| It is the 1870's and seven year old Laura Ingalls and her family are making the trek from Kansas into Minnesota in a covered wagon. The family dog Jack has been trotting along with them underneath the wagon.
It is a long and difficult trip. When the Ingalls family finally arrives in Minnesota they discover that they will be living in a dugout house, one whose walls are built of sod with a ceiling made of hay. Ma, Laura, Carrie and Mary are a bit dismayed by the house but Pa promises them that when he raises the first crop of wheat they will move into a better house. Laura spends her time helping Ma with house chores, swimming in the swimming hole and exploring her new environment. Pa makes the decision to start building a new house beside Plum Creek using materials he purchased on credit. Pa figures that he will be able to pay for the materials when the fall harvest arrives. When Pa finishes the house Laura and her family are ecstatic. It is the finest home they have ever seen! Laura and Mary meet many children when they start attending school. One of the girls, Nellie Oleson, is a snobby brat who happens to be the daughter of a storekeeper in town. Laura has many skirmishes with the evil Nellie. The Ingalls' luck takes a turn for the worse when gigantic grasshoppers descend on the crops right before the harvest, totally destroying the wheat crop. Will the Ingalls family be able to survive the loss of their wheat crop? | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - upbeat Time/era of story - 1600-1899 Family, loving relations Yes Special relationship with - father Is this an adult or child's book? - Age 11-14 Exploring into the wild Yes kind of story - colonizing/settling in new area Main Character Gender - Female Age: - a kid Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - natural phenomena Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 9 () United States Yes The US: - Midwest Prairie? Yes Writing Style Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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