Title: Caddie Woodlawn
Author: Carol Ryrie Brink
Newbery Award Year: 1936
Time: 1860s
Place: Wisconsin, United States
On the back of our copy of this book, Jim Trelease writes, “You take Little House; I’ll take Caddie Woodlawn.” That high praise got my hopes up for this one, but I have to admit we felt like we slogged through about the first two-thirds of this book. There were certainly vignettes that endeared us, like the Woodlawn family finding out about the death of Abraham Lincoln and Caddie riding her horse into an Indian camp to prevent a potential massacre. It wasn’t until the last few chapters, however, that we really felt pulled into the characters and the story, and I wish it wouldn’t have taken so long to feel connected.
One thing I loved about this book is that the author, Carol Ryrie Brink, based this story on her real grandmother, and the stories told within the book are all vignettes that had been passed down to her as a child. It also is a very worthwhile read-aloud if you’re doing any kind of unit study on pioneer life (mid-1800s), Indian-pioneer relations, or general 19th century American history.
Our Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️