Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink

     This pioneer story about an adventurous girl living in the 1860s in Wisconsin used to be one of my favorite books. (This picture of our copy proves it, doesn't it?) 
     
     Plot Summary: Eleven-year-old Caddie (Caroline) Woodlawn lives in western Wisconsin with her large family and loves it. Although her older sister Clara is content to learn to keep house with Mother, Caddie prefers to run wild with her brothers Tom and Warren. Her mother despairs of ever breaking her of her tomboy habits, but her father tolerantly lets her pick berries, plow, and swim with her brothers. Courageous and high-spirited, Caddie has all the adventures she desires, including hunting with her uncle and befriending the Indians who live nearby. 

   Discussions: Caddie Woodlawn's story is based on Carol Ryrie Brink's grandmother's story, which makes it very lively and genuine. I've enjoyed it for many, many years.
    Caddie is a daring girl, full of life and spirit. She doesn't want to be quiet and refined like her Boston-born mother or older sister Clara. She would rather run around with her brothers or fix clocks with her father than learn how to sew and bake. When her prim cousin Annabel arrives for a visit, Caddie is disgusted with her elegant manners and pretty clothes. She learns to understand her accomplished cousin over time, and even consents to learn a little quilting. But Caddie is more content behind the plow than she is with a needle in her hand. 
   Caddie's brothers, logical Tom with a flair for story-telling, and enthusiastic Warren, are quite happy to have Caddie as a companion in all their exploits. The boys make for daring comrades on the adventures, and all three of the siblings are comfortable with the Indians. 
     Their mother is alarmed by their close friendships with the Indians, mostly because of her belief that the Indians might scalp her children for their bright red hair. She doesn't approve of Caddie's heedless, riotous adventures, but at her husband's request, she lets Caddie alone to run with the boys. Their father allows Caddie freedom, but at his wife's request, he puts some of the freedom to good use by having the children plow. This results in afternoons of industrious fun while the children take turns plowing and telling stories. Tom excels at the story-telling, and regales Caddie and Warren with dramatic tales. 
    Hetty, Caddie's younger sister, wavers between traversing the hills and woods with Caddie and the boys, and staying in the house with her mother and other sisters. Eager and enthusiastic, Hetty likes best to tell news, whenever a bit of fresh information appears. When Caddie and the boys put on a show of sorts, Hetty is the one they pick to be responsible for telling all the neighboring children to come see it.
     The Woodlawns can't imagine living anywhere else than their beloved, free country, but when a chance comes for them to claim a different home, they must make a decision. As for the high-spirited Caddie, she loves the liberty of her home, and she wants to keep it for as long as she can.

Overall: I recommend this book, especially if you enjoy Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series or other pioneer books.