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Little House: The Caroline Years #2
Little Town at the Crossroads
Caroline watches eagerly as buildings spring up overnight and more and more families move into the growing town of Brookfield, Wisconsin. There are all sorts of exciting, new things for Caroline to do! She gets to march in her first Independence Day parade, a circus comes to town, and there are new faces in school almost every week. But Mother keeps saying that she wants to move to a larger farm. Will Caroline have to say good-bye to the little town of Brookfield? The adventures of the little girl who would grow up to be Ma Ingalls in the Little House books continues.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1997
27 people are currently reading
3217 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
August 1, 2013
3.5 stars Enjoyable, though I'm starting to tire of too many anecdotes that are too similar to ones in the original books. Still, the writing is better than in the other non-Laura Little House books I've read so far, and who knows how narrow the guidelines were for this commissioned work.
It is interesting that Caroline is not portrayed much like the even-tempered, somewhat narrow-minded adult she became, so I'm curious to see how her character develops. This spinoff usually does best when it takes a little creative license to imagine its heroine's life as its own entity, and not just as the future mother of Laura Ingalls.
It is interesting that Caroline is not portrayed much like the even-tempered, somewhat narrow-minded adult she became, so I'm curious to see how her character develops. This spinoff usually does best when it takes a little creative license to imagine its heroine's life as its own entity, and not just as the future mother of Laura Ingalls.
June 22, 2021
A sweet addition to the Caroline books. There's an incident, likely drawn from Martha Quiner's letters to Laura Ingalls Wilder, that may have incited Caroline Ingalls's fear of Native Americans. Wilkes stays true to the heart of Little House, which is explaining what life was like on the frontier in the 1800s.
I had to giggle this time around when it turns out that Caroline's best school friends are named none other than...
My grandmother, the daughter of German and Austrian immigrants, also started school only speaking German, which deepened my sympathy with Elsa, struggling to spell in English. The Quiners are planning to move by the end of this book, and I'll be sad to see Elsa left behind.
Content warnings: mentions of murder; a brief mention of blackface (far less egregious than the instance in Little Town on the Prairie). All good fodder for discussing views in the 1840s vs. treating people with kindness and humility in the modern world.
I had to giggle this time around when it turns out that Caroline's best school friends are named none other than...
My grandmother, the daughter of German and Austrian immigrants, also started school only speaking German, which deepened my sympathy with Elsa, struggling to spell in English. The Quiners are planning to move by the end of this book, and I'll be sad to see Elsa left behind.
Content warnings: mentions of murder; a brief mention of blackface (far less egregious than the instance in Little Town on the Prairie). All good fodder for discussing views in the 1840s vs. treating people with kindness and humility in the modern world.
November 16, 2025
This was a quick and interesting read about Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother's life as a young girl in Wisconsin in the 1840s. I enjoyed the book, although it was not as good as the originals written by Laura
Ingalls Wilder. I'd give it a solid 3.8 stars. a nice way to spend about a day reading and getting to know Caroline as a child.
Ingalls Wilder. I'd give it a solid 3.8 stars. a nice way to spend about a day reading and getting to know Caroline as a child.
September 2, 2017
This begins on the 70th anniversary of Independence, and it's interesting to see the freedom of children running about and firecrackers randomly going off. People were alive who had known the war, which is amazing.
There was also gun powder being exploded which is a bit nerve wracking.
It ends a year and a half later, at Christmas. Its a great book with plusses, but something about it doesn't make me give it 5 stars. 4.5 definitely.
We see how immigrants were treated. What makes me sad is that very few things have changed. Even if people show patience towards them, they still receive animosity and "you must speak English."
I like the benefits farmers have when owning a dog.
With that, farming isn't easy. My students informed me 3 years ago that groundhogs and chipmunks wreak havoc on farms. I was surprised. But I shouldn't have been - that fact is stated very plainly here.
Martha becomes almost ridiculous with her crush on Charlie Carpenter. And yet, a lot of it is understandable. She's a young teen and her behavior reflects that.
