Farmer Boy
By Laura Ingalls Wilder
Wednesday, January 5, 2022 @ Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Recorded Club
Buy a recording of this club to view at any time!
Price
Sign Up
And the “Little House on the Prairie” adventures continue! Share your love of the Little House books with your kids!
Join young Almanzo Wilder as he helps his family with chores on the farm to prove that he is responsible. Whether it’s hauling ice from the pond to keep the food cold, growing a prize-winning pumpkin for the county fair, or working with taming young colts—in this Club, your student will learn about responsibility, growing up, and relationships during 1870s daily life on the farm. It’s a charming story about family, love, commitment, and endurance that can help your student learn and grow, too.
When you join this Book Club, together we’ll read the classic, Farmer Boy—and follow the Wilder family as they navigate life on the farm in northern New York. You and your Literary Guide, Ms. Schuett, will analyze the characters, themes, and conflict within the story—and have so much fun learning about life along the way!
What Makes This Special
It’s a Classic. Farmer Boy is the second book in the Little House series by famous author Laura Ingalls Wilder. This book was written about the author’s husband’s experiences and memories of childhood and is intended for a younger audience, ages 8-12. It’s a charming insight into farming, families, and historical fun.
Your Guide is a teacher with wonderful experience that helps your child learn to love reading and learning! Your Guide, Ms. Schuett, is an experienced teacher with a terminal degree (Master of Fine Arts) in storytelling. She grew up in the Midwest reading the Little House books and loves to be a Guide for the stories she loves, too! When you sign up for this Book Club, you get a professional, highly skilled Guide who helps your student develop a love for reading while learning how to dig deeper into all of the different parts of writing and creating a story.
Your Guide
Ms. Anna Schuett is a professional writer and teacher with Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English degree from Concordia University (with an emphasis in Creative Writing) and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Genre Fiction (MFA, terminal degree) from Western Colorado University.
While studying for her MFA, Ms. Schuett was an elementary school Para-Educator and Librarian/Technology Assistant. Spending a great amount of time with students who struggled with their studies, Ms. Schuett found a love for helping students learn and grow.
Ms. Schuett currently works as an I.T. Coordinator for Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy clinics across the state of Nebraska. Because of a love of working with students, she is excited to be in her role as an Instructor Access Instructor with Aquinas Writing Advantage.
Born, raised, and living in Nebraska, USA, Ms. Schuett enjoys reading, quilting, baking, and writing epic fantasy novels—all with a cup of coffee or tea within arm’s reach. You can reach Ms. Schuett at akschuett91@gmail.com.
About the Book
- Buy from Bookshop.org
- ISBN-10: 0060581824
- ISBN-13: 978-0060581824
(From Barnes & Noble) While Laura Ingalls grows up on the prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Here, Almanzo and his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall harvest. In winter, there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of ice to be cut from the river and stored. Time for fun comes when the jolly tin peddler visits or, best of all, when the fair comes to town.
Almanzo wishes for just one thing—his very own horse—and he must prove that he is ready for such a big responsibility.
Age Range – 8 and up
Parental Guidance
Farmer Boy is a classic that was published in 1933, which means there are some cultural differences and dated concepts.
- Racism: Almanzo and his friends “play Indian.” Native American cultural identities and language that respects others will be discussed in class, to learn respectful behavior for instilling healthy cultural perspectives today.
- Sexism: It is mentioned that women are meant to do all the cooking in the home. Boys are also allowed to talk on Sundays while girls are not. Discussions will touch on men and women’s roles and differences between the past and today.
- Violence: Almanzo works in fear of “getting a whipping” from his father but does not receive one. There are hunting scenes, and guns are present, which may be difficult for sensitive readers. Discussions will touch on the differences between the past and today.
There may also be some challenging vocabulary that we discuss together in the Club; readers are encouraged to bring up vocabulary words for discussion in our time together.
Reading Schedule
- Week 1: Discussion – Chapters 1-5
- Week 2: Discussion – Chapters 6-10
- Week 3: Discussion – Chapters 11-15
- Week 4: Discussion – Chapters 16-20
- Week 5: Discussion – Chapters 21-25
- Week 6: Discussion – Chapters 26-29
How To Begin
It’s easy! Follow these steps to get started…
- Sign up and get in (before it’s full!) — Use the blue button at the bottom of this page to save your spot.
- Receive your information — Within 48 hours of signing up, you’ll get an email with your Club’s details. Save this email, bookmark the zoom link, and add the club dates to your calendar.
- Prepare for your first meeting — Get the book from your own favorite source, or buy your book(s) directly from your Book Club pages. Read the assigned chapters ahead of time, and download and print the supplies list for crafts (young readers), activity pages for during the Club time (older readers), or the handout to guide the discussion (older students).
For more information, visit the How It Works page.
Recordings