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Title: Old Town in the Green Groves: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Lost Little House Years by Cynthia Rylant, Jim LaMarche ISBN: 0060295619 Publisher: Harpercollins Juvenile Books Pub. Date: 02 April, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.5
Rating: 1
Summary: Why couldn't they leave well enough alone?
Comment: I fell in love with the Little House books back when I did Little House in the Big Woods in grade three for novel study. Since then I got my parents to purchase the rest of the series and I read them over and over again. I was a bit suspicious of this book because of the whole filling the gap idea. Like one reviewer said, Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote On the Banks of Plum Creek and By the Shores of Silver Lake so that it wasn't obvious there was a hole. But now that they've brought in Old Town in the Green Groves... Anyways, onto the actual book itself.
Cynthia Rylant is a great author but she fails misearably here. I have a feeling she did this for the sake of money, not because she wanted to write it. This book does not have the vivid descriptions or magical feel to it like the originals. The writing was way too simplistic and the dialogue sounds cut up from the originals and pasted together. Somehow a modern feel leaks into it too... Oh, and by the way I forgot to mention that even though I managed to get to the end I was still left wondering about what happened. So, I had to go to the library and take out a biography on Laura Ingalls Wilder instead.
I think the publishers (whoever they are) should have just left the Little House Books by themselves. They stood out on their own just fine. Also, I think it was unfair to add this book in because Laura didn't want to write about those years, considering how depressing they were. They should've respected her wishes instead but it's too late now...
Rating: 5
Summary: Such a joy!!!
Comment: On the Banks of Plum Creek was one of my favorite books since I was 9. For some reason I loved reading about Laura's life on Plum Creek. I knew there were stories she didn't feel like telling because it was too painful to write about yet I was curious about the rest of her life in Minnesota. I was so delighted to find this book! Like another reviewer said, I don't know if it should be considered part of Laura's original series, but it is still a joy. The author has a very positive yet non-saccarine way of telling the story, and she well-establishes the characters, showing what a loving family Laura has and how much she loves her family...you really feel like Laura is a part of you; almost a soulmate. I just wish Johnny had gotten what he deserved; he was such a rascal to Laura and her sisters. He should've known better than to pick on girls. If I was there I'd fix him for Laura!!
Rating: 1
Summary: This is NOT a Little House book!
Comment: Let me begin by saying that Cynthia Rylant is an accomplished author, and has written several books that I've read and enjoyed.
This is not one of them.
If you are at all familiar with the Little House books, the style of this book will appear glaringly unsimilar. The original series had the unique feature of progressing in reading/comprehension difficulty as the age of the characters progressed--thus, Little House in the Big Woods was the 'easiest' read, and "These Happy Golden Years" was the most advanced. Using this criteria, "Green Groves" does not fit into the space between "On the Banks of Plum Creek" and "By the Shores of Silver Lake." It reads too simply.
Additionally, the conversations between the characters will make you squirm; Laura's books may be wholesome, but they never were saccharine! Rylant has them speaking like "The Beverly Hillbillies," when they aren't being 'cutesy-wootsey;' this is certainly not a feature of any of the original books! I think that the stilted dialog was one of the major disappointments of this book.
Even if the dialog had been true to the originals, however, it is still disconcerting to have someone step forward and claim to know the intimate family details (right down to the dinner conversation!) of a family not her own, and not her contemporaries. As a Laura Ingalls Wilder program presenter, I am fairly well-informed about her life and times, and I've read the original books more times than I can count. (I've worn out three sets...) Still, I would not profess to be able to step into Laura's shoes, and write about her life as if I had been there.
I think that the most upsetting thing of all is that the original, wonderful books are being buried in a sea of look-alike (as far as the covers go!), wannabe, spin-off books, and that today's children might miss the excitement of knowing Laura and her family. What a loss.
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Title: The Road from Roxbury by Melissa Wiley, Dan Andreasen ISBN: 006440739X Publisher: HarperTrophy Pub. Date: 17 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: Beyond the Heather Hills by Melissa Wiley, Renee Graef ISBN: 0064407152 Publisher: HarperTrophy Pub. Date: 04 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: Little City by the Lake by Celia Wilkins, Dan Andreasen ISBN: 0064407357 Publisher: HarperTrophy Pub. Date: 15 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: Across the Rolling River by Celia Wilkins, Dan Andreasen ISBN: 0064407349 Publisher: HarperTrophy Pub. Date: 18 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: Down to the Bonny Glen (Martha Years) by Melissa Wiley, Renee Graef ISBN: 0064407144 Publisher: HarperTrophy Pub. Date: 08 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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