On Tide Mill Lane

From Booklist
Gr. 4-8. Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books have been extended in time and place as the publisher links "The Charlotte Years" to "The Laura Years" as series titles. Charlotte lives in Roxbury, Massachusetts, where her father runs a forge and most of the young men are off fighting in the War of 1812. Charlotte's parents are Scottish, and her strong and winsome mother sings Scots airs at her loom. Wiley tries for the warmth and wealth of detail that make the Little House books so perennially appealing, and mostly she succeeds. There's a tender sentimentality about family ties, siblings, friends, and neighbors, and there's lots about custom and work: we see candles made, corn husked, samplers started, and school as secondary to work that must be done at home. German neighbors of Charlotte's family introduce the idea of a Christmas tree at a time when Christmas was not much of a holiday in New England, an infected splinter almost costs Charlotte's brother his life, and a hurricane wrecks the roof. Illustrations not seen. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
Boston's Little House GirlMeet Charlotte Tucker, the little girl who would grow up to be Laura Ingalls Wilder's grandmother.Winter is coming, and Charlotte's days are filled with cornhusking and candle dipping and helping Mama mind baby Mary. But the war is still going on, and Charlotte worries about Will, Papa's striker, who is marching north with the militia. Then one day Charlotte hears bells ringing from Boston, and that night every building in the town common is lit up with candles. Could it be that peace has finally come?On Tide Mill Lane is the second book in The Charlotte Years, an ongoing series about another spirited girl from America's most beloved pioneer family.

Card catalog description
Follows the experiences over the course of a year of five-year-old Charlotte Tucker, who would grow up to become the grandmother of Laura Ingalls Wilder, living with her family in Roxbury, Massachusetts, during the War of 1812.

About the Author
Melissa Wiley, the author of the Charlotte Years and the Martha Years series, has done extensive research on early-nineteenth-century New England life. She lives in Virginia with her husband, Scott, and her daughters, Kate, Erin, and Eileen.


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Young and old readers alike who fell in love with the "Little House on the Prairie" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, will equally enjoy these new tales of Laura's grandmother. Traveling back two generations, On Tide Mill Lane tells the story of Charlotte Tucker—a young girl living in Roxbury, Massachusetts during the time of the war of 1812. In Laura Ingalls Wilder style, we learn about both history and every day life through the experiences of a young family. Charlotte relates tales of cornhusking and candlemaking along with the pealing bells announcing the end of the war and a frightful encounter with sickness and fever. Short chapters and the appealing young voice of Charlotte make this an excellent read-aloud for elementary-aged children. And for Laura fans, On Tide Mill Lane provides a glimpse into the family heritage and memories of a most beloved character. 2001, HarperCollins, $16.95. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Leah Hanson


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