Across the Puddingstone Dam

Little House: The Charlotte Years #4

by Melissa Wiley, Dan Andreasen (Illustrator)

Boston's Little House GirlMeet Charlotte Tucker, the little girl who would grow up to be Laura Ingalls Wilder's grandmother.

Eleven-year-old Charlotte can't imagine living anywhere but Tide Mill Lane. She is delighted when a school for young ladies opens nearby. The prospect of a new baby brother and the reappearance of a long-lost relative combine to complete Charlotte's world. But a new dam connecting Roxbury and Boston turns Tide Mill Lane into a noisy, messy construction site, and Charlotte's parents worry about what this will mean for their family.

Across the Puddingstone Dam is the fourth book in The Charlotte Years, an ongoing series about another spirited girl from America's most beloved pioneer family.

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

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2004

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

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

We’ve so enjoyed Melissa Wiley’s books about Martha and now Charlotte. But, oh, this one packs an emotional punch so be prepared if you have sensitive young readers The much-loved new baby in the family dies. Also, a family in town loses a child and the father is so overcome with grief that he destroys the Bible in the town church, though he later atones. I love Wiley’s writing style and it just goes straight to my heart. It’s also poignant that the area around the family farm is developing, with the addition of a new dam that makes their part of the countryside reek horribly – it makes tending the garden or even walking to town nearly intolerable and eventually prompts the family to move into town There are also some happy times, such as when the family discovers that the surveyor who has come to work on the dam is actually Charlotte’s mother’s brother whom she hadn’t seen since leaving Scotland nearly two decades ago Another main focus in this installment of the series is Charlotte attending a school for young ladies in town. Overall, I highly recommend the series and wish that Wiley had written the Caroline Years, too (they are decent, but not as good as Martha and Charlotte, IMO).

[Rea K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well. It's over. Now, being that I know a load of what Mrs. Wiley wrote was fiction, I want to know what wasn't fiction. Still waiting for my time machine. Doctor, I'm waiting. Still waiting.
We didn't meet Henry Quiner at all. We learn more about Martha's past, but I would have liked to hear more. However, I guess it makes sense that we don't hear everything. I mean, how many of us know all of our parent's stories? I guess Martha didn't want to tell her children everything about her past. I still want to know how Martha ended up married to Lewis Tucker. I mean, you've fictionalized everything else about her life, you can handle making up a story about that.
Ready for the Caroline series, I guess. I only wish there was more of Charlotte's years, too. I guess there's only so much that Melissa Wiley was able to fictionalize.
My little brother was peeking at one of these books and says "I thought they were all written by the person they were about!" I wish. That would have made them rock. I guess you can't blame them for not writing their own stories. How were they supposed to know that Laura was going to be born and write about her life and have scads of people fall in love with her and want to know about Martha and Charlotte and Caroline, too? Ah! Okay. from the Charlotte series, I'd only read the first one. I'm thinking that by the time these ones were published, I had almost outgrown them. I was definitely reading other things by 2004. Of course, it's possible that I wasn't as interested in the rest of the stories or they weren't on the bookmobile when I was reading these.
Right. Well. Onto the next series when it shows up at the library. There are seven in that series and my silly library has three of them (1, 2, and 6). *huffs* Luckily I was able to place holds before some turd checked the first two out on me. Different author. Will she pull off the same magic? dundundun.... We'll have to see.

[Ashley Perham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does this book deserve 5 stars? Probably not. It was a good book and had great parts, but most of the story did not stand out much. BUT there were two parts that made this book for me. They both almost made me cry, but for different reasons. The first was because I was so happy, the second was because I felt so sad. Because of spoilers, I'm not going to go into detail, but let's just say I'm still feeling the effects of those parts! Also, the cover for the third book should have been the cover of this book, I'm just saying. Also, people named Mack are awesome!

If you know the happy part I'm talking about, then please comment so we can be happy together!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story a lot. It went fast. There was a particularly sad part I wish was omitted lol but the ending brought the series together nicely. I wish there were more charlotte books, I enjoyed this series.

[Galina Krasskova]

my god daughter loves this series. :)

[Alenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked this one the best for its well-woven-in lessons on contentment and joy. “I’ve had a roof over my head most every night of my life, and a meal in my belly most every day. That’s a good deal to be happy about... My life’s been more steady like. I ain’t the kind o’ person who turns up her nose at what’s served her, just ‘cause it ain’t something else. I ate what the Almighty served me, and it filled me up just fine.”

