The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie (Wendy McClure)

My husband and I just got back from the beautiful city of Montreal on a short vacation. We save money in other areas so that we can go on some nice vacations (Last year's Bermuda cruise was quite memorable.). Out of all of the places I visited, where have I enjoyed going the most you ask? Walnut Grove, Minnesota and Plum Creek...a home of the legendary Laura Ingalls Wilder. Wendy McClure and I seem to have been bred from the same cloth, as both of us are obsessed with Little House on the Prairie (She more so with the books...me with the books and TV show.). This book is perfect for Little House fans like me, but really no one else.

This book is quite the extensive travelogue. McClure and her husband (my husband, being from Minnesota, was dragged along to Walnut Grove as well) decide to do everything Laura Ingalls Wilder, from churning butter to making foods she would have eaten. They travel to sites in the middle of nowhere to see the places she would have lived. Surprisingly, not many of her homes are still in existence. Many are replicas. Along the way, McClure learns about herself, having some revelations about why she is actually taking the trip.

I can completely understand this book, as I would be gung ho for a trip like this as well. I have never felt more peaceful then being on the banks of Plum Creek in the middle of nowhere. Knowing that you are wading in the same creek as Laura in her books takes you back to her time. I heartily recommend this book for true Laura fans.

MY RATING - 4

The Way I See It (Melissa Anderson)

I am going to start this with a disclaimer that I am a HUGE Little House on the Prairie fan...both the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and the television show. The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House is by Melissa Anderson (known as Melissa Sue Anderson on the show), who played Mary Ingalls. The fact that I am a huge fan plays heavily into my review. I strongly suggest that if you have never seen or never cared for the show, then you should skip this book.

The book begins with Anderson's audition for the part of Mary, especially focusing on her meeting with Michael Landon. She was told, as a sixth grader, that she should lose five pounds (self-esteem, anyone?). Each few chapters focus on a specific season of the show, with Anderson's insight and gossip interspersed with a description of each episode. I found it slightly odd that she did not discuss more her relationship with Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura, but she definitely provided some dirt on Landon (you'll have to read the book to find it out). Along the way, she discusses her other acting work, including guest starring on The Love Boat.

Anderson is no Jane Austen, but I enjoyed the book. Again, I need to stress that you will probably not enjoy this book if you had no interest in Little House. I never thought we would be reading a tell-all by Melissa Sue Anderson, of all people, but I suppose she needed to get some things off her chest. Good for her!

MY RATING - 4

This review can also be found at www.bookloons.com.

A Trip Back In Time

Who among you has NOT read the Little House books? They are a staple of childhood, and I find myself rereading them now that I….ahem, am not a child. I also absolutely love, love, love the show. I have seen every episode so many times I can recite the dialogue and challenge anyone out there to an online Little House quiz.

My hubby is from the great Midwestern state of Minnesota. This past June, we took a trip to Minneapolis to visit family and friends. No sooner did we hear our first “Ya, ya betcha!” at the airport when I put a bug in his ear that Walnut Grove just happens to be in the state that we are currently standing in. So we loaded up on sunscreen and decided to make the 2 ½ hour trip there in our rental car. For those unfamiliar to the location of Walnut Grove (which I think is pretty much everyone), it is smack in the middle of nowhere. For Little House fans, it is like a mirage when you see the green sign. Some big dorks even pulled over to take a picture of the sign (oh yeah, it was us). We went to a great museum, with artifacts from Laura’s days and memorabilia from the show. I was most excited to see the actual fireplace from the show and Doctor Baker’s bag! The story of Laura’s life is so interesting, and the museum tells it in a very informative way. The teacher in me came out in the one-room schoolhouse when I ordered my husband into the corner.

We then drove to Oleson’s Mercantile. It doesn’t sell any souvenirs, but it sells some nice gifts. The highlight of the trip, however, was going to PLUM CREEK!!!! For $4.00 a carload (entirely on honor system…..gee, Pa, we’re not in Philly anymore), you drive down a long dirt road, park, and walk exactly where Laura walked along Plum Creek. The depression where the Ingalls dugout once stood is there. You can stand on top of it. We waded in the creek. During this trip, I was determined to reenact the opening of the show when the 3 girls run down the hill (even Carrie’s fall). However, there really were no hills to be seen, so my husband videoed me running in slow motion (like Chariots of Fire) on a plain. I even sang the theme song (well, it has no words, so I hummed it). Yes, you are truly meeting the biggest Little House fan.