A Little House of Their Own by Celia Wilkins

Little House: The Caroline Years #7

by Celia Wilkins

The Little House books have captivated millions of readers with their story of Laura Ingalls, a pioneer girl growing up on the Americanfrontier. Now travel back to the generation before Laura's and read the story of Caroline Quiner, the girl who would grow up to be Ma Ingalls in the beloved Little House books. After earning her teaching certificate in Milwaukee, seventeen-year-old Caroline returns to Concord, Wisconsin, to live with her family and teach. She is delighted to repay Mother and Pa for sending her to college, and she enjoys the lively challenge of helping her students learn.Then Caroline runs into her fiddle-playing neighbor Charles Ingalls. He's full of plans to head west as soon as possible. As their friendship turns to courtship, Caroline realizes that she has a difficult decision ahead of her -- and a choice that may mean leaving behind her family and everything else she's ever known. A Little House of Their Own is the seventh and final book in The Caroline Years, a series about another girl from America's favorite pioneer family.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Romance, Classics

Paperback

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, boy. Where to start? What I write here will be somewhat of a rant.

As I have mentioned before, I am reading/re-reading the Little House books this year (see the review/comments of Beyond the Heather Hills and Across the Puddingstone Dam). I decided to write something after each series. But with the Caroline series I decided to write something in the middle and at the end as there are 2 different authors telling Caroline's tale (see the review of On Top of Concord Hill).

I will start by saying how much I really, REALLY enjoyed Maria D. Wilkes' Caroline books. I was so satisfied with the stories they told and how they were written. The final 3 books by Celia Wilkins? Well, that is a different story.

Across the Rolling River was an OK start. I wasn't fond of the person she was turning Caroline Quiner into, but I dealt with it. I figured she would become more likeable as she grew up. And the book was just a book. Nothing too special to write about except for the fact that it introduced Charles Ingalls. But it was OK enough to give 3 stars.

I really was looking forward to the last 2, though. I will start with Little City by the Lake first. As I am a Milwaukeean, this book was the one that I was looking most forward to. Boy, was it a disappointment! And on so many levels. The only reason I gave it 2 stars was because of the historical facts that were included. But then again, were they THAT necessary? Since I know enough about my city's history to know that these things did occur (i.e. the runanway slave Joshua Glover and the abolitionist Sherman Booth), it was interesting to see them included in this book. And while I understand it is somewhat necessary to include some historical aspects to get a "feel" for the times in which the story takes place, was it really necessary to be that specific and mention so much? Honestly, unless you are from here, will you care THAT much when you read the story? Oh, and there was something slightly wrong about a couple of street names, but I won't get into that. I won't be that picky in this review. :) Anyway, I decided that by this book I completely dislike Caroline Quiner. Why?
*While going to a big city was vastly different than living in tiny Concord, it was ridiculous to feel the way that she did when she lived in Milwaukee as long as she did. I got tired of the negativity written about the city. I got tired of criticsm of the city. Believe me when I say that Concord, Wisconsin is nothing to praise about!
*This is her opportunity to live on her own and do things that she will most likely never do again. She should've stopped thinking about her family and whether or not her righteous mother would approve (I'll say one more thing about that in a second). That was SO annoying.
*She supposedly becomes friendly with this James guy. And there are hints of a romantic interest. At least I thought so. At least on his part if not hers. And then, just like that, it is done. I believe the last we hear of him is when he is in her uncle's print shop and that is it. Why even mention him at all if it wasn't going to lead to a conclusion? All it does is leave me to think "You could've had a well-to-do man and you ended up with a farmer?". I'll get into that in a second, too. And yeah, yeah, yeah, his family didn't approve of her but he didn't care what his family thought. After all, he dared to do rebel and go sit in her uncle's print shop. Shocking! And really, was it necessary to write that when they never were really connected romantically?
I did not like the way the story went or how Caroline was written. And I didn't like some of the negative aspects of the story towards Milwaukee.

Charlotte Tucker. When did she become so righteous? She wasn't that way as a kid. Her mother (Martha) didn't seem to be that way. She didn't seem to be that way in the first half of the Caroline series. But when she got to the second half, she made my skin crawl. It was ridiculous how Caroline constantly worried about how her mother would disapprove of her doing this and that. I just wanted to scream "First of all, Caroline, if your mother knew of the harmless things you were doing and she still disapproved, what kind of a weirdo would she be? Second, your mother isn't here. So just shut up and enjoy yourself!". Imagine if Caroline happened to even hum a tune softly on a Sunday! I bet Charlotte would think God was going to strike her down right then and there! At least the Charlotte of the second part of the series would think it!

