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Little House: The Caroline Years #3
Little Clearing in the Woods
Young Caroline Quiner, who would grow up to be Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother, and her family move to a new farm near Concord, Wisconsin
336 pages, Library Binding
First published April 1, 1998
19 people are currently reading
2545 people want to read
About the author
Maria D. Wilkes
15 books64 followersMaria D. Wilkes first read the Little House books as a young girl and has been fascinated by pioneer history ever since. She did extensive research on the Quiner, Ingalls, and Wilder families, studied original sources and family letters and diaries, and worked in close consultation with several historians and the Laura Ingalls Wilder estate as she wrote the Caroline Years books. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, Peter, and her daughters, Grace and Natalie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
March 11, 2017
Since these books are out of print they keep getting more expensive, but it is totally worth it, because I will read these to my children some day. This book really solidifies Caroline's character, and I love how this story is rendered to be true to letters written about her and to fit the Ma we know and love. So good.
July 16, 2019
I thought this book was cute
June 23, 2021
This volume in particular showcases the perseverance and labor required to make a life in the wilderness. Despite the fact that the Quiners have moved even farther west, they don't encounter any indigenous people in Little Clearing in the Woods. Concord hasn't grown that much in the past two centuries, but if I recall correctly, it does get a few more buildings in the next few books.
May 25, 2025
Lovely book!
April 22, 2014
I really liked it. I especially liked reading and watching the growing fondness between Mr. Holbrook and the entire Quiner family. Can't wait to see what happens next.
January 2, 2021
This is the third book in the Little House books Caroline series. As with the others this third 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 along with her mother and brothers and sisters have to move from town due to the owner of the house pretty much 'kicking them out'. Momma had saved just enough to buy a very tiny house in a town that hasn't yet to be established, out in the middle of woods. With the help of a dear neighbor and his sons they get moved and fix the house and the land to be able to plant a crop for food. However after a while a terrible storm comes through and there are no more crops, but the Quiner children put their heads together and want to go to town to get jobs. So the family does set out to find odds in ends jobs and Momma is hired to feed a group of men that is working for a wealthy man whose wife is to ill to feed them herself. So with the money and food he provides the Quiners make their first year in the woods a good one. Also in this book you are introducted to Frederick Holbrook.... who we know from the movies is Caroline's step Dad.
As in most movies we know they are 'loosly' based on true life...but all these years I really though that the stories in 'A Christmas they never Forgot' were pretty much true or similar to truth as the Little House series was to the books. BUT Frederick was nto only Caroline's Dad's best friend he NEVER EVEN KNEW HIM! Unless that comes into play in the next book! That was really disappointing... 'cause that memory of Caroline is one of my favorites but then again it's a nice Christmas memory to watch... but just not based on real life...(unless like I said that comes in later on in another book)
But this book was a really nice one to read about the hardships of the children and the single momma trying to make ends meet when it really looked like there wasn't any way out. No neighbors to help, no crops to use etc. Just each other...
In this book Caroline along with her mother and brothers and sisters have to move from town due to the owner of the house pretty much 'kicking them out'. Momma had saved just enough to buy a very tiny house in a town that hasn't yet to be established, out in the middle of woods. With the help of a dear neighbor and his sons they get moved and fix the house and the land to be able to plant a crop for food. However after a while a terrible storm comes through and there are no more crops, but the Quiner children put their heads together and want to go to town to get jobs. So the family does set out to find odds in ends jobs and Momma is hired to feed a group of men that is working for a wealthy man whose wife is to ill to feed them herself. So with the money and food he provides the Quiners make their first year in the woods a good one. Also in this book you are introducted to Frederick Holbrook.... who we know from the movies is Caroline's step Dad.
As in most movies we know they are 'loosly' based on true life...but all these years I really though that the stories in 'A Christmas they never Forgot' were pretty much true or similar to truth as the Little House series was to the books. BUT Frederick was nto only Caroline's Dad's best friend he NEVER EVEN KNEW HIM! Unless that comes into play in the next book! That was really disappointing... 'cause that memory of Caroline is one of my favorites but then again it's a nice Christmas memory to watch... but just not based on real life...(unless like I said that comes in later on in another book)
But this book was a really nice one to read about the hardships of the children and the single momma trying to make ends meet when it really looked like there wasn't any way out. No neighbors to help, no crops to use etc. Just each other...
September 9, 2017
This was the first book where I saw/read the author's note. I love that Martha definitely became Martha Carpenter and that Caroline was a snap of a girl.
