chapters (yes, two chapters) about a basket social at the school and whether or not Almanzo is going to be able to figure out which basket belongs to Catherine (the fictional and utterly cliché empty-headed beauty all the boys are besotted with) and muster the courage to bid on it. I get that Catherine is the foil for the eventual Laura relationship, and Almanzo does come to his senses and realize she is not worth pursuing, but I didn’t want to see Almanzo in school or dealing with girl drama. I feel like Williams took just a few key points from “Farmer Boy” (Almanzo’s love of horses, or how much he enjoys food) and tried to make it work yet I didn’t feel at all that this was Almanzo Wilder at all. Moreover, the writing feels young but Almanzo is fourteen to sixteen years old in this book and I felt like he just seemed far too "young" for what a teenager in his day and age would have been doing or thinking. It just doesn’t quite work. Also, if you read the Author’s Note, most of the events are pure conjecture so I wish she had made the focus different.
I know there are many favorable reviews of this book but for me, it was a huge yawn. That said, it held my son’s attention and he asked for multiple chapters at a time.
July 1, 2012
Review with pictures.
Today I picked up Farmer Boy Goes West from the library. The book is written by Heather Williams, which is the pen name of Tui Sutherland. Are you wondering why an author might use a pen name? In this case, one of the reasons is so that the book will show up on the book store shelf next to the rest of the Little House Books. The Little House Books are one of my favorite series of books. In fact, I have all of them in Hardback as well as other books that have been written as follow ups to the original series.
Farmer Boy Goes West is a sequel to Farmer Boy and follows the further adventures of Almanzo as his family moves to Minnesota. The story is well researched and based on actual facts about the family. The author did make a few changes to The actual story line, but no more than Laura did in here original books. I like the fact that at the end of the book, the author details the changes that she made.
I will not go into the details of the story, as I hope that many of you will read the story for yourself.
While reading the story and writing this review, I thought about why I like the Little House series. The underlying reason today, is that I can gain insight into my own ancestors lives by reading these stories. Why they migrated across the country and how they dealt with challenges in their lives. I catch a glimpse into their everyday life and the items they would use on a daily basis.
The Wilder family came from upper New York near the Canadian border. My Hotchkiss and Darling ancestors lived about 120 miles West of Malone where Farmer Boy took place. My Braman ancestors moved from New York to Wisconsin and lived in the same township as the parents of Caroline or Ma.
The one thing that I miss from this book is that it is not illustrated. One of the things that I love about the Little House books are the great illustrations by Garth Williams.
I will most likely order a copy of this book to add to my collection. It will be nice to have it available the next time I get the itch to read though the complete Little House story.
Steven
Today I picked up Farmer Boy Goes West from the library. The book is written by Heather Williams, which is the pen name of Tui Sutherland. Are you wondering why an author might use a pen name? In this case, one of the reasons is so that the book will show up on the book store shelf next to the rest of the Little House Books. The Little House Books are one of my favorite series of books. In fact, I have all of them in Hardback as well as other books that have been written as follow ups to the original series.
Farmer Boy Goes West is a sequel to Farmer Boy and follows the further adventures of Almanzo as his family moves to Minnesota. The story is well researched and based on actual facts about the family. The author did make a few changes to The actual story line, but no more than Laura did in here original books. I like the fact that at the end of the book, the author details the changes that she made.
I will not go into the details of the story, as I hope that many of you will read the story for yourself.
While reading the story and writing this review, I thought about why I like the Little House series. The underlying reason today, is that I can gain insight into my own ancestors lives by reading these stories. Why they migrated across the country and how they dealt with challenges in their lives. I catch a glimpse into their everyday life and the items they would use on a daily basis.
The Wilder family came from upper New York near the Canadian border. My Hotchkiss and Darling ancestors lived about 120 miles West of Malone where Farmer Boy took place. My Braman ancestors moved from New York to Wisconsin and lived in the same township as the parents of Caroline or Ma.
The one thing that I miss from this book is that it is not illustrated. One of the things that I love about the Little House books are the great illustrations by Garth Williams.
I will most likely order a copy of this book to add to my collection. It will be nice to have it available the next time I get the itch to read though the complete Little House story.