[Paul Lunger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The finale to the Charlotte Years series, Melissa Wiley's "Across the Puddingstone Dam" is perhaps the best of the series as we wrap up the tale in 1819 with a lot of changes in the Tucker household. Charlotte goes off to an exclusive school for girls, a new family members is added & lost, & a dam is completed causing the home on Tide Mill Lane to become something more than what it was. The story is as quick moving & interesting as the others & we have a chance encounter with a relative of Lewis Tucker (the father) along with secrets revealed that tell truly of life in the America in the early 19th century. Overall this is not the best of conclusions to the series, but it works enough to make the reader wish there were more tales.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

"God could have given me more, but He could have given me a good deal less. ...plenty o' family around me; plenty for me to help look after when I was spry and plenty to look after me now I ain't. I've had a roof over my head most every night of my life, and a meal in my belly most every day. That's a good deal to be happy about. ...I ate what the Almighty served me, and it filled me up just fine" (137).

I finally finished the Charlotte series and have now read all of the Little House books covering all five generations (Martha, Charlotte, Caroline, Laura, and Rose). I put off finishing this series because I didn't want it to end. I was also disappointed because Melissa Wiley never got to finish the Martha or Charlotte series properly due to the publisher trying to adapt and shorten her books. Rightfully so, Wiley disagreed with trying to essentially "dumb down" her writing as she had too much respect for her readers. You can read more about this in my first Martha book review or with these links:
https://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/09...
https://melissawiley.typepad.com/bonn...

Little House is such an important part of my life, and I have visited several of the historic sites. I watched the tv series and met some of the cast members at reunions at Walnut Grove. I grew up reading Laura's original series by checking them out of the library, and then my parents bought me my own boxed set. Once I discovered Laura Ingalls Wilder's original series was expanded with the other generations, I spent years collecting all of these books. I found some at garage sales or thrift stores; I bought one of the Martha books, Beyond the Heather Hills, for 25 cents at Goodwill; around 2005, I bought all of the Caroline books in the series with a gift card at a local bookstore back when I was young, and they were still being printed. Then I found some Charlotte books on Ebay and bought them before they became even more rare. However, I was missing this last book in the series all of my childhood. I could find some on Ebay but the cheapest one was $50 and as a middle schooler I did not have that kind of money and thought I could find it at a book sale, garage sale, thrift store, or really anywhere else and it would be cheaper and a great score. I should not have waited though because I never found it and the prices only increased online. Finally I was gifted this book as an adult for my birthday, and it is truly one of my favorite gifts ever.

Even after finally acquiring this book, I put off reading it and instead read the Martha series first, then took a break and re-read the Martha series again before finally starting the Charlotte series. Long story short (not really, I know!) I finished this last book, and it was worth the wait. I mean the first page opened with an illustration of my favorite bird, the blue heron, and that set the tone right there! I don't want to spoil what happens, but this book had all the warmth and charm of the original Little House books. Charlotte is growing up and helps her mother, Martha, with her new baby brother. Martha does not talk much about her childhood growing up in Scotland to her children, but this changes with the addition of a surprising new character. Sadly, there are other hardships and trials which is a consistent theme in Little House, but Charlotte matures as a result and we get to learn some shocking things about Martha that were not covered earlier in her books. In fact, I would highly recommend starting with the Martha series to truly appreciate all of these series, and I do think the time and money you spend to find these books will be worth it. I waited years to finish this book, but I was laughing and crying as I read chapter after chapter of the fun, surprises, challenges, and heartaches faced by this pioneer family living by Boston Bay. As a children's book, it is still relatable even as an adult since I was going through some of these same trials myself so this book was very timely, and this shows how even though this is set during the 1800s, the messages in this book still ring true today. This is why the timeless legacy of Little House continues.

Thank you, Melissa Wiley, for writing these series and expanding Laura's story. I know you did not get to finish the series as you wanted, but as a die-hard Little House fan and now one of yours too, I appreciate the contributions you have made.

"You canna put a wall around your heart, Lottie. If you build a wall against the pain, you keep out the love as well. ...I canna promise you a life free from pain, Charlotte. You are sufferin' now, and you shall suffer again. ...You shall not let it break you!" (193).

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Across the Puddingstone Dam, the last novel in the Charlotte Years series. I remember I purchased this novel at the supermarket about 12 years ago and it was $5.99 CAD. I was obsessed with Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House. However, I did not understand that this was about her grandmother. In addition, the first two novels in the Charlotte Years definitely built important context. I would highly recommend that those who wish to read this series, begin with the first novel.