The Quiners have to move to Concord, 30 miles out of Brookfield.
It's still weird for me to think that such a drive took days.
It humors me that Charlotte insisted on toting her bake oven across the state.
It's amazing the peace that can be found in new landscapes.
I find it very interesting (and a good kick in the brain) that despite all the empty land, there were still a lot of legalities. So Charlotte had to buy the land (all 40 acres of it, which is mind-boggling), file her claim. All of that made some neighbors and other people (like a peddler) know that the land was no longer for the taking and that a family was there.
I really like seeing how houses were fortified and land cultivated in just three weeks.
One of the aforementioned neighbors is Austin Kellogg (not of the company), who has five laborers, a sick wife, and a young daughter. His need for help prompts the Quiners to feed for the hired hands three times a day while he supplies them with food not only for his men but for the family.
All but one of the laborers are crass and rude. The good one, Mr. Holbrook, works to teach the others manners.
It hels though that he's quite handsome, and his kindness causes the Quiners to welcome him in in more ways than one.
The politics: Democrats and the Whigs (who had Taylor).
The Mexico war is over and Wisconsin is officially a state as of the start of the year.
There are very emotional lessons on how we forget our own struggles when comforting another (especially a child) and how we know just how to wound-and heal-those we love the most.
There are two brothers, Miles and Wally, who live in a shanty on the Quiner's property. Miles is very proud and has been 'burned' too many times by people trying to 'help.' Yet he does accept and give help after someone has reasoned with him with pure logic. It's when he's told what to do (or what he SHOULD do) that he shuts down. Especially when the other person doesn't consider HIM or his feelings.
The end left happy tears in my eyes.
The Quiners have to move to Concord, 30 miles out of Brookfield.
It's still weird for me to think that such a drive took days.
It humors me that Charlotte insisted on toting her bake oven across the state.
It's amazing the peace that can be found in new landscapes.
I find it very interesting (and a good kick in the brain) that despite all the empty land, there were still a lot of legalities. So Charlotte had to buy the land (all 40 acres of it, which is mind-boggling), file her claim. All of that made some neighbors and other people (like a peddler) know that the land was no longer for the taking and that a family was there.
I really like seeing how houses were fortified and land cultivated in just three weeks.
One of the aforementioned neighbors is Austin Kellogg (not of the company), who has five laborers, a sick wife, and a young daughter. His need for help prompts the Quiners to feed for the hired hands three times a day while he supplies them with food not only for his men but for the family.
All but one of the laborers are crass and rude. The good one, Mr. Holbrook, works to teach the others manners.
It hels though that he's quite handsome, and his kindness causes the Quiners to welcome him in in more ways than one.
The politics: Democrats and the Whigs (who had Taylor).
The Mexico war is over and Wisconsin is officially a state as of the start of the year.
There are very emotional lessons on how we forget our own struggles when comforting another (especially a child) and how we know just how to wound-and heal-those we love the most.
There are two brothers, Miles and Wally, who live in a shanty on the Quiner's property. Miles is very proud and has been 'burned' too many times by people trying to 'help.' Yet he does accept and give help after someone has reasoned with him with pure logic. It's when he's told what to do (or what he SHOULD do) that he shuts down. Especially when the other person doesn't consider HIM or his feelings.
The end left happy tears in my eyes.
October 13, 2020
This book documents the move of the Quiner family from the frame house in Brookfield to the newly purchased land and cabin in Concord. There is much to do as soon as Caroline and her family set foot on their new land. If the family is too have food for the upcoming winter, their land must be cleared and plowed as soon as possible. They are helped by their neighbour Mr. Carpenter and his son Charlie, as well as Caroline‘s Uncle Elisha. One afternoon, Caroline and Eliza startle upon a small shanty in the woods. Upon their discovery of the shanty, Caroline meets brothers Miles and Wally, who appear to live in the shanty. Caroline is immediately taken aback by the lack of manners possessed by the two boys, particularly Miles. During the summer, bad fortune falls on the Quiner family when extreme weather conditions destroys the majority of their crops intended for fall harvest. The family must seek work in order to be able to eat and survive through the winter so Charlotte begins to feed the labourers of Mr. Austin Kellogg for money and food. Caroline and her sisters help her mother cook and serve food to the labourers for all three meals. The work is tiring and very hard and Caroline is relieved when Mr. Kellogg no longer needs the Quiner family to free the labourers. At the end of the book, Caroline is made aware that one of the labourers, the nice and kind Mr. Frederick Holbrook, has proposed to her mother.