Steven
December 29, 2023
Rating this 5 stars on behalf of my 4 year old, who made me wait for 24 hours to read the last page because he didn’t want it to end, then asked me to start immediately over at the beginning again. ❤️
This sequel was not written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but did a great job of elaborating on the same personalities and writing style from the original. There were excellent stories about seeing someone for what’s inside, not their appearance. There were just one or two places I had to skim over in my read aloud (i.e. I think Native Americans were referred to as “heathens,” which was really not necessary especially for a book published in 2012, and there’s a chapter about someone passing away that I summarized rather than reading out loud in detail). Otherwise it was a great continuation of Farmer Boy for any fan.
This sequel was not written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but did a great job of elaborating on the same personalities and writing style from the original. There were excellent stories about seeing someone for what’s inside, not their appearance. There were just one or two places I had to skim over in my read aloud (i.e. I think Native Americans were referred to as “heathens,” which was really not necessary especially for a book published in 2012, and there’s a chapter about someone passing away that I summarized rather than reading out loud in detail). Otherwise it was a great continuation of Farmer Boy for any fan.
July 19, 2014
Farmer Boy Goes West is a superb addition to the Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House legacy. Meant to serve as a sequel to Wilder’s Farmer Boy, this story of a teenage Almanzo going West captures all the excitement and adventure of the original Little House books, while providing some insight into the man Laura Ingalls would eventually marry.
A healthy blend of fact and fiction, Williams captures the essence of the original Little House books, while maintaining an air of her own style. The events in this book are condensed to two years instead of the five years it actually took for the Wilders to make their move from New York to Minnesota. She also took liberties with some of the historical characters. I don’t feel that had a negative impact on the story, but those who are sticklers for facts might have an issue with it. I’m hoping not, since this is a truly delightful story. The only thing that really made me stop for a second came in the second chapter, when it said, “One day in January, soon after Almanzo’s fourteenth birthday…” Almanzo’s birthday is in February. While Wilder did play around with the Wilder siblings’ birthdays in Farmer Boy–making Almanzo closer in age to his older brother and sister–as far as I recall, she didn’t change the month Almanzo was born.
As with any great story, things aren’t always easy. Almanzo ends up having to attend a new school in Minnesota. He has to make new friends. He misses Starlight and Royal, maybe even his bossy older sister, Eliza Jane. He likes a girl at school, but is shy and has no idea how to get to know her. His Aunt Martha isn’t very happy about jamming the Wilders into their tiny home.
There are also some neat surprises and interesting historical characters added in, but you won’t know what or who those are unless you read the book.
I’m thrilled to add Farmer Boy Goes West to my Little House collection.
A healthy blend of fact and fiction, Williams captures the essence of the original Little House books, while maintaining an air of her own style. The events in this book are condensed to two years instead of the five years it actually took for the Wilders to make their move from New York to Minnesota. She also took liberties with some of the historical characters. I don’t feel that had a negative impact on the story, but those who are sticklers for facts might have an issue with it. I’m hoping not, since this is a truly delightful story. The only thing that really made me stop for a second came in the second chapter, when it said, “One day in January, soon after Almanzo’s fourteenth birthday…” Almanzo’s birthday is in February. While Wilder did play around with the Wilder siblings’ birthdays in Farmer Boy–making Almanzo closer in age to his older brother and sister–as far as I recall, she didn’t change the month Almanzo was born.
As with any great story, things aren’t always easy. Almanzo ends up having to attend a new school in Minnesota. He has to make new friends. He misses Starlight and Royal, maybe even his bossy older sister, Eliza Jane. He likes a girl at school, but is shy and has no idea how to get to know her. His Aunt Martha isn’t very happy about jamming the Wilders into their tiny home.
There are also some neat surprises and interesting historical characters added in, but you won’t know what or who those are unless you read the book.
I’m thrilled to add Farmer Boy Goes West to my Little House collection.
June 13, 2019
I loved this new sequel to Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Farmer Boy." It was written in a very similar style, complete with mouthwatering descriptions of food that made my stomach growl (this is my most vivid take-away from the original Farmer Boy, as well)!
It fills in Almanzo's story, from Malone, New York, to Spring Valley, Minnesota, and ends as a neat segue to Almanzo's appearance in Laura's life story (as told in Little Town, Long Winter, Golden Years, etc.). I loved the tidbit about Almanzo's name (where it originated and why he had been named such)! The author also included a historical note at the back, explaining some of the known history of the Wilder family as well as some of the changes/additions she made to their story and why.
I thought the author did a superb job keeping up with the spirit of Laura's books. I am not in the least disappointed in this continuation of the Little House saga. This is definitely a book to add to one's Little House collection.
Note: it does explore some mild boy/girl interest. There's a basket social and the boys are trying to guess which basket was made by the girl they were "sweet on." There's no kissing or anything inappropriate.
Almanzo spends a lot of time thinking about a pretty girl at school.
It fills in Almanzo's story, from Malone, New York, to Spring Valley, Minnesota, and ends as a neat segue to Almanzo's appearance in Laura's life story (as told in Little Town, Long Winter, Golden Years, etc.). I loved the tidbit about Almanzo's name (where it originated and why he had been named such)! The author also included a historical note at the back, explaining some of the known history of the Wilder family as well as some of the changes/additions she made to their story and why.
I thought the author did a superb job keeping up with the spirit of Laura's books. I am not in the least disappointed in this continuation of the Little House saga. This is definitely a book to add to one's Little House collection.
Note: it does explore some mild boy/girl interest. There's a basket social and the boys are trying to guess which basket was made by the girl they were "sweet on." There's no kissing or anything inappropriate.
Almanzo spends a lot of time thinking about a pretty girl at school.
January 17, 2017
We really enjoyed this additional look into Almanzo's life. It was well written, Ms. Williams did a good job. It gives a little bit of insight into some of the years that are missing from the time Farmer Boy leaves off until we see Almanzo again in Little Town on the Prairie.
July 16, 2024
This continuation/sequel to Farmer Boy tells of Almanzo's teen years in Minnesota, telling the story of how he ended up in the position to meet and marry Laura Ingalls.
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This book is incredibly well-researched, pulling in events and people from Almanzo's real life in Minnesota. I even learned that there was an adorable little caboose named Perley born to the Wilder family 12 years after Almanzo was born.
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I really enjoyed this one!
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This book is incredibly well-researched, pulling in events and people from Almanzo's real life in Minnesota. I even learned that there was an adorable little caboose named Perley born to the Wilder family 12 years after Almanzo was born.
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I really enjoyed this one!
August 8, 2017
For lovers of Farmer Boy, this is a great sequel!
December 2, 2019
A thoroughly enjoyable romp to Spring Valley, MN from Malone. If you liked Farmer Boy, you'll enjoy this one.
July 17, 2025
My daughter, who is a huge fan of Little House series, loved this book!
October 2, 2018
This fictionalized continuation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's 'Farmer Boy' follows the life of Wilder's eventual husband Almanzo in his early teens, as his family decides to leave New York for Minnesota. Leaving Royal and Eliza Jane in NY to run the farm, Almanzo, Alice, his parents, and their new baby boy Perley, go to Minnesota to join Almanzo's Uncle George and his frosty wife Martha. Almanzo's life doesn't actually change all that much, though he always misses his colt Starlight, left in NY. Almanzo and Alice start going to the local school, which is quite large for the time, and continue their lives as farmers living close to town. Some stories in this episodic recounting are tragic, when a death occurs, but most are just life in 19th century Minnesota, with basket socials, Christmas gifts, and a visit from a cousin who has grown up in India. There are even hints of romance for Almanzo and Alice, though in Almanzo's case, his love of horses gets in his way!
I enjoyed this, if not quite as much as Farmer Boy, which I read as a child. Williams (who is actually Tui Sutherland!) has done a lot of research into the Wilders' lives, and has adapted their story for this book much as Wilder adapted the first book--the ages of the Wilder children have been compressed, the eldest sister is left out entirely (her name was also Laura), and their time in Minnesota has also been compressed. I enjoyed the episodes about life at the time, though as must necessarily be the case in a book aimed at elementary level kids, Almanzo doesn't come across as the 15 year old he becomes in the last several chapters. At 15, Laura Ingalls was teaching school herself! Still, an enjoyable story--I missed having some Garth Williams illustrations!
I enjoyed this, if not quite as much as Farmer Boy, which I read as a child. Williams (who is actually Tui Sutherland!) has done a lot of research into the Wilders' lives, and has adapted their story for this book much as Wilder adapted the first book--the ages of the Wilder children have been compressed, the eldest sister is left out entirely (her name was also Laura), and their time in Minnesota has also been compressed. I enjoyed the episodes about life at the time, though as must necessarily be the case in a book aimed at elementary level kids, Almanzo doesn't come across as the 15 year old he becomes in the last several chapters. At 15, Laura Ingalls was teaching school herself! Still, an enjoyable story--I missed having some Garth Williams illustrations!
August 16, 2012
Almanzo is thirteen when his parents decide to travel from New York state to Minnesota to visit relatives and see if they would like to move out west. They travel by train taking Almanzo and Alice and baby Perley with them, leaving Royal and Eliza Jane at home to mind the farm. Almanzo loves the idea, except that he has to leave his horse, Starlight, behind. Spring Valley is much larger and more civilized than he expected, including an imposing school with many rooms for the different grades.
I have not been very happy with most of the books continuing the story of the Ingalls and the Wilders, but this one is an exception. It is very well done, and in notes at the end, the author (who helped write the Erin Hunter WARRIORS series, and has written WINGS OF FIRE under her own name Tui T. Sutherland) clearly explains what is true history, and what added to make the story more interesting. And interesting it is, form the descriptions of Pullman cars on trains to Almanzo's first crush. A worthwhile read.
I have not been very happy with most of the books continuing the story of the Ingalls and the Wilders, but this one is an exception. It is very well done, and in notes at the end, the author (who helped write the Erin Hunter WARRIORS series, and has written WINGS OF FIRE under her own name Tui T. Sutherland) clearly explains what is true history, and what added to make the story more interesting. And interesting it is, form the descriptions of Pullman cars on trains to Almanzo's first crush. A worthwhile read.
June 24, 2013
Carefully thought out and well-written, this fills in the time from Farmer Boy (ages 9-10) until Almanzo is about 13. In reality, this covers until he was about 16, though, as the author notes in the epilogue that she condensed what had been 5 years of visiting and then moving the whole family into 2 years. He's in his 20's when he meets Laura, if I recall, so there's still a lot of room!
The author notes her sources and which liberties she takes with real v. fictional people and timelines. It's a very nice addition to the series and highly enjoyed by my two kids.
The author notes her sources and which liberties she takes with real v. fictional people and timelines. It's a very nice addition to the series and highly enjoyed by my two kids.
May 10, 2012
In the tradition of fan fiction, this is a continuation of the Little House on the Prairie saga. The reader should realize this is not a true depiction of Almanzo’s life, even though he was a real person. Also, the style and voice are not true to the original Little House series. roughout the novel, the author shows Almanzo’s love for his family, for farming, and for horses. Many children will love this sweet story.
March 29, 2016
A cute book, it gives some more of the backstory of the childhood of Almanzo Wilder. The author did a good job taking the history of the actual family and fitting it to mesh with the books Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote of her and Almanzo's lives. While not a part of the original series I enjoyed reading a bit more about Wilder family and how they came to move to Spring Valley, Minnesota. I recommend it for people who enjoyed the original series.
April 11, 2013
I saw this somewhere and was curious to see if I'd like it. (I didn't particularly enjoy the books written about Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother--they were too simplistic for me.) I was also curious to learn more about Almonzo's life because I have always loved "Farmer Boy." I found this book enjoyable--not fabulous but very interesting. I think any child who enjoys Farmer Boy would enjoy this...
February 19, 2016
Heather Williams really manages to capture the original tone and feel of the Little House books and I could have convinced myself easily that this was from the original set except for one major point - Almanzo us supposed to be mid teens here and yet comes across as a ten year old or younger. When compared to what Laura was doing at the same age this feels very odd but forgetting this point was easy and the book read very well.
October 29, 2016
I love Laura Ingalls Wilder, and haven't always had good experiences with other authors expanding on well-known stories. But this was a good sequel to Farmer Boy! I caught some of the allusions to the Little House series, and the author explains her process of deciding what to include in the story, showing all the liberties she took with facts. And the style was close enough to Wilder's that it wasn't jarring. Well done!
