These Happy Golden Years
A “Little House on the Prairie” Series Book
By Laura Ingalls Wilder
Wednesday, October 19, 2022 @ Wednesday, October 19, 2022
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And the “Little House on the Prairie” adventures continue! Share your love of the Little House books with your kids!
Join young Laura Ingalls as she leaves her family to begin her career as a teacher. Learn about the challenges and joys of becoming a young adult in this charming story about family, love, commitment, and endurance.
When you join this Book Club, together we’ll read the classic, These Happy Golden Years—and follow Laura as she navigates life away from home. You and your Literary Guide, Ms. Schuett, will analyze the characters, themes, and conflict within the story—and have so much fun learning about frontier life along the way!
What Makes This Special
It’s a classic. These Happy Golden Years is the eighth book in the Little House series by famous author Laura Ingalls Wilder. This book was written from the author’s own experiences and memories of young adulthood and is intended for a younger audience. It is a charming insight into homesteading and frontier life.
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: 0064400084
- ISBN-13: 978-0064400084
(From Amazon) Laura is teaching school, and it’s terrifying! Most of the students are taller than she is, and she must sleep away from home for the first time. Laura is miserable, but the money is needed to keep Mary in a college for the blind.
And every Friday—no matter what the weather—Almanzo Wilder arrives to take Laura home to her family for the weekend. Laura and Almanzo are courting, and even though she’s not yet sixteen, she knows that this is a time for new beginnings.The nine books in the timeless Little House series tell the story of Laura’s real childhood as an American pioneer and are cherished by readers of all generations. They offer a unique glimpse into life on the American frontier, and tell the heartwarming, unforgettable story of a loving family.
Age Range – 7 and up
Parental Guidance
These Happy Golden Years is a classic that was published in 1943, which means there are some cultural differences and dated concepts.
- Racism: The attitude around Native Americans is often racist, and some characters try to combat these beliefs.
- Bullying: Laura struggles to teach some students who are older than her. She is also disliked by the wife of the school board head, whom she is living with. This is an uncomfortable situation for Laura.
- Courting: Almanzo escorts Laura home every weekend, and they are courting. They become engaged and get married at the end of the book.
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 1-6
- Week 2: Discussion – Chapters 7-12
- Week 3: Discussion – Chapters 13-18
- Week 4: Discussion – Chapters 19-23
- Week 5: Discussion – Chapters 24-28
- Week 6: Discussion – Chapters 29-33
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.
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