The sixth book in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s treasured Little House series, and the recipient of a Newbery Honor—now available as an ebook! This digital version features Garth Williams’s classic illustrations, which appear in vibrant full color on a full-color device and in rich black-and-white on all other devices.The town of De Smet in the Dakota Territory is hit with terrible blizzards in the hard … terrible blizzards in the hard winter of 1880-81, and the Ingalls family must ration their food and coal. When the supply train doesn’t arrive, all supplies are cut off from the outside. Soon there is almost no food left, so young Almanzo Wilder and a friend must make a dangerous trip in search of provisions.
The nine Little House books are inspired by Laura’s own childhood and have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America’s frontier history and as heartwarming, unforgettable stories.
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Best book for a snow storm. I grew up reading the Little House on the Prairie books and I still love them as an adult. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I grew up in South Dakota and I felt a real connection with these books.
The Long Winter is just what it sounds like, the novel based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s experience of a brutal Winter during their “Little House” years. Thecontinuing blizzards started in October, and sometimes they would only have a one-day break in between storms. The snowfall was so blinding that they couldn’t even see buildings they were in front of, and found out only when they bumped into the walls. Snow piled up to 20 feet around the railroad tracks, so the trains were unable to ship freight for a couple months; thus, everyone was running low on supplies of basic staples like flour. Store could not get new supplies. It was nigh impossible to ever get fully warm even inside houses.. The saddest moment was when Pa’s hands had been so cold that he could not even play his beloved fiddle. But the plucky Ingalls family members all did their parts to help each other and their neighbors, and Laura’s future husband bravely went out for supplies for everyone and saved the day – and likely lives. The Ingalls family were as positive as anyone could be, and they enjoyed trying “new” treats like eating things made from wheat. Any time we find ourselves complaining about modern weather, this book would be a good reminder and a dose of reality for us.
This book is the sixth in the Little House Series. So far as I can tell, this one covers the least amount of time across the whole book, but so much happens in the seven months that Laura speaks of that this book is one of the longest so far. And this is one tough book to read when you factor in the difficulties that the entire town of De Smit faces in this long, hard winter.
At the start of this story, it’s time to harvest the hay. The weather is pleasant as Laura helps Pa bring in enormous stacks of hay. That’s when they notice the first sign that this winter will be different. The muskrats have built enormous, thick dens for the winter. Then when an old Indian comes into De Smit, he warns the settlers that there will be a long, hard winter that could last about seven months. With those warnings and a foreboding sense in the air, Pa decides to move the family into town, where there is a better chance of weathering a harsh winter.
After a blizzard in October, things begin to worsen quickly. Storms blow across the plains, with biting winds and terrible, icy snow that scours like sand. Between storms are a few cold but good days, but as the winter progresses, the good days shorten and the storms last longer. Eventually, the food stores begin to dwindle, along with everything else in town. And Laura and the rest of her family, and most of the townsfolk, begin to despair of another train being able to make it De Smit before they all starve. Will this winter be the end of them all? Or will God have mercy on them and put another train through?
This book was hard to read, especially when the family begins to starve. The descriptions of Pa being thin as a wraith toward the end of the book is striking in that this book has the first, most realized possibility of Laura and her family all dying. In spite of this, the characters are strengthened by this hardship, and I love them even more than before. Even through difficult times, the human spirit isn’t easily broken, and this book is a beautiful picture of this truth.
I would recommend this book to those who love adventure and the Ingalls. But the hardships in this book are very distressing. Still, there are Laura’s beautiful words and vivid descriptions to bring you through to the end of this tale. This book is an excellent addition to the series, and it is worth reading.
Easy five stars
It’s been years since I’ve picked this book up. Am so glad I did so great. It’s not written as “childish” as little house in the big woods her writing got better with each book she wrote.
With so many blizzards that just kept coming, and trains swamped by drifts so they couldn’t bring what the settlers sorely needed, it’s a wonder they even survived. Laura begins helping her father, running to town for a machine part (like another girl did here in Iowa a few decades ago), helping make sure the hay crop was saved, and even twisting chunks of it to burn when the coal ran out.
The most amazing story is when two men went for wheat miles away that was only rumored about. And finally celebrating Christmas in May. It’s no wonder several people have named “The Long Winter” as their favorite of the Little House books.
From my favorite books as a girl. Just wonderful.
I read the whole LIW series so many times as a child.
This is my personal favorite of all the Little House books.
Although a fictionalized account, this book is based on a real “long winter” during the lifetime of the Ingalls and Wilder families. The tragedies and the struggle to survive are keenly felt through the viewpoint of a little girl unable to control the big issues occurring to her family and neighbors. It was interesting to see the attitudes of people who had food versus those who did not, especially those who chose not to see or help the plight of others. As always the book is informative on the lifestyles of that time period for Laura and her family, and the book ends optimistically looking forward the next adventure life has to offer.