May 17, 2023
Caroine Quiner is such a sweetheart and it only makes sense she birthed a sugarplum like Laura Ingalls Wilder. The Quiners have to leave Brookfield and end up setting up a homestead in Concord, Wisconsin. They've got their own little clearing in the woods for their huge family of 7. This was a nice installment but they certainly have no shortage of woes: crop failure, bad weather, and pinching pennies in a single-parent household. I did like how Caroline's older sister Martha isn't such a pain and significantly reduced her bratty attitude. My favorite part was the introduction of Caroline's future stepfather, Mr. Holbrook. He's the leader of men who Caroline's mother is paid to feed twice daily. He was so polite and sweet to the Quiners, that I only recognized his name because I've read the Wikipedia page multiple times for the historical accuracy. The book ends with delicate secret proposal to Charlotte and she hasn't accepted yet. If only I had the future books I would be able to read her confirmation! I only have two books left in my Little House Legacy collection and they're Charlotte's first two entries. I'm praying I can find more in my pilgrimages because I don't wanna shell out my hard earned quarters just for some babydoll fiction no longer in publication. Bring it back to the presses, you cowards!
May 28, 2018
This is the third book in the series and in my opinion, the weakest. While it’s still good, not a lot actually happens.
The third book finds Caroline and her family moving from Brookfield, where they’ve been based the previous two books, to Concord in Wisconsin. A distance of approximately 27 miles, but in those days, probably a good three or more days travelling by wagon, with lots of mishaps and wolves along the way!
The author’s note is the same as the previous book, and states that Laura had contacted her aunt Martha (Caroline’s oldest sister) to ask for stories about their early years, before even writing the original Little House books. And I am starting to get that feeling, that these books are a series of anecdotes, which could have been lifted from letters. There are some similarities to the original books, especially with the stories that are told.
Where will we find Caroline in the next book? With an ending that I could see coming and having accidentally picked up book #4 before I realised my mistake, there is a secret that only Caroline knows about. I was hoping that soon we’ll meet Charles or see some hint of him soon - if I’m going by the TV show, they’d met roughly by about 9 or 10, but I could be remembering that wrong. I think the books will pick up for me when they meet, as my favourite Little House book is These Happy Golden Years, with Almanzo.
The third book finds Caroline and her family moving from Brookfield, where they’ve been based the previous two books, to Concord in Wisconsin. A distance of approximately 27 miles, but in those days, probably a good three or more days travelling by wagon, with lots of mishaps and wolves along the way!
The author’s note is the same as the previous book, and states that Laura had contacted her aunt Martha (Caroline’s oldest sister) to ask for stories about their early years, before even writing the original Little House books. And I am starting to get that feeling, that these books are a series of anecdotes, which could have been lifted from letters. There are some similarities to the original books, especially with the stories that are told.
Where will we find Caroline in the next book? With an ending that I could see coming and having accidentally picked up book #4 before I realised my mistake, there is a secret that only Caroline knows about. I was hoping that soon we’ll meet Charles or see some hint of him soon - if I’m going by the TV show, they’d met roughly by about 9 or 10, but I could be remembering that wrong. I think the books will pick up for me when they meet, as my favourite Little House book is These Happy Golden Years, with Almanzo.
April 29, 2021
These stories build on the stories of Laura in The Little House on the Prairie. This book is part of the series about Laura's mother, Caroline. These books are written for a younger audience but are still really well written. I really enjoyed this book about the journey of the Quiner family from Brookfield to Concord Wisconsin with their single mother Charlotte. They had some help with the journey from some neighbors that journeyed with them and helped them clear their property enough to plant a garden, but after that Charlotte was alone with 6 children in a very remote location. I can only imagine how much courage that took and how scared she must have been at times. Especially when their garden was washed out by a windy storm that caused a deluge of water to drown their plants. Faced with starvation, they had to seek work in the nearby community and then spend several months feeding a crew of laborers around the clock. You can see in this book where the pioneering spirit of Laura came from and it wasn't solely from Pa and his ancestors.
July 31, 2024
When I read this book, it reminded me so much of Ma and Pa's Little House in the Woods. The author throughout the Caroline Years has done a terrific job of storytelling and bringing to life the characters we grow to love. As I have continued to read The Caroline Years, I can spot similarities in Caroline that Laura picked up when she was Caroline's age. Even though Caroline is seen to be a good and tidy housewife, these books do a wonderful job showing Caroline's spirit and adventure. I would recommend this to those who have continued to enjoy reading The Caroline Years and those who are wondering if they should start it!