I do find it a bit humorous that, since we read this through Caroline's eyes, the 6/7-year-old hasn't caught on to her sister's fancy. Her brothers certainly have, but there's naivety from Caroline. It's adorable.
I like that we see more of Mrs. Carpenter!
It's very sad when grandma goes back to Milwaukee. I looked up the general distance between the city and Brookfield: about 13 miles. 20 minutes without traffic (according to Google maps). So it's even more sad that such a distance was too long for anything more than once-a-year interactions (if that).
Charlotte telling her daughter that young ladies don't crawl around the floor made me laugh aloud.
The idea of children not knowing that Christmas was year until a week or two out sounds fantastic and relaxing.
The phrase "This is so pumpkins" made me snort. It's so weird!
I freaking LOVE the reminder that there are good and bad people of all kinds, and that an impression of one (or a few) from a given culture is not reflective of that entire culture/group of people. Thus, there is no need for animosity towards others simply because of their "group."
I love that circuses came through towns like we see in shows and movies these days. I would thoroughly enjoy seeing that.
There was also gun powder being exploded which is a bit nerve wracking.
It ends a year and a half later, at Christmas. Its a great book with plusses, but something about it doesn't make me give it 5 stars. 4.5 definitely.
We see how immigrants were treated. What makes me sad is that very few things have changed. Even if people show patience towards them, they still receive animosity and "you must speak English."
I like the benefits farmers have when owning a dog.
With that, farming isn't easy. My students informed me 3 years ago that groundhogs and chipmunks wreak havoc on farms. I was surprised. But I shouldn't have been - that fact is stated very plainly here.
Martha becomes almost ridiculous with her crush on Charlie Carpenter. And yet, a lot of it is understandable. She's a young teen and her behavior reflects that.
I do find it a bit humorous that, since we read this through Caroline's eyes, the 6/7-year-old hasn't caught on to her sister's fancy. Her brothers certainly have, but there's naivety from Caroline. It's adorable.
I like that we see more of Mrs. Carpenter!
It's very sad when grandma goes back to Milwaukee. I looked up the general distance between the city and Brookfield: about 13 miles. 20 minutes without traffic (according to Google maps). So it's even more sad that such a distance was too long for anything more than once-a-year interactions (if that).
Charlotte telling her daughter that young ladies don't crawl around the floor made me laugh aloud.
The idea of children not knowing that Christmas was year until a week or two out sounds fantastic and relaxing.
The phrase "This is so pumpkins" made me snort. It's so weird!
I freaking LOVE the reminder that there are good and bad people of all kinds, and that an impression of one (or a few) from a given culture is not reflective of that entire culture/group of people. Thus, there is no need for animosity towards others simply because of their "group."
I love that circuses came through towns like we see in shows and movies these days. I would thoroughly enjoy seeing that.
April 9, 2023
I do love reading the world through Caroline Quiner's eyes and she seems like such a sweet, bright girl, but her sister, Martha, is such a cow. She's bratty, obnoxious, and leaps into confrontations like a wildcat. Little Town at the Crossroads featured Caroline celebrating an early version of July 4th, scaring gophers out of her family's crops, and receiving a trunk full of goodies from her family in Boston. This collection is lovely, but it's touched by sadness. Caroline's father died at sea and her mother is struggling to care for her family of six children. It's plenty of secondhand stress, but at least they're kind to each other, for the most part. I'm looking at you, Martha Quiner! I only have one book left in my personal collection for Caroline until I start Charlotte's books. I wish time and time again that these books weren't out of publication and easier to find. Hopefully, I'll find them on my future book sale adventures. Caroline is a darling little girl and I love her sunny approach to life.
September 6, 2011
This was a perfectly fine entry in the series, episodic and with no throughline. It seems to have been based on original accounts by Caroline Quiner's sister, and I think maybe the author stuck too close to the originals to give the book just a little more cohesion. But then, the original Little House books were just accounts of daily life, so perhaps no more is needed.
May 27, 2018
I kind of expected these books to pick up after the previous one finished, I don’t know why. But this focuses on another year or so in young Caroline Quiner’s early years in Brookfield, shortly after the previous book ended.
