Book Thoughts: Caddie Woodlawn (Brink)

• follow the frequent adventures of a spunky and delightful 11-year-old girl
• set in rural Wisconsin during the Civil War (the war only mentioned a couple times)
• language: golly x17, “half-breeds” mentioned (white father, Indian mother)
• convo/things mentioned: Valentine’s “sweethearts” (children), a scalp belt, a silly story is told about men killing their wives, pipe/tobacco, Santa Claus

Type: chapter book
Ages: 8-12
Author: Carol Ryrie Brink

Caddie is immediately likable by all! Throughout the story, she occasionally struggles with the balance between being a tomboy and being a lady, eventually finding a happy middle. There are a few suspenseful parts that shouldn’t be a problem for most readers–the top one being a rumor about the Indians coming to “massacre” the white people. Caddie helps prove it isn’t true!

I really liked the father and his parenting skills. The mother complains just a little too much for my taste in books, but it is a minor element. Caddie and her siblings respect their parents very well, and any misbehavior is addressed (including spankings).

Definitely check this one out–it’d be great for a family read-aloud or historical fiction (1860s).

Another book by Carol Ryrie Brink that we love is Baby Island–read that review here!