In this book, construction on the Mill and Cross Dams have begun, right down Tide Mill Lane from the Tucker’s house. Charlotte and Lydia learn of a school for young ladies taught by Miss Eaton and beg Mama and Papa to allow them to tend. Mama and Papa oblige and Charlotte and Lydia begin to attend Miss Eaton’s school to learn subjects such as French, geography, needlepoint, and art. One day while walking down Tide Mill Lane, Charlotte and Mary meet a Scottish surveyor by the name of Mack. Months later, Mack appears at the door of the Tucker house to have his cut hand bandaged. Mack tells stories to Charlotte, Mary, Tom, and Lewis while Charlotte cleans his cut and bandages his hand. Later that day at dinner, Charlotte recounts a story that Mack told her and the others to Mama and Papa about his sister and how he sank a doll of hers on a toy boat. Mama dropped her cider mug upon hearing the familiar story and ran to Gravelly Point to meet Mack. It turns out that Mack is her long lost brother Duncan, who Mama lost touch with when she left Scotland for the United States. Charlotte’s brother George is born and the Tucker family moved from Tide Mill Lane to past the town common of Roxbury. The completion of the Mill Dam brought such an awful odour that Papa decided to move the family. The new house is beautiful, with many windows and rooms. It seems that Charlotte grew up quite a bit wealthier than Caroline or Laura ever did. Not long after moving into the new house, the entire family - with the exception of Mama, Lewis, and Papa - fell ill. Unfortunately, baby George never recovered and passed away. Charlotte became empty inside. In her anger, Charlotte smashes the window of the old Tucker house with a rock. Charlotte finally cries when Mama tells her about the loss of three other children: Nancy, Linus, and Betsy. The novel ends with Charlotte finally visiting Boston, the city in which we know from other novels that she will work and live in one day as a dressmaker.

[Savani · Rating 2 out of 5]

***WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS***
In this fourth and final installment of *The Charlotte Years*, Charlotte Tucker is on the cusp of turning 11, navigating the changes in her family and community as dams are built to improve travel to Boston. The summer heat, the discovery of her mother's possible pregnancy, and the opening of a new young ladies' school are just the beginning of a season full of challenges and growth for Charlotte.

The story offers a glimpse into Charlotte's world, where family, faith, and education are central to her daily life. Wiley does a beautiful job of capturing the rhythms of a 19th-century Massachusetts village, where community is close-knit and everyone’s lives intertwine. The family dynamics are heartwarming, especially Charlotte's evolving relationships with her siblings and her yearning to make life easier for her pregnant mother. There’s a quiet tension as Charlotte eavesdrops on conversations, tries to be helpful in ways that sometimes backfire, and faces the emotional hardships of growing up.

The emotional heart of the story lies in the more serious themes, such as the illness that ravages the community, the tragic death of Charlotte’s baby brother George, and Charlotte’s struggle with grief. Her journey through this loss, along with the support of her mother and family, is deeply moving and highlights how people coped with loss and hardship in a time before modern medicine.

The book shines with its blend of historical detail and personal reflection, making it a compelling read for fans of the *Little House* series. Charlotte's connection to her environment, especially as her family faces a move due to the changing landscape and the newly built dams, adds to the book's theme of transitions—both in the external world and in Charlotte’s inner life.

Wiley paints Charlotte as a thoughtful, somewhat headstrong young girl, wrestling with expectations of what her life should be, whether it’s about the ladies’ school, her role in the family, or processing the inevitable changes in her world. The book is filled with heartwarming and emotional moments, balancing the everyday joys of family life with the somber reality of loss. It’s a poignant conclusion to Charlotte's story, perfect for readers who enjoy historical fiction with depth and family-centered themes.

Overall, *Across the Puddingstone Dam* is a rich, emotional story about growing up, loss, and moving forward amidst change.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it’s going to take a while before I finish being annoyed that the Charlotte & Martha series were not longer. I am feeling quite let down by the fact that these were only 4 books each, whereas the Caroline/Rose series were 7. The author has written fictionalised accounts of their lives (I presume not much is known about Martha/Charlotte or even at some points, Caroline), but surely we could have at least had Charlotte meeting her future husband? Martha getting married?

Anyway.

This book finds Charlotte at the age of 11-12. She’s growing up and the town of Roxbury is growing around her. There is a new dam being built, to connect Roxbury and Boston better - hence the title. She has a new baby brother on the way - hence the cover. She goes to an almost “finishing school”, which to me sounds more like something that would be done at 16+, but never mind.