In this, we see more of Caroline at school and having to deal with a new teacher; a very Nellie Oleson-esque character who speaks to her as abominably as the infamous Nellie did to Laura; “white bears” and a whole host of other daily adventures.
There are a couple of weird coincidences in this particular book, or I’m remembering the original books wrong. The author’s note states that prior to writing the books, Laura contacted her mum’s older sister, Martha, for stories about them growing up. I can understand that, seeing as Caroline died in 1924. So why so many similarities between the books? Two different authors, which both speak about Indians “visiting” the house (maybe I’m remembering this from the TV show) and the biggest coincidence of all - Mr Carpenter singing “Old Dan Tucker”. Those of you most familiar with the book and TV show, will know that this is famously sung by Mr Edwards, played by Victor French in the show. I’m sure there may be other coincidences that I should have picked up on, had I read the originals before starting these.
I have noticed one glaring mistake in this book - the first book talks about Martha going out with a new dress and a hole in her shoe, and getting teased by the Town Girls (ie Nellie Oleson’s grandmother and her crew!) but in this book, written by the same author, it clearly says that Martha wasn’t wearing shoes when she started getting teased by this gaggle of girls. I read both of these back to back. It was a very obvious mistake that shouldn’t have made it to print.
The book ends with the prospect of Caroline’s family having to move away from their little home in Brookfield, so I look forward to picking up the next one and hopefully getting Caroline that one step closer to meeting Charles.
In this, we see more of Caroline at school and having to deal with a new teacher; a very Nellie Oleson-esque character who speaks to her as abominably as the infamous Nellie did to Laura; “white bears” and a whole host of other daily adventures.
There are a couple of weird coincidences in this particular book, or I’m remembering the original books wrong. The author’s note states that prior to writing the books, Laura contacted her mum’s older sister, Martha, for stories about them growing up. I can understand that, seeing as Caroline died in 1924. So why so many similarities between the books? Two different authors, which both speak about Indians “visiting” the house (maybe I’m remembering this from the TV show) and the biggest coincidence of all - Mr Carpenter singing “Old Dan Tucker”. Those of you most familiar with the book and TV show, will know that this is famously sung by Mr Edwards, played by Victor French in the show. I’m sure there may be other coincidences that I should have picked up on, had I read the originals before starting these.
I have noticed one glaring mistake in this book - the first book talks about Martha going out with a new dress and a hole in her shoe, and getting teased by the Town Girls (ie Nellie Oleson’s grandmother and her crew!) but in this book, written by the same author, it clearly says that Martha wasn’t wearing shoes when she started getting teased by this gaggle of girls. I read both of these back to back. It was a very obvious mistake that shouldn’t have made it to print.
The book ends with the prospect of Caroline’s family having to move away from their little home in Brookfield, so I look forward to picking up the next one and hopefully getting Caroline that one step closer to meeting Charles.
August 19, 2018
I missed this series when I was first discovering the world of "Little House" back as a 10 year old, so when I saw this book at the local thrift shop I went ahead and picked it up. Who wouldn't want to know more about Ma? But really...no one can capture Laura Ingalls Wilder's voice like Laura herself. Wilkes tries, but it lacks that charm that comes from firsthand experience (I felt the same way about The Rose Years books). I think the biggest thing was that the book felt like a bunch of random events strung together with no overarching general plot. Normally I'd rate this a 2, but if I were the target age I'm certain I would have liked it better, so it gets an extra star because of that!
June 5, 2019
My partner and I started watching Little House on the Prairie during the long, slow night shift at work. This sparked my interested in revisiting the Caroline Years, which I first started when they were still being written.
This book was enjoyable from the first page to the last. Ms Wilkes' writing sucked me in with the beautiful sentences describing the people and places in Caroline's life, while still keeping the charming, classic style so familiar from the original Little House books. It only took me a few hours to get through this book - I started reading and couldn't stop till it was over.
