The Children Who Stayed Alone

by Bonnie Bess Worline, Walter Barrows (Illlustrator)

What would you do if you were left alone on the prairie with five younger children to take care of?

Father has gone for supplies. Mother has left to take care of a sick neighbor miles away. So Phoebe and her brother must take charge. At first there are only small problems to solve but then a blizzard strikes. And in the darkness of the snowy night, a knock sounds on the door!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Coming Of Age, Young Readers, Young Adult

156 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1956

Reviews

[Cindy aka "The Book Fairy" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great memory book from my childhood! I enjoyed reading it again after so many decades....As with many of the older Scholastics, this one had so many various spiritual elements with the family's faith in God; reciting the Lord's prayer, praying often. Such a heartwarming story of kindness extended without any thought of any return yet it was.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating Clarification: 4.5 Stars

This is a wonderful book for those children who enjoy the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Same premise applies: pioneer family living on the wild prairie who persevere against hardships and grow stronger as a result. The story centers on the two oldest children in the family, a boy and girl, who are left alone in their sod home for several days when their parents are called away unexpectedly.

There are a few "gently" dramatic moments (nothing to overly scare a young reader) and some cute, heartwarming moments with the younger siblings. The story portrays all the children in a positive light, showcasing their helpfulness, reliability and ability to help others.

I loved this story as a young girl and to this day enjoy fiction and non-fiction focusing on the test of man's will and determination againist natural disasters or man-made evils.



***
2012 personal reading challenge for the month of January:
Childhood favorites that influenced my subsequent reading life

Adult Equivalent:

The Endurance by Caroline Alexander

and

Alive by Piers Paul Read

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this book when I was a child, but I didn’t really remember much about it. Reading it again was delightful! I loved Phoebe and Hartley and all the younger ones. I loved the setting of the Kansas prairie and the struggles and joys that came with living there when you couldn’t see your closest neighbor even from the top of the windmill. The children got along for the most part, which was an added plus. Yes, there were a few difficult times, but every family has those.
This story, while not predominately Christian, does have prayer, quoting some Bible verses, and things like that.
I would recommend this story to anyone.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Their father is away and when a neighbor shows up requesting help, their mother must go too. The children are left in charge. And like all good children do, they feel the weight, and the thrill, of the responsibility and work dutifully so that when Father and Mama come home, they'll be proud.

The children all pitch in, working well together to make the meals and tend to the animals. They even have a little party by their fireplace one night with popcorn, pulled molasses and games. It was an evening that the author painted beautifully and of which made me jealous.

It's a great story of family love, of growing up and of bravery at facing new things. God is also brought up several times; in faith, in thankfulness and in time of need. The book is not just a glimpse of the Dawson children while they're alone, but of an entire year, when some of them went from childhood to young adult.

There are a small scattering of illustrations.

Cleanliness: a man smokes a pipe. A girl is teased about trying to look nice for a man.

Ages: 5 - 12

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!

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[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read this book together as a family. It is a great book to help our children see the joy that comes from growing up and taking on responsibilities that, ecspecially by today's standards, wouldn't be desired by most children. I think we have steered to far from these desiarable virtures. I think this book help us to instill these virtues back into our children's characters, or at the very least, helps children to think about them in a positive way.
I think in the days that lay ahead children who have at least been spoken to and taught of hard work, service, obligation, and the blessings that come with these, will have a tremendous advantage over those that have not been exposed to these virtues.

[Elsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet book about family, responsibility, and the rewards of hard work. A good companion book to the Little House series, THE CHILDREN WHO STAYED ALONE is more didactic than Laura's stories, but still an enjoyable read with great details of the homesteaders' life on the prairies.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had its moments, but this really felt like a thrift store version of some of the anecdotes from the Little House books.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a book report, and I REALLY liked it! Since I babysit my brother and sisters while my mom goes on small errands, I could completely understand the mixed feelings of fear and responsibility that the oldest girl felt while taking care of her many siblings while both parents are far away, not knowing when either will come back. I thought that this book was great!

