These Happy Golden Years
Fifteen-year-old Laura lives apart from her family for the first time, teaching school in a claim shanty twelve miles from home. She is very homesick, but keeps at it so that she can help pay for her sister Mary's tuition at the college for the blind.
During school vacations Laura has fun with her singing lessons, going on sleigh rides, and best of all, helping Almanzo Wilder drive his new buggy. Friendship soon turns to love for Laura and Almanzo in the romantic conclusion of this Little House book.
Newbery Honor (1944)
About the Little House Series
Books in series order
- 1.Little House in the Big Woods(1932)
- 2.Farmer Boy(1933)
- 3.Little House on the Prairie(1935)
- 4.On the Banks of Plum Creek(1937)
- 5.By the Shores of Silver Lake(1939)
- 6.The Long Winter(1940)
- 7.Little Town on the Prairie(1941)
- 8.These Happy Golden Years(1943)
- 9.The First Four Years(1953)
Reading age: 8+ years
This series should be read in order.
Laura Ingalls and her family live deep in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Their log cabin is surrounded by miles of trees, and their closest neighbors are bears, wolves, and panthers. Daily chores keep Laura and her sister Mary busy, but they still find time to go exploring with their dog, Jack.
Pioneer life is sometimes hard for the family, since they must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. But it is also exciting as Laura and her family celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do the spring planting, bring in the harvest, and make their first trip into town. And every night they are safe and warm in their little house, with the happy sound of Pa's fiddle sending Laura and her sisters off to sleep.
And so begins Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved story of a pioneer girl and her family. The Little House books have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America's frontier history and as heartwarming, unforgettable stories. This series will appeal especially to fans of the Anne of Green Gables or Little Women series.