This book was enjoyable from the first page to the last. Ms Wilkes' writing sucked me in with the beautiful sentences describing the people and places in Caroline's life, while still keeping the charming, classic style so familiar from the original Little House books. It only took me a few hours to get through this book - I started reading and couldn't stop till it was over.
September 14, 2020
I thought this book was well-written and offered an interesting historical insight, much like the first one. We can truly begin to see Caroline possess qualities and characteristics that are apparent during her time as Ma Ingalls. During this book, Caroline attends school for the first time and very much enjoys it. Grandma Quiner must return home after helping Charlotte care for the children.
In addition, the Quiner family must sadly leave Brookfield to purchase land and begin a homestead. I’m just hoping that Caroline meets Charles at this new location!
In addition, the Quiner family must sadly leave Brookfield to purchase land and begin a homestead. I’m just hoping that Caroline meets Charles at this new location!
April 17, 2020
These are endearing stories that add to the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder. This specific book is about Caroline's childhood, the mother of Laura. It highlights the events of Caroline's siblings and her single mother, who is left to raise them after her husband is lost at sea. A great story for a middle reader or anyone that wants to learn about history and more stories connected to Laura Ingalls Wilder.
September 24, 2017
My eight year old daughter and I continue to enjoy these accounts of Ma (Caroline) Ingalls and her growing up years! We get a little impatient waiting for the next volume to arrive at the library :).
December 7, 2018
I liked this more than Rose's stories but not as much as Laura's. This book covers about a year of Caroline's childhood in Wisconsin. I enjoyed reading about the maple sugar and Christmas. I preferred most of the farm chapters to the school and town chapters.
June 10, 2019
This 2nd book in the Brookfield years is a great continuation for the little house books. Young Caroline goes threw her young years in the first three books. Really good read I am in middle school and I LOVED it! I recommend it for all ages from 5 and up.
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.
July 7, 2022
Not in any way a bad read, just disappointing in comparison with the Melissa Wiley books. Still a solid bit of historical fiction that deftly illustrates settler life in Wisconsin in the early 1840s. Definitely helping me form a better understanding of why Ma was the way she was in the Laura books.
October 9, 2017
A continuation of Caroline's story, but again nicely written.
February 1, 2018
It is a good book and makes me know more about the places they added in the book like boston.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2021
Another darling Little House on the Prairie type book, probably best for 8-11 year olds
September 17, 2021
A cute story in the books about young Caroline Quiner! Definitely recommend!
August 24, 2023
Saat kecil, hari minggu saya diisi dengan menunggu dan menonton tayangan film Little House di tvri. Sekitar jam 1 siang, ketika film bahas, saya sering berusaha mengingat bagaimana jalan cerita film tadi.
Sosok Ma, selalu digambarkan sebagai ibu yang gesit, serba bisa, dan sabar. Aneh rasanya menemukan polahnya yang lincah dalam buku ini.
Pembaca akan menemukan Ma dengan julukan Kepang Coklat Kecil versi kecil. Penuh ceria dan kenakalan ala anak-anak.
Sosok Ma, selalu digambarkan sebagai ibu yang gesit, serba bisa, dan sabar. Aneh rasanya menemukan polahnya yang lincah dalam buku ini.
Pembaca akan menemukan Ma dengan julukan Kepang Coklat Kecil versi kecil. Penuh ceria dan kenakalan ala anak-anak.
July 24, 2024
I am still satisfied with the series so far and love the author's ability to transfer you by her well-crafted descriptions right there with Caroline Quiner. Seeing Caroline continue to grow up gives the reader a better idea of what Ma was like and how she became the Ma we know today. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the Little House series.
June 4, 2025
Not a lot to say about this one. Caroline’s story is not the most interesting so far, but it is still touching to see how her family perseveres in tough times.
Want to read
July 31, 2025SM
June 20, 2025
I vividly remember the 4th of July parade.
August 30, 2021
Turtle: great! Return to library.
August 10, 2023
These stories about Caroline as a child are so sweet. My daughters really relate to the way Caroline feels about things - her fears, excitements, and curiosities could have been written by my girls!
