Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life by Shelley Tougas - Review

Book details

Age Range: 9 - 12 years

Grade Level: 4 - 6

Hardcover: 304 pages

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (October 10, 2017)

ISBN-10: 1626724180

Book description

A life on the prairie is not all it's cracked up to be in this middle-grade novel where one girl’s mom takes her love of the Little House series just a bit too far.

Charlotte’s mom has just moved the family across the country to live in Walnut Grove, “childhood home of pioneer author Laura Ingalls Wilder.” Mom’s idea is that the spirit of Laura Ingalls will help her write a bestselling book. But Charlotte knows better: Walnut Grove is just another town where Mom can avoid responsibility. And this place is worse than everywhere else the family has lived—it’s freezing in the winter, it’s small with nothing to do, and the people talk about Laura Ingalls all the time. Charlotte’s convinced her family will not be able to make a life on the prairie—until the spirit of Laura Ingalls starts getting to her, too.

Meet the author - Shelley Tougas

Shelley Tougas writes fiction and nonfiction for tweens and teens. Shelley is a former journalist who also worked in public relations. Her award-winning book, "Little Rock Girl 1957: How a Photograph Changed the Fight for Integration," landed on the top ten lists of Booklist and School Library Journal. Her most recent novel, "A Patron Saint for Junior Bridesmaids," was selected as a 2017 Outstanding Book by the Wisconsin Library Association. Shelley lives near the Twin Cities.

My thoughts

I just had to get this book when I saw Laura Ingalls in the title. When I read what the book was about it sounded like I was reading about my daughter and I even though my daughter is an adult. I love everything Laura related and would love to one day write a book and we just moved back to Missouri not far from where she wrote her books, although that is not why we moved here. My daughter I know gets tired of hearing about Laura. I liked how the author used many names that were related to Laura's life. If by accident or on purpose I still liked it. Martha was Laura's great grandma, Freddie was her brother that passed away as a baby, Rose was her daughter's name and Charlotte was her doll's name. When I started this book I thought I would connect with the mom more but I found myself connecting with Charlotte more. I felt bad for her and hoped she would be able to find something to make her happier. You must read the book to find out if she becomes happy, I can't say or it will ruin the book. I will say that this book goes through emotions and how kids handle them. Even though this book was written for a younger age group it was very enjoyable and was a "hearty" book. I recommend this book for all your tweens and yourself alike.