This is not my favorite out of the Little House books, but still a really good story! The writing is beautiful, and the more I reread this series, the more I love it!
In this book, Laura and her family are following the railroad where her father has a job keeping the books and distributing the men's pay. But the railroad men are a rough group, and Laura worries for her father's safety. Once the railroad has finished their work, the Ingalls family stays the winter in the surveyors cabin. But as soon as spring begins, there are settlers rushing in to stake a claim on the surrounding land. Mr. Ingalls will have to be quick to get his claim registered before all the land is gone.

It's interesting to see how Laura and her sisters are a little more wild and free in this book. There is no town, no neighbors to see, so their behavior is a little more unreserved. They are influenced by their wild cousins who gallop around on ponies, hooting and playing. Their mother doesn't like it though, and urges them to behave properly and wear their sunbonnets.

In the other books of this series, the greatest enemy of the family is nature itself. They have to survive the grasshoppers who eat all their crops. They have to survive the harsh winters and wild weather. But in this book, we see the threats from other people. Rough railroad men who swear and steal and get drunk. Robbers who sneak up behind you on the trail. Or claim jumpers who would murder just to get the land you live on.

Despite all the dangers, the Ingalls family meet life on the prairie with courage and resilience and a cheerful heart!