We especially liked the scenes of Caroline seeing the circus passing by and then the misunderstanding that happens later on related to that. We were all laughing out loud! Which is a great feat since one of the animals involved is one that we have a general phobia of in our house. It really helped us in real time reduce the fear of that animal because the story was so funny. Bonus for us!
See review on Substack: https://momsmusings.substack.com/i/13...
We especially liked the scenes of Caroline seeing the circus passing by and then the misunderstanding that happens later on related to that. We were all laughing out loud! Which is a great feat since one of the animals involved is one that we have a general phobia of in our house. It really helped us in real time reduce the fear of that animal because the story was so funny. Bonus for us!
See review on Substack: https://momsmusings.substack.com/i/13...
February 26, 2017
Second book is better than the first yet again. I also enjoyed hearing about from where the author gathered her information to write the book. This one was quite close, in Brookfield, WI, which was also fun!
October 19, 2020
This second book in the Caroline series features a spirited but sensitive and kind Caroline Quiner who enjoys her 4th of July and Christmas celebrations. In this book, Caroline's grandmother moves in with Laura's uncle. As Caroline goes to school, she's upset by the rich girls in her class. She also has to deal with the possibility of moving away as her mom gets a letter from the landlord. They find a wolf dog (named Wolf) who follows them on their adventures. Elsa, the German girl at school, becomes Caroline's friend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2011
Little Town at the Crossroads By Maria D Wilkes
By Michelle King period 2 English
The book I read is called little town at the crossroads. It about this girl named Martha and her family. This book takes place back in around the 17 and 18 hundreds. Some ideas about this book was well they did farming. Which wasn’t the main idea but obviously for a pioneer family they of course needed food to survive.
The book was organized very well. I liked how it was about a pioneer family living in the west. I did not find any weird or just out of place parts in the book. It was also very well detailed and I really liked that!
The person who wrote this book, who was Maria D Wilkes, wrote the story very well. Sometimes I guess it felt like you were a friend visiting and you experience the whole thing. She was really detailed in her writing and that’s what made the book really enjoyable.
The word use in this book was very well used. It was pretty nice how she really described things so you can get a clear picture in your head what she was describing. It wasn’t just like one word, but she took sentences to describe them. It seemed a little long sometimes, but I really appreciated it.
The fluency is very proper because back in those times. They were really strict on behavior and words you said. So you rarely heard a child say something mean. They also had a touch of western in the way they talk.
The conventions in this book are very simple. Instead of buying their food. They grew it. Instead of a heater to keep them warm. They would build a fire. These conventions are definitely not similar to the conventions we have now.
This book was very interesting. I loved the fact that it was based on a pioneer family and it was kind of cute! I am very happy I was able to read this and it was fun to read this book!
By Michelle King period 2 English
The book I read is called little town at the crossroads. It about this girl named Martha and her family. This book takes place back in around the 17 and 18 hundreds. Some ideas about this book was well they did farming. Which wasn’t the main idea but obviously for a pioneer family they of course needed food to survive.
The book was organized very well. I liked how it was about a pioneer family living in the west. I did not find any weird or just out of place parts in the book. It was also very well detailed and I really liked that!
The person who wrote this book, who was Maria D Wilkes, wrote the story very well. Sometimes I guess it felt like you were a friend visiting and you experience the whole thing. She was really detailed in her writing and that’s what made the book really enjoyable.
The word use in this book was very well used. It was pretty nice how she really described things so you can get a clear picture in your head what she was describing. It wasn’t just like one word, but she took sentences to describe them. It seemed a little long sometimes, but I really appreciated it.
The fluency is very proper because back in those times. They were really strict on behavior and words you said. So you rarely heard a child say something mean. They also had a touch of western in the way they talk.
The conventions in this book are very simple. Instead of buying their food. They grew it. Instead of a heater to keep them warm. They would build a fire. These conventions are definitely not similar to the conventions we have now.
This book was very interesting. I loved the fact that it was based on a pioneer family and it was kind of cute! I am very happy I was able to read this and it was fun to read this book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews