I read this book ages ago and loved it. It is a great story. I did order it for my library at the time.

This book isn't going to automatically appeal to fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder, but it's a nice story about children with an unusual childhood. The kids are sympathetic and quirky, but still relatable. It all turns out well and there's a hint of an even happier ending, if there's ever a sequel.

A sweet story for every middle school library collection. Tougas creates honest characters in an unlikely setting.

Having loved the Laura Ingalls books, I was all over this title, unfortunately, it just fell flat for me. Parts of the book were fun, but other parts really dragged on and on. May try and pick it up again another time.

I loved the idea behind this story. Martha, an aspiring writer, moves her family to Walnut Grove in search of inspiration from Laura Ingalls, author of the Little House series based on her pioneer life. It's Intriguing because people dream of dropping everything and moving to fulfill a dream. What we learn though, is that Martha's dreams don't positively affect her children. with each move. At 12, twins Freddy and Charlotte struggle to fit in to a new community, while their little sister Rose seems to embrace each family adventure more easily. Or does she?

I was drawn to the siblings and their struggles to find new friends and fit into a very small community. It was nice to read a story without harsh language, yet conveyed typical school adolescent friendships. I was engaged, I was worried, I felt the cold Minnesota winter. Let's not forget the history lessons about the pioneers and their search for a better life moving west. This book does a fine job of highlighting the native Americans and Charlotte reads about the history of this time period, as she learns to embrace Walnut Grove. This is a great introduction to our pioneering American History.

Overall a nice read for tweens!

As a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, I was so excited to read this book. It ended up being nothing like my expectations, but it was a great contemporary middle grade story with substance and heart. It touches on issues of poverty, racism, bullying, and more in a way that feels neither idealistic nor fatalistic. Charlotte is kind of a jerk sometimes, but I still found myself rooting for her at the end. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll buy this for my little Southwest library because I'm afraid it will be hard to recommend. As other reviewers have said, there are Little House spoilers galore and it's very much tied to its Midwestern location. That said, I'll be sure to recommend it to my librarian friends with the hopes that it's just right for somebody.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley to read in exchange for an honest review.

Anyone who has read the Little House series is likely to see this title and jump headlong. What was refreshing about this book was the chance to poke a little good-natured, teen-inspired fun at the books and those who have devoted their passion to recreating the Laura Life. Charlotte was spunky and personality-plus. One couldn't resist her angst at being moved, frustration with her family and sibling drama, as well as, the challenge of being the new kid in town.

Loved these characters and the dilemmas they face. Realistic emotions, and delightful approaches to unorthodox family problems. I LOVED this book! Great for all ages, Laura Ingalls Wilder fan or NOT!

I loved Little House on the Prairie when I was a kid, so this book was just right for me, especially now that my Grandgirl is watching the series as we read the books. Freddy, Rose, Charlotte, and their aspiring author mom move to Walnut Ridge so Mom can write a Laura Ingalls book. The family has moved so often the older kids don’t make friends any more. But something happens over the months they are in Walnut Ridge, and maybe the family will put down roots and find a happily ever after. There were some sad moments in the novel, but there were also laugh out loud sections. I’m thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to be an early reader in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Charlotte and her family have just moved to Walnut Grove so that her mom can feel Laura Ingalls Wilder's spirit and write her own children's book. But Charlotte knows it's just a matter of time before they move again. It is better to just blend in, not make any friends, and just wait it out with her twin Freddie. But things are different this time. Freddie is popular and stops hanging out with her as much, she starts spending more time with her little sister Rose, and she lets her guard down and makes some friends. But Charlotte has a habit of jumping to conclusions and believing the worst which gets her into a heap of trouble. Can Charlotte and her family settle down or is Walnut Grove just another stop on their crazy life?

This was a pretty decent book. For fans of Laura and Little House there were some obvious connections but it was also a story of rushing to judgement and fitting in that will appeal to other readers as well.

Laura Ingalls Is Ruining My Life by Shelley Tougas is a middle grade novel where we meet Charlotte Lake. Charlotte and her family are constantly moving to new cities for her mother’s passion of wanting to be a published author. Charlotte’s mom wants to write a book about Laura Ingalls, who was inspirational to her as a child. Charlotte is embarrassed by her mother’s obsession and frustrated with constantly having to start a new school and new life. She never feels like she fits in anywhere. She has a twin brother who has chosen to not talk since he feels his voice is not being heard in the moves, and a younger sister who is perfect. Charlotte struggles to make friends and find her niche among so many moves.

The family recently relocated to Walnut Grove, one of the places Laura Ingalls grew up. It houses a Laura Ingalls museum that hosts an essay contest each year. In a spark of brilliance, Charlotte decides to enter the contests and win the grand prize of $500. She knows this money will change her family’s life and maybe help her mother put down some roots. As the contest deadline nears, Charlotte becomes very ill with the flu and misses over a week of school, and time to create her essay. At the last moment, she furiously scribbles out the line, “Laura Ingalls is ruining my life,” and turns that in as her essay. Her clever teacher reads this and probes Charlotte to write more and dig deeper.

The family rents out the basement of a house owned by Mia and Miguel, who live upstairs with their granddaughter, Julia. Charlotte has moved so many times that she is reluctant to learn the names of her fellow classmates or draw any attention to herself. After she is out sick at the very beginning of school, she starts to notice that her brother has made a lot of friends in her absence. Charlotte, however, is still uncomfortable and even fails a reading test so that she has to spend her lunch time doing remedial work. She hopes to win an essay contest about Wilder because the $500 would be helpful to her family, but Julia wins instead. The two girls start to volunteer at the Wilder museum, and start to become friends. Charlotte’s mother is writing very little, and as the year progresses, starts to slip into a significant depression. Rose’s father remarries, and Rose is devastated that he no longer schedules any of their visits together. When there is vandalism at the museum, Charlotte is blamed, but the real perpetrator is not any of the people who are suspected.

I recommend this book for any fans of pioneer life, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and middle grade readers. I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley via Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and Roaring Brook Press.

This is a great middle school read. I loved the Little House books when I was younger so I loved the connections. The author did a great job of developing the characters so much so I wanted to stick up for them in the turmoil. I would love to see a sequel to this books as I felt not all the story lines were wrapped up and I yearn for completion. I can think of several patrons that I will recommend this book to. Thank you!

An interesting concept, but I struggled to get into the story. Not a winner for me.

Tougas, Shelley Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life, 304 pages. Roaring Brook, 2017. $17. Content: G (some bullying mentioned)

Charlotte, her twin brother Freddy, their half sister Rose, and their Mom all headed to a new city and another new life. This time they are following their mom’s muse to Walnut Grove, home of Laura Ingalls, so that mom can spend a year trying to write and sell her own historical fiction novel. Freddy, 12, is protesting by refuse to speak, Rose, 11, make friends easily and so she takes everything is stride. When Charlotte is sick after the first day of school, she comes back and finds out that not only is Freddy talking, but he has actually become popular. With her one constant now gone, Charlotte is cast adrift to fid a new normal in her confused world.

That’s the gist of the story. There is certainly more action involving vandalism, misunderstandings, snowstorms and finally confessions and redemption. Another solid book about a girl who needs to open up her world and let friendship in. I love that Tougas is writing more fiction.

EL, MS – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library Teacher

I had the opportunity to read a digital-ARC of this middle grade novel from NetGalley in exchange for a review. As someone who grew up reading and loving the Little House on the Prairie series of novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder and watching the television show, I can appreciate the idea of making a pilgrimage to Walnut Grove, Minnesota.
Unfortunately for Charlotte, the main character of this book, her mom has uprooted the family and moved to this small town on the edge of the prairie looking for the inspiration to write the next great prairie novel. Charlotte, her twin brother, Freddy, and her younger half-sister, Rose are used to being uprooted whenever their writer-mom gets the urge to find new fuel for her creativity. So, when they arrive in Walnut Grove, Charlotte is very reluctant to settle in and make friends, while Freddy and Rose seem to have no trouble meeting people and becoming popular.
While it isn’t necessary to have been a big fan of the popular Little House on the Prairie books, having some familiarity with the Ingalls family story would help the reader gain an appreciation for the setting of this novel. The family references On the Banks of Plum Creek when they visit the grounds of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and the site of the sod house that Charles Ingalls built. Throughout the novel, the family reads and refers to passages in Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, The Long Winter, and By the Shores of Silver Lake.
I like how the author uses the backdrop of Walnut Grove and the life story of Laura Ingalls Wilder to tell a contemporary story of a twelve-year-old girl and the stress that comes from being new to a school and community, dealing with the change in family relationships that come with growing up, and learning how to trust others in the context of caring relationships. I also liked the sneaky way the author teaches young readers about the history of westward expansion along with critical thoughts about the unintended consequences of such.
The characters evolve as they also learn about accepting friends for who they are and not making assumptions about people and their intentions. There’s also uplifting moments as Charlotte learns to look at life and its circumstances through the rainbow lens that her mom encourages her to use.
This is a nice middle grade novel. I would recommend it to readers who have read and/or enjoyed the books in the Little House on the Prairie series.

Charlotte and her siblings, twin brother Freddy and younger sister Rose, have lived a rather nomadic life, subject to their mother's next whim or troubles. Charlotte doesn't even bother trying to make friends anymore, knowing that she will soon be uprooted and have to move someplace new; she and Freddy have each other and don't need anyone else, and Rose easily makes friends anywhere she goes. Their mother's latest whim has taken them to Walnut Grove, Minnesota, where she believes the spirit of Laura Ingalls Wilder will inspire her to write a book. But this move turns out differently, as Freddy suddenly makes new friends and Charlotte feels abandoned, betrayed, and angry at everyone, especially Laura Ingalls!

Naturally the title of this book caught my attention, having read all of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books and grown up with Melissa Gilbert's portrayal of Laura on the television series, but I really didn't know what to expect. Despite some of the other lukewarm reviews, I really enjoyed this book, and I think many tweens could relate to some of Charlotte's angst. In my opinion, the story was well-paced and the characters were generally well-developed (if I had one small criticism it would be that Rose's voice often seemed a bit too mature for the age of the character).

I felt a great deal of empathy for Charlotte, having no stability in her life and always being subjected to her mother's whims, or skipping town to avoid debts or difficult situations, and the hopelessness she expressed when explaining how there was no point in making friends or being invested in school because she knew they would soon be on the move again was heartbreaking. Even more so was her unfairly being accused of a crime after she had finely started to open up, make friends, and like living there. This story deals with many facets of tween angst: being the new kid, fitting in, making and maintaining friendships, relationships with siblings, difficult relationships with parents, and having a single parent who, while loving, is often self-centered and selfish.

I found myself frequently angry with Charlotte's mother, at how flaky, irresponsible and selfish she was, refusing to seriously consider how her decisions and lifestyle affected her children, preferring to gloss over everything with pollyannic platitudes. She clearly loved her children, but was too immature and self-centered to see how much she was hurting them. However, I loved the character of Charlotte's teacher, Mrs.. Newman, and how she turned out to be far from the meanie that Charlotte initially judged her to be, and even risked her job to stand up for Charlotte and protect her rights, in addition to nurturing her intellect and helping her to open up.

I found this story to be richer and deeper than many middle-grade books that often feel superficial and simplistic; it has some serious emotional upheaval and drama, but without being too dark. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy realistic fiction with a little family drama and complex relationships, and those who might also have dealt with moving frequently, being the new kid and having trouble fitting in and making friends, and parents who don't always consider their needs. I think this could be a good book choice for a tween book club as well, and I like how it ties into a classic series that most people know. Some would also be happy to know that it also brings up the mistreatment of Native Americans, and some of the racist comments made by Laura and characters in her books.

Shelley Tougas has written several other middle-grade books, both fiction and non-fiction, including Finders Keepers and Little Rock Girl 1957: How a Photograph Changed the Fight for Integration.

This was a cute read but it took me a while to get into it due to the nature of some of the characters. I am a huge fan of the Little House books and I loved the concept, it just didn't click for me right away. Overall though I know some of my students will enjoy this story and the issues that these children are facing as their mother drags them off to another new place to live.

I found this book to be intriguing. While I found Charlotte to be a little too whiney at times, I liked how the author used that to give you an understanding of the family dynamic. This book is full of teenage angst. There were parts where I wanted to smack the mother and Charlotte but mostly I understood where they all were coming from. I think this book would be good for anyone who is struggling to fit in.

*I received a copy of Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*


Happy Review Day here on Dr. Hodges Reads! Today, I am reviewing an advanced copy of Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life by Shelley Tougas. This book will be released on October 10, 2017!

To begin, I want to say that the reason I requested this title is because I am a huge fan of the Little House series. When I was in 2nd grade, I began reading these books and could not get enough of them. I remember being proud of myself for tackling such a large book (these topped out over 300 pages, y'all), and how many feelings I had while I read. The perils of the prairie and the sacrifices the Ingalls family made kept me coming back for more.

Once I finished the series, the love of reading was deeply ingrained in me, and I needed more books. This sparked a rush on reading the classics of the time - The Wizard of Oz, A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, and Little Women. I believe many of these books shaped me as a reader and truly helped foster my love of reading.

In Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life, we meet Charlotte Lake. Charlotte and her family are nomads, constantly moving to new cities for her mother's passion. Charlotte's mother wants to be a published author and wants to write a book about Laura Ingalls, who was inspirational to her as a child. Charlotte is embarrassed by her mother's obsession and frustrated at always having to start a new school and new life. She never feels like she fits in anywhere. To complicate her life more, she has a twin brother who has taken a vow of silence, since he feels his voice is not being heard in the moves, and a younger sister who is perfect. Charlotte struggles to make friends and find her niche among so many moves.

The family has now relocated to Walnut Grove, one of the places Laura Ingalls grew up. It houses a Laura Ingalls museum that hosts an essay contest each year. In a spark of brilliance, Charlotte decides to enter the contests and win the grand prize of $500. She knows this money will change her family's life and maybe help her mother put down some roots. As the contest deadline nears, Charlotte becomes very ill with the flu and misses over a week of school, and time to create her essay. At the last moment, she furiously scribbles out the line, "Laura Ingalls is ruining my life," and turns that in as her essay. Her clever teacher reads this and probes Charlotte to write more and dig deeper, which she does.

I won't spoil whether Charlotte wins or loses and what happens next...you'll have to read yourself. Overall, I found the book to be sweet and very appropriate for elementary readers. I also think this would make a fun read-aloud, as the problems Charlotte faces are typical of elementary children. While my love for Laura Ingalls runs deep, this was a difficult book for me to review, so I'm going to approach this review from two perspectives.

As a child who grew up loving Laura Ingalls, this was an amazing read. I really enjoyed getting to see the Little House books from the perspective of Charlotte's mother. She is the child, like me, who grew up reading and loving these books. I liked getting to see a new generation fall in love with this series and see how the new generation questions the books. Charlotte completes a social studies unit in school that focuses on the native tribes during the Ingalls pioneering journey. I also liked the references to the books, which made me remember details I hadn't thought about in a while.

As an educator, I'm not sure who to recommend this book to. One phenomenon I see now is revitalizing classics with retellings or inspired books such as this one. However, a person who grew up reading Little House is not the intended audience, it's kids today. I would only want a child who had read the Little House books to read this book, because there are spoilers (such as Mary going blind). I wouldn't want those to be spoiled for a child who might read the series. At the same time, this book is intended for a young, elementary audience. I don't think an older child who read the Little House books would enjoy this book because the problems the character faces are very much at the elmentary school level.

In short, I liked this book and would definitely want it in my classroom and in the hands of kids. However, I would be pretty selective on who I recommended this book to and at what point I gave this book to a child. If the spoilers to the Little House books were removed, I think this could be a great gateway to that series.

I gave this 4/5 stars on Goodreads! Happy Reading!