There’s some more upheaval in this book, as the family decide that due to the construction work/noise/smell of sewage, they need to move house, and I identified with Charlotte not wanting to move. This book again deals with the serious issue of death, which you may want to keep away from younger readers. Nothing happens to Charlotte - obviously she has to continue on to be the grandmother of Laura.

I was a bit disappointed that Henry Quiner, her future husband, does not feature. Even Martha’s Lew shows up by the end of her series, even just in passing. I know all of them will have not met their forever love in their early years (yes I’m looking at you Rose), but even a epilogue, or a brief overview of what we know happened, would have been nice. But I guess we just need to rely on the family free right at the beginning.

These books are extremely hard to get a hold of now and I would only recommend them for serious fans of anything Laura Ingalls. I collected them over a period of time, and waited until I had them all before reading. They are nice to have, and “complete” the full Laura family, the matriarchs who made her the woman she became. But I just wish the author had stuck to the 7 book format.

[Bekah Forbes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the abrupt ending, which seems to be a common theme for this book series, this was a touching story. I was actually very impressed with how the author dealt with grief and loss throughout the book. I thought Charlotte’s reactions to her first experience with a death in the family, the changes that were occurring in Boston during this time period, and the move away from her childhood home were all very relatable. Duncan’s return was fun to read and I appreciated all the references to Martha’s own series. My biggest complaint is that yet again I have no context for how Charlotte gets from this point in her life to where she will be in Caroline’s series (widowed with children in an entirely different state from the next book’s description…) As this series had some clues on Martha and Lew’s life before Charlotte, I’m really hoping that the next series will have clues about Charlotte and her mystery husband. On the off chance that an aspiring author sees this, I feel like books about Martha and Charlotte’s early adult life and relationships would actually be really fun to read— somebody make it happen please!

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had no right to be this good.

I had found the rest of the books in The Charlotte Years to be bland and forgettable but this book takes things to a different level. Things are allowed to be complicated and it's due to the fact that Charlotte is 11/12, an age when there is still that innocence of childhood mixed with the growing complexities and tribulations of adulthood.

This is a book all about change, both the good and the bad. It's handled really well.

I wish this series continued into the later years of Charlotte. I would be so interested to read about Charlotte's time as a dressmaker and her meeting Henry Quiner but alas, it was not to be. From my understanding, books following the later years of both Martha and Charlotte were planned but were canceled by the publisher. Oh well.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the fourth and last book in the Charlotte years Little House series. And the eight book in the Little House set of books. The Charlotte years books were just as good as the Martha years both were a delight to read! This book was just as good I felt as the other three in the Charlotte years but probably not my favorite of the series. It didn't have as much 'history' in them as the other books but it still was a very good, easy read. I will be rereading them again! Will always be some of my favorite books!

[liso]

I’ve been reading the Charlotte series with my two kids- 5 and 8. We’ve really enjoyed them. The first half of this book was pretty slow for me. It picked up but the main reason for me writing this review is that this book touches on some pretty heavy subjects. A woman in the story tries to commit suicide after her daughter dies - Charlotte’s baby brother dies - and her mother tells her that she’s buried four babies. There’s definitely a message of resilience but for younger or sensitive readers it’s nice to know it’s in there...

[Melissa Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting conclusion to Charlotte 's story with her world changing .From From a new house to the birth of her baby brother George . Charlotte experiences a year filed with Tragedy and joy. One thing is for certain, her life will never be the same. Another thing, I loved the reference to the Martha years with the reappearance of a old character. It would be nice if Melissa Wiley wrote about Charlotte 's romance with Henry Quiner .You can't leave us hanging. # Continue the Martha years #Continue the Charlotte years

[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 books but the Charlotte books are a close third for me. I am from the Boston area so I enjoy reading about this region of the world plus the descriptions are excellent.

[Kristen Luppino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well rendered. Makes you feel. I wish there were more in this series.

[Lindsay Bray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite one in the series by Melissa Wiley. It was a bit slow at times and I was left wanting more after I finished it. Really enjoyed getting to glimpse back at the family history though.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end it was very sad I felt like crying

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

its nice

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice story filled with good moments!

[Lily Bliss]

Can't remember if it's this one or another in the series but one of the Charlotte books mentions miscarriage and baby's graves so do be aware of that!

[Abra · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of the Charlotte years stories.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Across the Puddingstone Dam, the last Charlotte Years book, is the best one. Dealing with issues of death, loss, family, change, and maturity, it’s the most serious of all four books, but there are still moments that are heartwarming and uplifting. One of those is the reunion of Martha and Duncan. The benefit of Wiley having written both the Martha Years and the Charlotte Years is that there’s no retconning or mistakes made—stories and characters and situations are true to what was revealed earlier.

This book is the last Charlotte book, but it’s also so closely related to Martha that it’s almost as if it’s a continuation of the Martha Years. We learn much more about Martha in this book than we ever did in the first three Charlotte books. Perhaps this book was written with the knowledge that HarperCollins was killing the series, so Wiley wanted to give as much information about her characters as possible. The book is still definitely about Charlotte, but there is a strong focus on Martha—even to the extent of sacrificing the characterization of Charlotte’s brothers and sisters.

I’m really not sure how historically accurate Wiley’s books are (in terms of the real-life people they depict, not the events), but if there’s one thing I can appreciate about this book, it’s the love and dedication Wiley clearly has for these characters, particularly Martha. And while the maturity of this book is quite a step up from the previous titles, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing, as it shows that Charlotte is growing up, too. The Charlotte Years were not my favorite, but Across the Puddingstone Dam was a highlight.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointing ending to this series!

It had such a promising start, I thought. I liked it better than the Martha series right off the bat (I am reading/re-reading the Little House books this year; see my Beyond the Heather Hills comment). I suppose that had something to do with a combination of things. For one thing it takes place in America now. Also, the first two were during the War of 1812. While there aren't many things specifcally mentioned regarding the war (more just the way some things in their lives are altered/different because of the war), it did make the first two books much more interesting than all 4 of the Martha books. The third one (The Road from Roxbury) was OK. But this last one was just not good at all. It was tolerable enough to give it more than just one star but not beyond that. I would like to say what it was that pushed me over the edge of dissatisfaction with this book, but I guess it would be somewhat of a spoiler alert situation. And I am not one to write those. I will just say it involves the moment Charlotte and her mother (Martha) are alone together after something dramatic happens. I just thought that was a little too much.

All-in-all, despite the low rating of this one, I would give this series 3 stars.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the final book in the Charlotte series and thank goodness it's over. She was the most boring bough on the Little House Legacy family tree. She didn't have much of a personality and was a very sedated young lady happy with her sewing. Her mother, Martha Morse, is one of my favorite characters and she helped me get through this collection. I don't remember much about this book other than the town built a dam so stinky near their house they had to move! I also thought it was in very poor taste to include the a baby on the considering it would eventually pass away. Either the illustrator wasn't informed or they wanted to punch me in the gut when I finally read that chapter. I only have one book left in my possession in Caroline's series. The other two books are out of print and incredibly hard to find. I am not willing to dish out $100 just for a book that I can finish in an hour. I adore these books, but I have my limits. Regardless, I'm happy I can finally close Charlotte's chapter and finish my journey with her daughter, Caroline. Ma Ingalls, here we come!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 5 year old daughter and I accidentally saw a mention of George's death when we were checking to see how long the next few chapters were at our bedtime reading. My son, her baby brother, is 9 months old and so whenever Charlotte talked about George my daughter would rave about how that was just how she felt about her brother and related so strongly. So when we found out that George would be dying in a few chapters she was literally SICK about it for a few days. I couldn't bring myself to read it, either. Which, really, is a compliment to Ms. Wiley's writing because we were just so besotted with this family and baby George that we couldn't bear it. We finally buckled down and read it and it ended up being handled very well. It was very sad and emotional and we both cried, but it wasn't overly dramatic or heavy handed. We could both relate to Charlotte's reaction considering that's more or less how we had just handled it ourselves for the last few days!

[Kasey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was one of my favorites in the Charlotte years, that said it was also one of the saddest. This book showed just how hard it was living in the time of Laura's grandmother. I would greatly encourage Little House fans to read the whole little house series beginning with Laura's great grandmother, Martha, and ending with Laura's daugher, Rose. It was so much fun reading about the different times these women lived in. Rated three stars because it is way below my reading level so it is a entertaining fast read.

[Sanya Weathers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I'm on a kid lit binge, shut it. My actual kid is getting the hang of reading and is starting to climb onto my lap to "read along," and let me tell you, the later Heinleins are not AT ALL the kind of thing I feel like explaining.

Also, there is some uh-maze-ing kid lit.

Like this one. You want a picture of 1820, with its joys and sorrows, read this. Unlike some, if not most, of the spinoff books, this one is excellent even if you don't know or care about the future significance of the characters.