June 5, 2019
My partner at work and I have been watching Little House on the Prairie during the long, slow night shifts. This sparked my interest in revisiting the Caroline Years, read long ago when they were still being written.
I really enjoyed this series. The writing is engaging, Caroline is a wonderful character, and the author does a fantastic job of bringing her, her family, and her household to life. If I had had the patience, this would have been fun to share with my son. As it was, I very much enjoyed it on my own. Highly recommended.
I really enjoyed this series. The writing is engaging, Caroline is a wonderful character, and the author does a fantastic job of bringing her, her family, and her household to life. If I had had the patience, this would have been fun to share with my son. As it was, I very much enjoyed it on my own. Highly recommended.
August 17, 2023
Berkat keahlian memasak ibunya serta bantuan seluruh anak, Caroline tetap bisa makan tanpa perlu khawatir akan tanaman sayuran yang rusak karena badai. Mereka mendapat tugas menyediakan makanan untuk para pekerja pembuka lahan 3x sehari.
Beberapa pekerja bukanlah orang yang tahu sopan santun, tapi mereka harus bertahan demi imbalan bahan pangan yang melimpah.
Dua anak lelaki yang Caroline temui di hutan menjadi bumbu kisah yang menyentuh.
Pada bagian belakang buku ini dilampirkan silsilah keluarga mulai dari nenek buyut Laura, Martha Morse hingga anak Laura. Rose Wilder.
Beberapa pekerja bukanlah orang yang tahu sopan santun, tapi mereka harus bertahan demi imbalan bahan pangan yang melimpah.
Dua anak lelaki yang Caroline temui di hutan menjadi bumbu kisah yang menyentuh.
Pada bagian belakang buku ini dilampirkan silsilah keluarga mulai dari nenek buyut Laura, Martha Morse hingga anak Laura. Rose Wilder.
July 30, 2020
These books are just golden. Reading them returns me to that little eleven year old girl I once was, sitting on the porch swing at our house in Stone Creek, poring over these books in the summertime. Reading these are not only informative about Caroline's life and fun, the pages literally seem to hold so many of my childhood memories.
'Books are like flypaper... memories cling to the printed page more than anything else'.
-Inkheart
'Books are like flypaper... memories cling to the printed page more than anything else'.
-Inkheart
September 9, 2019
My fourth grader checked this out from the library, so I read it, too. I had expected a poor knock-off of the beloved Laura Ingalls Wilder books, but was pleasantly surprised. The author thoroughly researched Caroline Quiner's childhood, and did an excellent job writing in the upbeat style of the LIW books.
June 28, 2025
For some reason, Caroline’s stories don’t stand out as much to me as the other series. This book is much too similar to the first two in the series so far and there is only so much I can read about a family trying to keep it together during hard times before it gets old. Here’s hoping the next book picks up a little because the repetition is getting a little boring.
August 20, 2019
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.
September 13, 2017
this is a really good book. it is about Caroline, Laura Ingalls mom when she was a girl i really enjoyed this book i hope you do to!
March 16, 2019
S
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2019
These books are SO GOOD!!!! They read aloud so well. I'm shocked with each of The Caroline Years books I read that they are just as great as The Little House on the Prairie books!!! 🙌
Read
June 20, 2019my god daughter loves this series. I end up reading it to her quite often and she never gets tired of it. It's a bit saccharine, but shows the hardships of 19th century pioneer life.
September 6, 2019
My favorite so far of the pre Laura books
August 28, 2020
Loved!!!
September 27, 2021
A cute, detailed story of historical fiction about Caroline Quiner and her family. Definitely recommend!
Want to read
July 31, 2025SM
June 20, 2025
PA IS COMING SOON!
May 14, 2024
This was a really long book! Sometimes I had a little trouble staying in the moment because of the details, but, I guess that’s what I also loved about it too! A harder way of life in many ways but also more simple too. Faith was tangible, family, friendships, and the beautiful land God entrusted them to take care of!