November 1, 2012
I was excited to find this book at the library, when I was helping my daughter find some books to read, and I really enjoyed it. I think the author stayed true to the characters and did well with her research and getting the facts straight. I recommend this book to any fan of the Little House series.
October 22, 2013
So really, I think I'd give this a 3.5, but Erin said she'd give it a 4.5, so I averaged it out. It was a nice imagination of the years between Farmer Boy and when Almanzo comes to De Smet. At the end, the author points out which parts were actual history and which were creative additions, but I thought she did a good job of trying to tie it all in to where Almanzo ends up later on in life.
August 30, 2015
In some ways the Almanzo came off flat and dull in this book (his only interests seem to be horses and food, in that order), but it actually is a well-written and engaging novel. I'd definitely recommend it to my students, as it is probably one of the best of the "extended LIW universe" novels I've come across. It might not be 5-star material, but it's charming and enjoyable.
April 2, 2015
This really fits in well with the original series! And a great addition especially for boys who want to know how people lived, building a new town from a wilderness. I think this story makes Almanzo very human and gives a good background for the man he becomes later.
July 22, 2013
The boys and I really enjoyed this book. We loved Almanzo Wilder so much in Farmer Boy that we were thrilled to see that another author had written a little more of his story. I thought that the author stayed true to the Little House series.
January 5, 2013
Although only very loosely based on real life, Farmer Boy Goes West fits in very well with the rest of the Little House series.
August 30, 2013
I loved this book! I would recommend it to all the Little House fans out there. Laura herself would be pleased with this book!
May 15, 2016
as an LHOP fan this was a nice sequel to Farmer Boy. Easy read, nice to read good life lessons.
February 8, 2018
Cute addition to the Laura Ingalls Wilder books that were my favorite series as a kid. The author did a good job making the characters similar to the way they were in Farmer Boy.
June 6, 2024
Woohoo, this lovely sequel to Farmer Boy was first published back in 2012 and I only recently found about it. Seeing its cover and blurb pop up on the internet transported me back to a day in my school library when I first discovered the original Farmer Boy. I was about 11 and I'd read the Little House series through to These Happy Golden Years but had no idea Laura had written a book about Almanzo's childhood. All these years later, the delight of discovery was exactly the same. I found an online copy of Farmer Boy Goes West from Internet Archive to borrow and got stuck straight into it.
This story takes Almanzo through his mid teens. His parents decide to travel west to visit Uncle George and Aunt Martha at Spring Valley, Minnesota, with a view to settling down there. Royal and Eliza Jane agree to stay home at Malone and mind the farm, but Alice and Almanzo are privileged to experience the new vistas. They also have Perley, the surprise baby brother who was born 12 years after Almanzo.
Williams' portrayal of Almanzo is consistent with the modest, compassionate and courteous boy we already know him to be. His two great passions, horses and food, still take top place, but he also develops his first crush on a girl, the beautiful Catherine, who is a fictional foil to Laura. Catherine highly values her own traditional beauty, isn't intellectually bright, and hates horses. Williams writes in her Afterword that she loves Almanzo, and adds, 'But who doesn't?' Indeed, he's pretty unique in literature. He never shared the writing ambitions of his wife and daughter, yet achieved vicarious fame simply for being his tranquil, hard-working self.
I love James and Angeline, the Wilder parents, just as I did in Farmer Boy. She's still one of my great role models for running a household with grace and panache. Almanzo's favourite sister, Alice, is her sweet, smart self, sharing a great rapport with him. In this novel, her future husband, Albert Baldwin, is introduced as a fellow, spirited school student.
Poor Eliza Jane still gets a poor profile, which I can't help wondering at this stage is more traditional than deserved. Whenever Royal is in the picture, he delivers some excellent lines. And we meet the witty cousin Willy Wilder, who lived in India with his parents for a period of time. Holding it all together, of course, is the admirable teenager Almanzo, whose headspace is ideal to view all the others from.