Now, onto A Little House of Their Own and Charles Ingalls. I was really looking forward to this one. Why I gave it 2 stars, I have NO idea!! I wanted to read about Charles' courtship of Caroline, their marriage (they did marry in Concord - which is why I thought it would be written here) and the start of their life together. The title is very deceiving! The whole book basically focuses on her teaching, which I kind of don't care about at this point. So she hung out with Charles and his family and her family. Where was the courtship? Where were the moments when you knew they were interested in each other? Yes, there were hints about him. And she magically comes to this conclusion that she loves him. I don't buy it. It happens too fast. It really does. If they wanted to write about her teaching, that should've been a separate book. This one should've been about their courtship. I don't see how hanging out together with friends leads him to propose marriage. Maybe I am just stupid, but I don't get it. There was a great opportunity here to explain why she'd want the farmer instead of a nice city boy, but nothing was mentioned. There was an opportunity here to see their relationship really grow. It never happened. There was an opportunity to tell of a wedding and the start of the rest of their lives together but there was none of that. Why not?

I can't say Wilkins would've redeemed herself after the Milwaukee book but I maybe would've been a little satisfied with the ending to this series and I wasn't. Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that I have the entire Little House collection (along with MANY other non-storybook LH books), I disliked these last 2 books enough to get rid of them. But like I said, I need them for the collection.

What would I give these last three books? Well, I did give the first book 3 stars and the other two only 2 stars. But I think I would average it out to only 2 stars and that is because of the one 3 star book.

I can't help but wonder just how different (and better) those last 3 books would've been if Maria D. Wilkes had continued on with them. Such a shame she didn't write these.

Needless to say that when I begin the Little House reading again, I am VERY happy it will be with Little House in the Big Woods.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

A more appropriate title for this book would be Little Schoolhouse in the Woods, but anyone familiar with the Little House series already knows how things will turn out for the amorous couple on the cover, so it's a moot point. I liked how Wilkins aged the characters here, keeping them connected to the younger portrayals of them in the books by Wilkes but aligning them with their adult counterparts in the Little House books. Caroline/Ma is a quiet character, but Wilkins makes up for it by giving her a rich interior life, which is always my favorite thing.

This volume reminded me a lot of These Happy Golden Years, with its time in a one-room schoolhouse with a novice teacher. Yet, it didn't feel repetitive or derivative. While it's not as humorous as the portrayal in Anne of Avonlea, it a lot of heart, with Caroline helping a boy with little support in life, and her angst over students who fight and don't want to learn. Seeing her grow in opinions about issues like slavery is also interesting, since I can't recall slavery ever being discussed in Wilder's books. The topic remains far off for Caroline, but it's nice to see Charles respect her opinions and seek them out.

Overall, I really enjoyed a nostalgic sojourn into the Caroline books again. For me, the iterations of this series have never valorized the pioneer life. The books are honest about the hard labor and uncertainties of making a life on the frontier. I, for one, would not want to time travel into those days, because I love my indoor plumbing and air conditioning and blue jeans and voting rights. However, I think it's important to keep this history and make it accessible to young readers, and the Little House books (especially the spinoffs) do this with honesty and heart. When I started my re-read of the series, I was looking for reasons why Ma is terrified of indigenous peoples whose ancestral lands she inhabits. Wilkes and Wilkins largely stuck to positive portrayals of Native Americans, and only one negative instance sticks out, but it's never referred to again. Sadly, the Caroline books fail to reckon with this prejudiced aspect of Ma's character. I'm long overdue to read the Birchbark House series by Louise Erdrich, one of my favorite authors, which is a sort of Ojibwe answer to the problems raised by the Little House books. Nothing historical is easy or straightforward; context and nuance are necessary but very hard to accomplish. The Caroline books accomplish this with slavery, and even with the burgeoning struggle for women's rights. I wished they'd reckoned more with the conflict between Native Americans and pioneers. Yet, there are plenty of other books that do this well, which readers can seek out once their imaginations are taken with the rich world of Little House.

[Jaclyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

this feels rather formulaic, as it follows some very similar themes and plot lines as laura’s series. i liked this a lot as a kid, but it unfortunately doesn’t feel as authentically nostalgic or stand the test of time as well as the original books.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd be interested in reading all the other fake Little House books... although this one wasn't that great - there isn't that charm of Laura's writing in this telling.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood favorite ... I think I read it 12 or more times. :)

[Kristen Luppino · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great last book in the Caroline series. I have been anticipating this book for a while (it is really expensive!) And it did not disappoint. Laura's Ma as a young woman, such fun!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first. Very sweet.

[Caroline Ludden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read. Found all my Little House books while packing. Might re read all of them

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have fairly raced my way through these, since they’re quick and easy to read. This is the final book in this particular series, as the authors have stuck to the seven book phenomenon, which seems to be everywhere (Harry Potter, Narnia etc).

The final book finds Caroline at 17-18, with her first job at her own school, teaching previous classmates and having problems when the “big boys” come to school in the winter, after helping with the planting and harvesting. Sound familiar?

I found a great deal of similarities between this and These Happy Golden Years and the author has borrowed quite a lot from that book. What Caroline experiences with teaching is funnily enough, pretty much the same as what Laura experiences with her first teaching job. Although she doesn’t give it up for love, quite like Caroline does.

Of course, this is the pinnacle of Charles and Caroline’s relationship, but it also has the old way of boy meets girl, boy leaves girl after silly argument, boy comes back and proposes. Hmmmm, a very half hearted proposal I have to say from Charles. It was interesting to find out that they stayed in Concord for a while after marrying, and that Laura would be born in The Little House In The Big Woods - not my favourite book, as far as I can remember.

The blurb/cover is clearly there to reel you in, as the romance takes forever to build up and the majority of the book is dedicated to Caroline teaching. I also heartily disagree with the blurb stating that this brings the story right up to where Little House began - technically, it doesn’t. Unless you want to include the epilogue, which is more like an author’s note, and not quite like part of the story at all. It would have been better to have flash forwarded in time, to perhaps Caroline giving birth to Mary or Laura but it doesn’t. For me, the book ends with the couple in a little patch of clearing in the Big Woods, therefore, no Laura.

I was glad to see that the author’s note at the beginning had not been lifted directly from the previous books, and was instead a simple dedication. The author’s note that originally started in Maria D Wilkes’ books, was getting pretty tiresome to see at the beginning of each book, especially considering the author changes five books in!

My overall thoughts about this series is that it sticks to the formula that Laura started out with, all those years ago. Happy families, suffering through trying times, but always coming out on top. Was it a mistake to stick so closely to that formula and style of writing? Yes. There wasn’t enough story to spread over seven books and could have easily been condensed into four. Would this introduce new readers to the Little House phenomenon? Possibly. I think I will carry on to read the Rose series (at a later date) but I don’t think I will read any further back, to the Martha or Charlotte years. Caroline, Laura and Rose are the ones I grew up with, reading the original Little House books, so I will stick with them.

As a final point, I would recommend these, but I think the prices are utterly ridiculous. They vary in price completely, with the first book, being a completely different cover/format to the rest of the books, and ultimately being cheaper. The rest, I’ve had to grin and bear it, to try and get some of these books. I would recommend shopping around though, as some of the prices listed are nonsense.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Returned from college in Milwaukee, Caroline Quiner begins teaching school in her hometown in Concord. She loves it, but there are challenges, and a recurrent distraction in Charles Ingalls, who is back at home and seems intent on courting her. Caroline knows that if she marries, she will have to give up teaching, plus Charles wants to move west, and Caroline wants to stay put. How can she reconcile everything she wants?

This last of the Caroline books takes Caroline to her marriage to Charles, and offers lots of other information about her life that people probably didn't know. One thing that surprised me was that three Quiner sisters married Ingalls brothers--there weren't a lot of choices around at the time! I think kids will be most interested in Caroline's teaching episodes, though; the concept of a teacher the same age as her oldest pupils will probably boggle their minds. It boggles mine a bit, too--Caroline was teaching her best friend, who had to call her Miss Quiner! Anyway, sorry to see the end of the series, but now I can reread the original Little House books with all the background in place.

[Monty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love all the Little House books; they tell about part of America's history and they are sentimental, plus I learn something about cooking, farming, going through hard times, being a good person and more in every book. This is the last of a seven book series about Caroline, Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother. So far I've read the Martha Series (four books about Martha, Laura's great grandmother; all of these take place in Scotland); four books about Charlotte, Laura's grandmother (these take place mostly outside of Boston); one of eight books about Rose, Laura's daughter (she became a writer and motivated her mother to write the Little House books). There is another book I haven't read yet. It is by Heather Williams and is called Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls. Even though Nellie (a composite of three different characters from the Little House books) is a disagreeable character, she is presented in such a way that the reader gains some empathy for her.

[Samantha Bartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book on a bookshelf in my house, and thought it looked interesting. I thought, according to the title, the book was about Caroline and Charles as newlyweds, starting a new life together. But really, the title "A little house of their own" is not even apart of the story until the very last chapter.
This story is about 17 year old Caroline Quinner, who becomes a schoolteacher. That is the main story in this book. In fact, she doesn't even get engaged until the last chapter.
No Mather, this book was very sweet and simple. Only took me several hours, and I enjoyed it all. I was a little disappointed when I realized this was the last in the Caroline series, until I remembered the "sequel" to this story starts in a little house in the big woods.

[Sumi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of Caroline and Charles' courtship. A children's book, but still a read for those of us that have read the Little House books. I probably would have given it more stars if I'd been a child reading it, but as an adult I was probably expecting more than I ought to have expected. I also thought that the title made it sound as if more of the early days of their marriage would be the topic but it really was a case of 'The Events Leading Up to Getting A Little House of Their Own'

Nonetheless, it's a quick, pleasant read.

[Sadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final book in the Caroline series and I enjoyed seeing Caroline and Charles relationship develop. Another good book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Caroline book. :) Great read.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

We loved this series. Now on the Rose!

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this book had provided an account of Caroline and Charles’ wedding and documented their first few months as a married couple, it would have gotten five stars from me. I guess it would have been a very long book, although I do believe some parts could have been cut. I ultimately wish there to be another book in this series, documenting such events.

In A Little House of Their Own, Caroline returns to Concord after going to Milwaukee for college and starts teaching the summer term at Concord School. Martha and Charlie Carpenter are engaged. After two years, Caroline sees Charlie - now Charles - Ingalls at the Independence Day celebration in Concord. After so many years of knowing him, it is during this meeting that Caroline realizes how handsome and how blue Charles’ eyes are. During the fall school term, Caroline has a surprise meeting with Charles at Mr. Jayson’s store. Charles walks Caroline home and they have good conversation, in which Caroline feels comfortable as she can speak her mind without offending Charles. When Caroline and her brothers and sisters are invited to a cornhusking at Mr. Spivey’s house, Polly Ingalls receives a red ear of corn and kisses Henry on the cheek. Caroline recognizes a budding romance between her older brother and her best friend. Charles played the fiddle for most of the cornhusking, but did ask Caroline to save a few dances for him. Towards the end of the night, Caroline and Charles dance together. Caroline felt weightless during their dancing. A bad snow storm hits Concord and many do the young people at the cornhusking are snowed in and must stay over night in Mr. Spivey’s barn. The next morning the Ingallses and the Quiners slowly make their way home through the deep snow drifts. Another snowstorm begins and the Quiners stay at the Ingallses house to wait out the storm before returning home. For the rest of the winter, Caroline spent every Saturday skating and sledding with her friends and Charles. She begins to realize how much she enjoys his company. But she cannot understand Charles’ desires to go west, where the living conditions are harsh. In the spring, Charles begins to take Caroline for drives every Sunday after Church in a buggy. One spring afternoon, Charles shows Caroline a piece of the newspaper advertising free land in the Dakota Territory. He tells his plans of settling in Dakota Territory next spring and that he would send for her the following spring, if she wished to join him. Caroline does not want to go west and be away from her family and friends nor does she want to quit as a schoolteacher. Her and Charles say goodbye, for what Caroline believes to be the last time, and her heart is broken. But Caroline believes that their goodbye is also for the best, as they both want different things. In the summer, after a conversation with Mother, Caroline realizes that she does love Charles. While she can’t imagine a life where she isn’t a schoolteacher and she is away from her family and friends, she also can’t imagine a life without her love, Charles. Home is where the heart is, after all. Caroline is very surprised when Charles returns to Concord and takes Caroline for a drive to little clearing on his father’s land. He tells Caroline that his Pa had gifted him the land, as long as he will clear and work it. He tells Caroline he will build a little house in the cleaning for her, if she wishes. Caroline says yes and the book ends with their first kiss. I’m not sure if this kiss really happened, as I imagine it would have been seen as highly inappropriate?

One of my favourite parts of this book was when Caroline began to educate John Friday. It goes to show that a good teacher can inspire any child, even if they don’t have the best home life.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the seventh and last book in the Little House books Caroline series. As with the others this last book was better than the first due to already knowing the characters and being able to just enjoy the storyline and being 'there in the moment' with them. A simple but heartwarming easy read, perfect to help drift your mind into another time and place before you have to go to bed. Love these books!

