Author: Carol Ryrie Brink
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Caddie's story is as much about her tomboy adventures with her brothers as it is about the frontier experience. She prefers exploring the woods more than the more "ladylike" pursuits embraced by her mother and older sister in the house. The traditional gender roles defined in the book are more than a little uncomfortable in light of 21st century sensibilities, though less so than the stories about Native Americans. Those issues aside, the stories are charming enough. Caddie's growing up moments center around the development of empathy: empathy for her Native American neighbors, for her tattle-tale younger sister, for her more refined Boston cousin, etc. Overall, I'd say the book is better than Little House, which I've begun several times but never finished, though far inferior to Anne of Green Gables.
Our daughter has long expressed an interest in the Upper Midwest, particularly Wisconsin and Minnesota. Her affection for this book helps me to understand why. Brink's love for the northern woodlands is obvious. We're hoping to make a cross-country journey sometime in the next few years and that part of the country seems a likely target for exploration.
For my part of the swap, I gave her A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony. I first read the book when I was about her age, 13. I'll be interested to see what she thinks of it. She's a far more sophisticated reader, especially of fantasy, than I was.
I started Xanth in middle school, though my first Anthony was the Apprentice Adept trilogy. I can't read those books, now. :/
ReplyDeleteI never tried that series but I got several books into Xanth. However, I don't remember much about any but the first one. I realize now that elements of the story are... problematic. But the basic premise is a good one and his writing is such fun.
DeleteI read probably the first 15 or so of the Xanth novels. They got to be where they were about the puns more than anything else, and I lost interest.
DeleteI think Dragon on a Pedestal was my last.
DeleteI loved Caddie as a little girl and read the book with my children.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Apparently it was one of my mother's favorites, though I had never heard of it until she gave a copy to my daughter.
DeleteNever heard of this. It sounds interesting, but proabbly not something I'll pick up. I love that your family is so into reading.
ReplyDeleteI love it, too!
DeleteI'm glad to have read the book as it interests my dauthger but I'm not sure I'd go so far as to recommend it to others. There are better choices out there.