[Charlotte]

If you can't get enough of life in a sod house on the prairie, you might as well read this, especially if you have a tolerance for improbable encounters with Native Americans. If you like stories of harrowing survival, don't bother. Never have I read of such a well stocked pantry in spring in a sod house with father still not home from buying provisions. At one point the younger children are fretful. That is all.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those books I escaped into as a child...I was completely convinced I knew how to survive alone on the prairie in the winter after reading this book...I bemoaned the fact that nothing like that would ever happen to me in a New Jersey suburb :)

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was smitten with the title and cover this time around. I don't remember this being so damn boring when I was a young "boxcar children" wannabee.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another battered Scholastic paperback I found on the Internet Archive.
In elementary school I read this book over and over and always loved it. In those days it would have got a solid five stars; I really looked forward to reading it again.
Sadly, this time around after years of tutoring Eng Lit for college students, I noticed more than a few holes in the plotline. Like the chronology. It's so important that Phoebe go and help the neighbour who has been "so sick" (ie had a premature baby and difficult delivery) and yet she seems to hang around the homestead for several days. The persistent rain is spoken of as if it lasted for a couple of weeks, but then we're told she was only home for about three days before she left. Spring and summer are the farmer's busiest time and yet Father (who later becomes Daddy) and Hartley are able to build most of the house by themselves concurrent with their farm work? They live crowded into a soddy with only two small rooms, and yet suddenly Mama has a sewing machine and room to cut out and make clothes?
Also the book seemed a lot longer than it did in the days I read it so often. Maybe I just didn't enjoy it as much, partly because the authoress was very careful to avoid giving any details about the homestead that might actually pinpoint it on a map. She was more interested in the good old American flag-waving of independent living, making your own way and pulling your weight.

[Riley.B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am reading the book the children who stayed alone by Bonnie Bess Worline. In the book the children’s dad left to get supplies. Then after their dad has been gone a while their mother leaves to help there sick neighbor(they were in the middle of nowhere). Some of the children’s names are Hartley phoebe and Mary Ann. I liked this book because it puts the children alone in the house making them support themselves. my favorite character is phoebe because she is the one put in charge of the children.

[Dan O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story for small children. Fun, pretty decent story line, and very wholesome.

[Cailey]

One of my childhood favourites! Not politically correct anymore but good lessons.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ages: 8+
Content considerations: none

This book is positively delightful! A loving family meeting prairie life challenges head-on together. Absolutely worth reading and sharing with others!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a product of its time, but still a fun children's story.

[Sarah Bolin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! A lot like the Little House on the Prairie series. A good short read!

[Rebecca Douglass · Rating 2 out of 5]

The initial episode, and the one that kicks off the other adventures, is a period of several days when the seven Dawson children, ranging in age from Phoebe, who appears to be about 12 down to the baby, are left alone. From there we go on to other events in a year on their homestead. Neither the place nor the year is specified, but I choose to believe it is Nebraska (see above), and the year would be sometime in the second half of the 1800s, not long after the "Indian troubles" were over. This is the story of pioneer children who work hard, and take their pleasure where they find it.

The book is undeniably dated, and bears that "goody-two-shoes" feel that many from the era (and earlier) have. But it does capture life on the farming frontier in a vivid way, and shows the area filling up with people (I kept expecting them to pull up stakes and move farther west--but that was just the influence of Pa from The Little House on the Prairie). The children, though too good to be believable, are engaging, and the story is a quick and pleasant read, though nothing more than that. There are better stories of the period--like the Little House books.

Recommended for anyone who likes historical stories about the settlement of the West and doesn't mind some unrealistically well-behaved children.

Two and a half stars.

[Kymberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminded me of the Little House books

[Jo-Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite from my childhood. Always satisfying.

[Tricia F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although interesting, did jump around. Felt that perhaps the book had been shortened when edited.

[Carol]

This was my very favorite book at about age 10, found a very tattered copy and had to read it again. An enjoyable “Little House on the Prairie” type story.