In this book Caroline goes back to her home and becomes a school teacher and takes to it very well. Loving every moment of teaching and wanting to help all the children whether they were her age or just started school. She and Charles start spending more and more time together just 'as friends' until they both realize there is more to them than just friendship. At one point they say 'good bye' and go different directions and it's not until then that they both realize they do care and love one another. This is probably my favorite of the Caroline books although they all are very good!

When I saw where the later books in the Caroline series was written by a different author than the first few books I was dreading reading them since I had gotten to know the way the first author writes etc. But if you didn't pay attention you would never know a different one wrote these. It was wonderfully done!

[Anna M (readwithanna) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea how many times I read this book growing up. I have always been a fan of Little House books and remember being so excited to find out there were books written about other people in the Little House universe. I have read all of the novels about Laura Ingalls Wilder's ancestors - her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

This is the last book written about Caroline and is about her time teaching at Concord School and her courtship. Like all Little House books, it is sweet, and has a lot of historical information in it. It talks about the things happening in the US at the time - politics, inventions, literature, etc.

I would recommend this to any young reader who already loves Little House books. I would suggest reading the original Little House books first because I do think they are the best, and reading the ones about Laura's ancestors and daughter after. Overall, a quick read and filled with nostalgia.

[Maggie Panning · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was our favorite in the Caroline series. There's a good winter storm, school days for Caroline as a teacher and the beginning of one of the most famous families in US history. Maybe I didn't need to mark this as having spoilers as anyone who is even remotely familiar with the Ingalls family knows that Caroline and Charles get together, but the end of the book when you know what is coming and they are going to get together my seven-year-old son, myself and my mother all had goosebumps or fluttery bellies or goofy grins on our faces. We knew what was coming but it was written in a way that made it exciting all the same. Who knows what their marriage was really like, but Laura's books paint it as a beautiful story of two people who deeply love and respect each other and are able to weather the many many storms that come to them, by each other's side.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was anticipating this book as I read the Caroline series knowing that it told of the story of how Caroline and Charles met, courted, and married. I was hoping that it would also tell of their early days of marriage and their new life on the prairie. I was somewhat disappointed that it spent too much time on Caroline's time in Milwaukee and the days as a teacher and not enough of her courtship with Charles Ingalls and early days of marriage. I have read all of the Little House books twice, read multiple biographies of Laura Ingalls Wilder and other "Little House" or Ingalls family books. I enjoyed the Carolina series and my next book to read is Caroline by Sarah Miller. I am also finishing up watching the entire series on DVD, something I wanted to do since I purchased it 5 years ago. I love everything about the Little House family and watching the series has given me the reflection that we all have too much stuff!

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fun to read about Caroline and Charles renewing an old friendship and falling in love! My daughter and I really enjoyed reading this series together. My only disappointment with this book was I had hoped to read more about them getting married, starting a family, and moving into the big woods. There was an epilogue at the end which gave some of that info. I definitely recommend this series for fans of the little house books.

[Robert]

Did you know? Martha Morse Tucker, LIW's great grandmother, was not born in Scotland. She was born, lived, and died in Massachusetts. She likely never saw Scotland in her life, given that her parents met and married in the US. (Her father's family had already lived here for four generations.) I can overlook a lot, which is why I read this entire series in the first place lol, but any time Martha Tucker was mentioned was like a thorn jabbed in a sore spot.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is interesting to know more a bit more about Caroline's life story. The title doesn't quite fit as there is no little house of their own in this book. The interactions/conversations seem a bit stilted in this one, but nice story nonetheless. Kind of ironic that she apparently did not want to move West!

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved and devoured all these books as a kid. The Caroline years were my favorite as I always loved Ma as a kid. The first few books in this series were wonderful but the last few especially this one and the one before felt like a different character. Which makes sense, since there was an author change.

[Kate H · Rating 5 out of 5]

None of the other "Little House Years" books are as good as the ones about Laura but other then the Laura books I prefer the Martha and Charlotte books. I don't enjoy the Caroline books as much because they are a bit uneven for me with some in the series being really good and others lacking.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story, and how it showed the evolution of the couple that would eventually be Ma and Pa Ingalls!

[Shaelyn Avalon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the city one but it's very romantic.

[Bekah Forbes · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far the best book of the series, but I think I might have liked it more for the romance plot than anything else.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book series is literally my comfort zone