The story begins when he's almost 14, and by the end he's nudging 16, which is getting far closer to that brave19-year-old we meet in De Smet, who decides to dash between the blizzards for the life-saving wheat. Heather Williams has filled in the great time gap which was left by Laura Ingalls Wilder between Farmer Boy and The Long Winter which is a fantastic favour for all of us Little House fans.
She's done all the research and clearly knows Laura's stories well. I like it when James and Angeline discuss whether or not to relocate. She says, 'Better to be safe than sorry,' to which he responds, 'Be sure you're right, then go ahead.' Remember that feed store scene from The Long Winter, when Almanzo and Royal throw those very same lines at each other, drawing from their parents' favourite catchlines? Brilliant, subtle nod to canon.
I love everything about this book, but I think my favourite chapters are about the basket social, highlighting Almanzo's gentlemanly nature. What awkward fun.
This story takes Almanzo through his mid teens. His parents decide to travel west to visit Uncle George and Aunt Martha at Spring Valley, Minnesota, with a view to settling down there. Royal and Eliza Jane agree to stay home at Malone and mind the farm, but Alice and Almanzo are privileged to experience the new vistas. They also have Perley, the surprise baby brother who was born 12 years after Almanzo.
Williams' portrayal of Almanzo is consistent with the modest, compassionate and courteous boy we already know him to be. His two great passions, horses and food, still take top place, but he also develops his first crush on a girl, the beautiful Catherine, who is a fictional foil to Laura. Catherine highly values her own traditional beauty, isn't intellectually bright, and hates horses. Williams writes in her Afterword that she loves Almanzo, and adds, 'But who doesn't?' Indeed, he's pretty unique in literature. He never shared the writing ambitions of his wife and daughter, yet achieved vicarious fame simply for being his tranquil, hard-working self.
I love James and Angeline, the Wilder parents, just as I did in Farmer Boy. She's still one of my great role models for running a household with grace and panache. Almanzo's favourite sister, Alice, is her sweet, smart self, sharing a great rapport with him. In this novel, her future husband, Albert Baldwin, is introduced as a fellow, spirited school student.
Poor Eliza Jane still gets a poor profile, which I can't help wondering at this stage is more traditional than deserved. Whenever Royal is in the picture, he delivers some excellent lines. And we meet the witty cousin Willy Wilder, who lived in India with his parents for a period of time. Holding it all together, of course, is the admirable teenager Almanzo, whose headspace is ideal to view all the others from.
The story begins when he's almost 14, and by the end he's nudging 16, which is getting far closer to that brave19-year-old we meet in De Smet, who decides to dash between the blizzards for the life-saving wheat. Heather Williams has filled in the great time gap which was left by Laura Ingalls Wilder between Farmer Boy and The Long Winter which is a fantastic favour for all of us Little House fans.
She's done all the research and clearly knows Laura's stories well. I like it when James and Angeline discuss whether or not to relocate. She says, 'Better to be safe than sorry,' to which he responds, 'Be sure you're right, then go ahead.' Remember that feed store scene from The Long Winter, when Almanzo and Royal throw those very same lines at each other, drawing from their parents' favourite catchlines? Brilliant, subtle nod to canon.
I love everything about this book, but I think my favourite chapters are about the basket social, highlighting Almanzo's gentlemanly nature. What awkward fun.
March 21, 2023
Continuing my lifelong ambition to read every Little House adjacent book ever published. This one was fine. The characters never felt inauthentic, only rather bland, the dialogue wasn't glaringly anachronistic , no one said anything that seemed wildly out of character, but what the book really lacked was the depth of description that really makes the Little House books stand out. When the POV is Almanzo there should be at least a whole chapter's worth of food description, minute details about the daily chores, and practically step by step instructions on how they built the cradle. I also never really felt like I was reading about Almanzo being any older than he was in the original Farmer Boy. He's fifteen in this book, but the writing is geared towards a younger audience and other than noticing girls now you don't really notice the change in maturity that you'd expect from a boy his age in a world where he's practically a man already.
All that being said, it's really fine. The chapter where they deal with a death in the family is particularly vividly written. I wish the whole book had been more like it.
All that being said, it's really fine. The chapter where they deal with a death in the family is particularly vividly written. I wish the whole book had been more like it.
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