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~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE
MONDAY HISTORICAL
FICTION FEATURE ~
-- 'OLD TOWN IN THE GREEN GROVES' --
AUTHOR CYNTHIA RYLANT
~Post Includes: Book Spotlight,
Author Bio & Review~
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ABOUT THE
BOOK {from Goodreads}:
Laura
Ingalls Wilder wrote nine Little House books about her childhood growing upon
the western frontier. But there were two years she didn't write about, two
missing years that take place between On the Banks of Plum Creek and By the
Shores of Silver Lake. Now, Newbery Award-winning author Cynthia Rylant has
imagined what those lost Little House years were like, based on Laura's
unpublished memoirs. The result is the first Little House novel about Laura as
a young girl in almost 60 years, and a wonderful addition to the classic
series.
When the grasshopper plague returns to Plum Creek, Pa knows all the crops will
be destroyed again. He decides to take the family east to Burr Oak, Iowa, where
he has found work running a hotel. But Laura longs to return to the tall-grass
prairie and the unsettled west, to a place where Pa can play his fiddle in the
open air and where she can feel free again.
Old Town in the Green Groves continues the story about Laura Ingalls -- a story
whose wonder and adventure have delighted millions of readers.
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ABOUT THE
AUTHOR {from Goodreads}:
An author of
fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for children and young adults as well as an
author and author/illustrator of picture books for children, Cynthia Rylant is
recognized as a gifted writer who has contributed memorably to several genres
of juvenile literature. A prolific author who often bases her works on her own
background, especially on her childhood in the West Virginia mountains, she is
the creator of contemporary novels and historical fiction for young adults,
middle-grade fiction and fantasy, lyrical prose poems, beginning readers,
collections of short stories, volumes of poetry and verse, books of prayers and
blessings, two autobiographies, and a biography of three well-known children's
writers; several volumes of the author's fiction and picture books are
published in series, including the popular Henry and Mudge easy
readers about a small boy and his very large dog.
Rylant is perhaps most well known as a novelist. Characteristically, she
portrays introspective, compassionate young people who live in rural settings
or in small towns and who tend to be set apart from their peers.
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MY REVIEW:
I didn't
know this book existed until I came face-to-face with it as it sat on a book stand in the
children's section of a small branch library in our county. As a child I read--and reread--all of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. A few years ago, I reread
them all while performing research for a project I have not yet published.
The book is
set between the winter of 1875 and the winter of 1877, which means Laura was
eight-years-old when this story begins. Laura Ingalls Wilder did not write
about this period in her life when she wrote the other Little House books. This
period falls between book 4, 'On the Banks of Plum Creek,' and book 5, 'By the
Shores of Silver Lake.'
The author,
Cynthia Rylant, shares in the Foreword of this book that Mrs. Wilder
". . . penned only a dozen pages about this part of her life, and those pages
were never published." Cynthia Rylant used the few written notes Mrs.
Wilder left to write this book when she was requested by the publisher to write
about this period in Laura's childhood.
The book was
an enjoyable read, and I got some answers to questions I had about the
differences in characters in the Little House television show versus the books.
At one point a statement is made in this book about Laura's personality that
didn't mesh with my interpretation of her character traits in the nine books
written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This got me to thinking about how readers may interpret characters differently than perhaps the author intended them to be. As an author, these thoughts sent me down a very deep rabbit's warren . . . I know, I sometimes wonder if I think too much!
This story includes
many sad events and misfortunes, some catastrophes caused by nature, and other
misfortunes caused by poor decision-making. I feel readers who immerse themselves in
this story will experience some tender emotions along with some fun while
reading about the Wilder's family lifestyle, travels, and strength when faced with adversity.
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Find the
links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from
middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog.
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