The Prairie Thief

by Melissa Wiley, Erwin Madrid (Illustrator)

In this “delightful mash-up of Little House on the Prairie and The Spiderwick Chronicles” (SLJ), experience life on the prairie—with one fantastical twist!Louisa Brody’s life on the Colorado prairie is not at all what she expected. Her dear Pa, accused of thievery, is locked thirty miles away in jail. She’s living with the awful Smirches, her closest neighbors and the very family that accused her Pa of the horrendous crime. And now she’s discovered one very cantankerous—and magical—secret beneath the hazel grove. With her life flipped upside-down, it’s up to Louisa, her sassy friend Jessamine, and that cranky secret to save Pa from a guilty verdict. Ten bold illustrations from Erwin Madrid accompany seasoned storyteller Melissa Wiley’s vibrant and enchanting tale of life on the prairie—with one magical twist.

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Historical, Chapter Books

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2012

About the author

Melissa Wiley is the author of The Nerviest Girl in the World, The Prairie Thief, Fox and Crow Are Not Friends, the Inch and Roly series, the Martha and Charlotte Little House books, and other books for kids. Melissa has been blogging about her family’s reading life and tidal homeschooling adventures at Here in the Bonny Glen since 2005. She is @melissawiley on Twitter and @melissawileybooks on Instagram.

Reviews

[Rebekah Byson · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Special review for my homeschool Tribe) Yes, I finally read aloud The Prairie Thief! It has been sitting on the shelf since the last Bravewriter Retreat, where meeting Melissa Wiley was definitely a highpoint of the weekend. So when my 7 year old daughter selected it for bedtime reading, I was thrilled. This book is delightful! Full of unexpected surprises. The right type of humor to elicit 7 year old girl-giggles. And just enough fantasy and whimsy to tickle the imagination. A perfect book for Little House lovers, as well as fairy tale fans. If you have a young child, I highly recommend The Prairie Thief as a read-aloud; and that's "thetruththewholetruthandnothingbutthetruthsohelpmeGod."

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wholly delightful. I found it impossible to put down and read it in one great gulp. I don't think I could have loved it more, had I read it as a child. The characters are lovely, each and all. The story, while never veering from the path to a happy ending, had plenty of dips and bobbles and surprises. I grinned my way through much of it, and am not ashamed to tell you my eyes filled with tears at the end. It's wholesome without being smarmy, and fun without being arch.

Forgive me if I'm seeing Betsy-Tacy things that aren't there, but the fact that Pa's middle name is Warrington made me chortle.

Recommended without reservations.

[Kate Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quite a lot. 🤍 I was scared I wouldn't with some of stuff the villain threatened to do, but everything turned out okay. I especially enjoyed the mix of prairie life with folklore and all the sweet animals.

CW: minor child abuse including hitting and threats.

[Sarafina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a completely random pick from the library. I love books about the frontier but the fact that this had a fantastical element was really surprising and fun!

[Tamara York · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, well-written read aloud for my 8 and 10 year old kids. We loved the characters and humor. The plot had some delightfully unexpected twists that had my kids giddy with joy. I got to polish up my Scottish accent, which was unexpected going in, but fun. (Many of the characters are Scottish and Irish immigrants. There is also an element of Scots/Irish mythical creature to voice.)

[Jordan Shirkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by my daughter. A fun tale about life on the prairie, keeping your word, honesty, and dealing with grouchy neighbors.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a little bit of trouble getting into this and it didn't have as many pictures as my 4 year old prefers in our chapter book read aloud choices, but my 6.5 year old absolutely loved it and by the end, he and I were really enjoying it. Fantasy and humor definitely seems to be his jam these days. We laughed out loud many times at the end and he is very hopeful there will some day be a sequel.

2024 - My 6 year old daughter is obsessed with all things prairie (she listens to the Little House audiobooks on a loop), so she brought this to me and begged for us to read it together. She loved it and never wanted me to pause our reading. My older boys (8 and 11) kept pausing what they were doing to listen along. A very fun story that was perfect for my daughter's interests and age.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little House on the Prairie meets old world fairy tale. Love it! An endearing story with beautiful writing, and surprisingly advanced vocabulary. A charming book that will hold the interest of the young even if they are unfamiliar with some of the words (unless your 5 year old has been practicing for the SAT). It was refreshing to read a modern book that uses a simple setting and simple themes of wonder, imagination, with beautiful language to engage the reader. I look forward to reading it again.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second read was just as delightful as the first!

First read:
Such a nice middle grade read-aloud with my 5 and 8 year old girls. They begged to read just one more chapter each time we sat down to read it. I even enjoyed reading it, it was simply delightful!

[Katie Proctor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun, cute, adventurous book with great characters and sense of place. I read this one with my daughter for homeschool, using the Brave Writer Dart unit for it. We both really enjoyed it!

[Sarah Bowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It’s a sweet, fun story about a girl whose father is falsely accused of stealing and arrested. She discovers the existence of wee folk and works to unravel the mystery of the stolen items.

CC: main character’s mother is dead and another character has lost her whole family to disease, one of the adults (the “bad guy”) is abusive physically and verbally, magic/wee folk

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of a girl who’s dad is mistakes as a criminal. The girl discovers the wonders of brownies (the creatures).

It starts out slowly, is set in frontier days of USA so not always relatable and has little character growth. Humour through cruelty at times.All ends happily for everyone.

A few drawings and those are fine.

Eventually we enjoyed it.

[Ellie Grove · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like little house on the prairie and a little bit of fantasy, read this book

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claire and I really loved this story--it was suspenseful enough that at the end of each chapter she was begging me to keep reading (I can be stingy when I'm tired and ready for her to be in bed!) Later, when my husband picked it up to read her a few chapters he got so hooked he had to read it aloud all the way through dinner so we wouldn't finish it without him. It's just a great story.

The shocking, and obviously incorrect, accusation of theft that begins the story and generates the plot is satisfyingly resolved halfway through the story--but the plot thickens as Louisa has to figure out how to protect ALL the innocent characters, not just her father. Claire and I enjoyed cheering on this girl-hero who follows the evidence, honors her promises, and does the right thing all the way through. I'm glad we finished it close to Thanksgiving because the final chapter provides the perfect reminder of how we all tend to take for granted the daily acts of provision and goodness that sustain our lives, especially when we spend too much time focusing on what we've lost. This story had the perfect amount of mystery, suspense, humor, action, and resolution for a young grade-school reader (although I could've done without having to explain the concept of "hanging" to my kindergarten-aged daughter!)

[Carolynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the writer of the Martha Years books and the Charlotte Years (precursors to Little House on the Prairie,etc.), a novel for primary and intermediate grade children that I think is destined to become a hit. There is enough fantasy to please readers of The Borrower books, and enough homey details about frontier life to please fans of the Little House books, Caddie Woodlawn,, and All the Stars in the Sky, and others of that ilk. Louisa's father is accused of stealing another farmer's property and squirreling it away in an unused dugout. Spunky Louisa, knowing the father who has raised her since her mother's death is honest and trustworthy, races against time to prove his innocence, but she gets help from not only her friend Jessamine but some unexpected sources. Spoiler Alert: The solution to her difficulty is contingent upon a huge coincidence, which for me makes the ending less than plausible. Still, children might not be bothered by that, and find the conclusion warm and satisfying. This is sure to win some Children's Choice awards. A good read-aloud book, with a few illustrations by Erwin Madrid. Lexile measure is 880.

[Mary Hanna Wilson | Celebrate a Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louisa Brody's Pa has been accused of being a thief, but she is convinced that he has been framed. Now she must live with the Smirch family, the very people who accused her Pa, while he awaits a trial for his alleged crime. While at the Smirches, she and her new friend, Jessamine, encounter a magical creature who has made his home on the prairie. With the help of her new friends and a few new discoveries, Louisa plans to save her Pa from a guilty verdict.

This was a unique historical fiction book for kids which makes it particularly fun to read. Life on the prairie takes an unexpected twist when a magical creature enters the story. Filled with exciting plot twists and a fun courthouse climax, this was a definite winner with my online book club students.

[Angie Stafford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a read-aloud for my kiddos in homeschool. I would probably give it 3.5 stars. My kids (5 and 7) listened to it but they weren’t enthralled by it and didn’t beg me to keep reading it, which is usually a good indicator that they could take it or leave it. It was a fun storyline, but at times it seemed like there were random thoughts/plots and unfinished aspects. The girl rides a pronghorn antelope like it’s no big deal, which is fine. But it was almost… downplayed? I mean, come ON, the girl is on an ANTELOPE. There should be some awesome talk surrounding that! But it was almost brushed over, like it wasn’t unique or a big deal.
Overall, it was a cute book, but not one I would read out loud again.

[Alana/MiaTheReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining story with some fun Celtic influences that I didn't see coming! We just happened to be reading it over the St. Patrick's Day holidays and it was a happy coincidence. Sometimes the plot lagged a bit, a few too many predictable sentences describing the same emotions the main character keeps having over and over again, but it probably is easy to skim over or at least not as noticeable if you aren't reading it aloud as I was to my kids. My six-year-old loved it so much, she immediately began re-reading it by herself as soon as we finished it together.

[Nicole Szpila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Annie-recommended read! 🥰 This was so whimsical and fun, with just the right amount of intensity and mystery to keep you turning pages. Loved the inclusion of "Old Country" wee folk lore. Loved the Judge's character and Louisa's sweet relationship with her father and other family memories. Mr. Smirch reminded me a lot of Matthew Cuthbert, though Mrs. Smirch definitely felt like more of a Roald Dahl villain 😄

An aside: Not sure why people are likening this to the Little House books - really did not get that vibe. But I enjoyed the story all the same!

[Heather Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, rounded up. Read aloud with my 13 year old. We read this together just over five years ago and it was fun to read it again for our mini kids book club. We had both forgotten the fun twists and turns this story takes and it was a pleasure to revisit. Highly recommend this as a book to share with your kids.

[Staci · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great children's book! We read it out loud, and my kids (9, 6, 5) absolutely loved it. We read a lot of animal fiction and fantasy, so this was a nice change. There were some serious, deep things in the book, but there was just enough humor and fantasy/folk lore to keep it not too heavy. I highly recommend it!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so sweet and I loved reading it aloud with my 11 yr old. We laughed together, discussed some of the behaviors (of the Smirches in particular) & had to read 5 chapters at the end because we didn't want to stop! This feels like a book she could have read on her own and definitely been ok but it was nice to have a lighter book for a read aloud.

[Mary Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful story which is equal parts imaginative and magical as it is rich with real life themes, problems and solutions that had us all curious as to how it would end. Partnered with a family meal of clam chowder and discussions about the book and it’s not a story we will soon forget.

[Sara Moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud with my 5 & 7 year old. I loved this book as much as they did! So much magic & fun & surprises. It does mention a robber being hung a few times. To keep it light I skipped over it very easily on the spot without it affecting the story.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very cute read. Not what I expected, but I loved that my 8 year old picked it up when I was halfway through it and is interested in it also. She seems to be enjoying it as well.

[Beth Maisie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was brilliant!

[Jenny Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

We really enjoyed this read-aloud. Surprise twist I wasn’t expecting that made this extra fun.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids loved it!

[Claire Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read-aloud with 7yo girl. Fantastic! We both absolutely adored this book. Mystery + whimsy + humor + virtue…. doesn’t get much better that that.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* This one skews as a younger read aloud.