September 24, 2015
*throws hat into air* Wisconsin becomes a state! *cheers* Unfortunately, it passes without fanfare. *cries*
The Quiners have toddled to Concord, Wisconsin, 30 miles from Brookfield. It would be an easy-peasy half hour trip today, but it took them three whole days. *fans self*
Hell, I tried to compare rebuilding our house and clearing land to what they had to do and wanted to put myself in the corner for whinging about it. These guys had scads less and whinged scads less. I'm soft, I know.
A couple of points I did not like were the family tree in the beginning and the respelling of Lewis to Louis. Uhm, wait. Are you telling me that the Lewis I knew all these years is really Louis? Hahaha. No. Ms. Wilkes has the dead babies listed as well as the live ones. Well, the stillbirths and dead small children, not merely the ones who died in older age.
Shoutout to Charlotte Tucker Quiner for being a total rock star and raising six kids without a husband. I totally see why a lot of folks remarried before the graves were cold and such. Life back then was tough. Tougher with no proper source of income. I believe that had the Quiners lived somewhere besides Brookfield and Concord, somewhere with more fancy people, Charlotte might have opened a dress shop again. It would have been much steadier than a farm. Shoutout to farmers through the ages who raise their crops despite the weather that can turn to garbage from nowhere.
Alright, I do want to go back in time and see some Wisconsin Becomes a State celebrations. Doctor, I'm waiting! Just make sure there's a dress I can wear.
The Quiners have toddled to Concord, Wisconsin, 30 miles from Brookfield. It would be an easy-peasy half hour trip today, but it took them three whole days. *fans self*
Hell, I tried to compare rebuilding our house and clearing land to what they had to do and wanted to put myself in the corner for whinging about it. These guys had scads less and whinged scads less. I'm soft, I know.
A couple of points I did not like were the family tree in the beginning and the respelling of Lewis to Louis. Uhm, wait. Are you telling me that the Lewis I knew all these years is really Louis? Hahaha. No. Ms. Wilkes has the dead babies listed as well as the live ones. Well, the stillbirths and dead small children, not merely the ones who died in older age.
Shoutout to Charlotte Tucker Quiner for being a total rock star and raising six kids without a husband. I totally see why a lot of folks remarried before the graves were cold and such. Life back then was tough. Tougher with no proper source of income. I believe that had the Quiners lived somewhere besides Brookfield and Concord, somewhere with more fancy people, Charlotte might have opened a dress shop again. It would have been much steadier than a farm. Shoutout to farmers through the ages who raise their crops despite the weather that can turn to garbage from nowhere.
Alright, I do want to go back in time and see some Wisconsin Becomes a State celebrations. Doctor, I'm waiting! Just make sure there's a dress I can wear.
July 10, 2019
Little Clearing in the Woods finally starts to lift the Caroline books out of the pit of mediocrity they were sinking into. The family moving, the hardships they face on the new land, the new people they meet—all combine to form, if not a particularly dramatic book, at least enough tension to generate some excitement and interest.
The first half of the book has some overly dramatic conflict with wolves, delivered a bit clunkily, but once the family reaches their new home, it settles down to a more realistic conflict as the family struggles to get used to new surroundings. Caroline and Martha have a few spats, and I wish Martha was more developed of a character so that the fights would have more meaning instead of feeling so wooden.
The second half of the book is better than the first, with the introduction of Mr. Holbrook. Despite my problems with Wilkes’ writing, I will say that she paints a very good picture of the financial situation of the family. It is very clear that they struggle to put food on the table, and so the kindness of Mr. Holbrook and the generosity of Mr. Kellogg shine through even more.
It’s a shame that the Caroline Years don’t start out quite as strong or interesting as the previous two series, but at last the series seems to be improving. Little Clearing in the Woods still shares some of the problems of the first two books, but the second half promises better things to come.
The first half of the book has some overly dramatic conflict with wolves, delivered a bit clunkily, but once the family reaches their new home, it settles down to a more realistic conflict as the family struggles to get used to new surroundings. Caroline and Martha have a few spats, and I wish Martha was more developed of a character so that the fights would have more meaning instead of feeling so wooden.
The second half of the book is better than the first, with the introduction of Mr. Holbrook. Despite my problems with Wilkes’ writing, I will say that she paints a very good picture of the financial situation of the family. It is very clear that they struggle to put food on the table, and so the kindness of Mr. Holbrook and the generosity of Mr. Kellogg shine through even more.
It’s a shame that the Caroline Years don’t start out quite as strong or interesting as the previous two series, but at last the series seems to be improving. Little Clearing in the Woods still shares some of the problems of the first two books, but the second half promises better things to come.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews