These Happy Golden Years: A Newbery Honor Award Winner (Little House, #8)

by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Garth Williams (Illustrator)

Classic tales by Laura Ingalls Wilder about life on the frontier and America's best-loved pioneer family.

Teaching at the Brewster settlement, miles away from her family, isn't as exciting as Laura Ingalls had hoped and she is very homesick. The winter passes slowly and she has only rare drives in Almanzo Wilder's new pony trap to look forward to.

As Laura leaves her childhood behind and turns to the responsibilities of earning her keep, her friendship with Almanzo blossoms into love and we say goodbye to the Ingalls family with a wedding.

The timeless stories that inspired a TV series can now be read by a new generation of children. Readers who loved Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, and Heidi will be swept up by this timeless rural coming of age saga. Perfect escapism for readers aged 8+. Beautifully illustrated by Garth Williams.

Have you collected all the Little House books?

Little House in the Big Woods

Little House on the Prairie

On the Banks of Plum Creek

By the Shores of Silver Lake

The Long Winter

Little Town on the Prairie

These Happy Golden Years

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in Wisconsin in 1867. She recorded her adventurous nomadic childhood with her pioneer family in a collection of books that have become beloved classics of American literature. The Little House on the Prairie television series ran for 9 seasons from 1974-1983.

• ISBN10: 0060264802
• ISBN13: 9780060264802
• Publish Date: 14 October 1953
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

First Impressions

These Happy Golden Years is the perfect ending to Laura Ingalls’ childhood. It really shows how much she has grown and developed. I enjoyed seeing her as an adult and pained for Laura when she expressed her fears and homesickness. Another aspect of the novel was Laura’s courtship to Almanzo Wilder. I appreciated her naiveté to Almanzo’s intentions. It showed the last bit of innocence to an impending end to her childhood.

Impressions While Reading

Besides the lovely sleigh rides shared between Laura and her beau, my favorite part in the book was a simple walk between Mary and Laura. First, I always liked that Mary was able to go to college and grow as a person herself. Secondly, the conversation between the two sisters before Laura becomes Mrs. Wilder was the most poignant in the entire series. They discuss how things change and while it may be scary, new or different can be for the better. It was so insightful and brought a new meaning and moral to the series.

Final Impressions

Growing up my favorite books in the series was Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie, probably because I was closest to Laura’s age at the time. As an adult, my opinion has changed and would now list These Happy Golden Years as the stand out in the series. It is mature, yet simply told and a wonderful conclusion to the series and the beginning of Laura’s adulthood.