Here are 64 books that Little House on the Prairie fans have personally recommended once you finish the Little House on the Prairie series.
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I love historical novels that allow me to visit the past alongside likeable characters. Even though I don’t consider myself spoiled, I like to be reminded of the struggles of the colonists and the pioneers and how lucky I am to have the easier life that is their legacy. As a child, it was logical for me to identify with young female protagonists, but that hasn’t really changed. I still love reading about plucky girls and young women who make their way in a world that often undervalues them. I read these books when I was very young but never forgot them and was delighted to rediscover them.
I loved the story of sixteen-year-old Lizzie, who married Mister Stonecypher in 1837 because “she wouldn’t have hurt his feelings for the world.”
All of the classic pioneer story elements are here, as backdrop to the tale of Lizzie and Wash coming to know and love each other. I loved the grit and authenticity and the touches of humor. I felt compelled to keep reading, especially during a harrowing journey through a blizzard, and was emotionally engaged from start to finish.
"Here is a warm, uniquely American novel which owes its quality to the old virtue of story telling, rich in the authentic details of early pioneer life a novel whose characters glow with the true light of human nature."
I love historical novels that allow me to visit the past alongside likeable characters. Even though I don’t consider myself spoiled, I like to be reminded of the struggles of the colonists and the pioneers and how lucky I am to have the easier life that is their legacy. As a child, it was logical for me to identify with young female protagonists, but that hasn’t really changed. I still love reading about plucky girls and young women who make their way in a world that often undervalues them. I read these books when I was very young but never forgot them and was delighted to rediscover them.
This is everything I love about pioneer stories, especially after thirteen-year-old Stephanie’s menfolk go off to war.
I was very young the first time I read it, but I could never forget the drama of the apple seed! Here the vivid details are of abundant nature and pioneer skills, and backwoods Kentucky has a different slant on the Revolutionary War than sophisticated Williamsburg.
It was written for children and won a Newbery Honor citation, but it still charmed me when I reread it as an adult.
I love historical novels that allow me to visit the past alongside likeable characters. Even though I don’t consider myself spoiled, I like to be reminded of the struggles of the colonists and the pioneers and how lucky I am to have the easier life that is their legacy. As a child, it was logical for me to identify with young female protagonists, but that hasn’t really changed. I still love reading about plucky girls and young women who make their way in a world that often undervalues them. I read these books when I was very young but never forgot them and was delighted to rediscover them.
I’ve read this at least twenty times and still love it, and it still makes me cry.
It’s the first of Thane’s Williamsburg series but easily stands alone. I was about eleven when my mother recommended it and my sister and I began reading it aloud to each other. I loved the characters, led by young Tibby Mawes and Julian Day, the schoolmaster she adores.
I also love the wealth of rich historical detail, including lavish descriptions of clothing and food, and of course, the romantic complications amidst the American Revolution. When I visit Williamsburg, instead of thinking about colonial history, I find myself saying, “Here’s the apothecary shop where Tibby went to buy medicine for Kit,” and “Here’s where Julian picked Tibby up after her arm was broken.”
Colonial Williamsburg lives again in this rich story which is Elswyth Thane's first novel of American history. Against a background of Williamsburg's quiet streets, the pomp and glitter of the Palace during the last days of British rule, and the excitement and triumph which swirled through the Raleigh Tavern, we see the people of Williamsburg whom history has forgotten: aristocratic St. John Sprague, who became George Washington's aide; Regina Greensleeves, the spoilt Virginia Beauty; Julian Day, the young schoolmaster, just arrived from England; and finally, Tibby, the most appealing, irresistible creature Miss Thane has ever written about. Washington, Jefferson, Lafayette,…
As an author, I love telling stories set on the frontier and populated by pioneers. That has a lot to do with the books I read long ago. My characters tend to have their heads in the clouds, like Ken from Mary O’Hara’s My Friend Flicka. They dream of towering peaks, promising paths, and opportunities beyond the world they grew up in. Back in high school, I took an elective class—Historical Fiction—I wasn’t even sure what that was! We read The Source by James Michener. When I’m not hiking or dreaming about horses, there’s nothing I love more than making up wilderness stories set in the 1800s.
This is the kind of book you get lost in. My favorite stories almost always include a trail—a journey. And the path followed by Lewis and Clark is, of course, more than just a journey.
I loved experiencing this excursion through the perspective of the heroic young mother. If it weren’t for her, the expedition would have been doomed. I’m long overdue for another read of this book, and I’m looking forward to diving back into it one of these days.
As an author, I love telling stories set on the frontier and populated by pioneers. That has a lot to do with the books I read long ago. My characters tend to have their heads in the clouds, like Ken from Mary O’Hara’s My Friend Flicka. They dream of towering peaks, promising paths, and opportunities beyond the world they grew up in. Back in high school, I took an elective class—Historical Fiction—I wasn’t even sure what that was! We read The Source by James Michener. When I’m not hiking or dreaming about horses, there’s nothing I love more than making up wilderness stories set in the 1800s.
I wasn't only captivated by this book. I had to consume the entire series. It was hard to wait for the last couple of books, but it was well worth it.
I'm a big fan of the author, John Deacon, and I enjoy his many other series too, but the Heck and Hope series is my favorite. It’s got a larger-than-life hero, the full experience of the western frontier, and wholesome family values. I loved this series so much, I sent copies to my favorite aunt so she could read them too.
An epic tale of strength, compassion, and adventure on the western frontier.Orphaned at fourteen, Hector “Heck” Martin heads west, determined to see the far country and make a man of himself.
Along the way, he falls in love with bold and beautiful Hope Mullen. But Heck is too young and poor to marry, so he heads west again.
During a three-year journey, Heck crosses thousands of miles, becomes a bareknuckle boxer, a mountain man, and an Indian fighter, and meets the likes of Kit Carson and Jim Bridger as he explores the gorgeous and deadly frontier.
I grew up in suburbia—or urban sprawl—with fairytales and children’s nonfiction series like Lands and Peoples. My passion for reading (and history and art museums) nurtured my sense of wonder and awe at the richness of the world. I was inspired to write nonfiction about heroic people by my own children, whose social studies education lacked dazzle and examples of heroism. I had already been creating educational materials for schools, but I wanted to inspire their wonder about and appreciation of the world. My kids are grown, but I’m still writing for young readers. An avid world traveler and historian, I've always aspired to bring other people, places, cultures, and times to life.
I love this book for its wacky humor, its kindness, and its great illustrations.
The sleepy dad’s hair sticking up always makes me smile. Not to mention the bear trying to hide under the bed, which is smaller than he is. And I love its gentle sympathy for the clumsily helpful child and the suffering and then grateful bear.
As a writer and a mom, and a former teacher, and someone who constantly has to pay attention to the world we live in today, I feel especially compelled to find a good balance for parents to help their kids love reading without compromising their childhood innocence. As adults, we know we live in a broken world. But telling kids about these things without giving them a reason to hope for a better future or without giving them a good role model is more detrimental than helpful. It dooms them to nihilism and cynicism, and only a mature mind is able to successfully break free from that mind trap.
Elizabeth’s journey explores her early teen years with her tumultuous family, touching on her mother’s faint but tainted memory and her ailing father’s neglect, framed within the royal trappings.
This is a great book to share if you love British history and culture, and it gives a very interesting though somewhat tamed perspective of growing up in England during the reign of Henry VIII, all while placing the universal experiences of wanting to fit in, finding yourself the family outcast, and discovering the pains of politics.
Along with this series, Dear America and My Name is America series are all recommended as well. I have read many, if not all of them, and I’d like to read them with my kids, too.
As a new edition to The Royal Diaries series, this factual tale offers young readers an insight to the life and times of this famous royal prior to her days on the throne as the Queen of England.
I am a teacher, so I have to find books that are engaging enough for the kids to stay interested for long periods of reading time. Also, I have 11 kids and 19 grandkids (and still counting…) so we spend a lot of time reading at my house. The books on my list are the ones that the kids wait in line for and have a waiting list to get to have their turn with it. Sometimes I just have 5 copies of the ones everyone loves. Simple mysteries are my favorite.
This is a book series that poses mysteries that are short and fun to solve. The answers are not insultingly easy, nor are they so hard or obscure that kids can’t solve them. The main character is very likable and is described in a way that makes you feel like he is a kid you would want to be friends with.
I love a well-written historical fiction novel that immerses me in the time period and introduces a female character I can relate to. We may live in different times, but women in all eras feel love, attempt and fail, find strength, perform heroic deeds, suffer mishaps, and experience life. Escaping into their stories makes me question what I would have done in their shoes as well as think about how my own story is still being written. As a historical fiction author, I seek to create those relationships between my characters and readers.
I finished this novel quickly as the story and writing are engaging.
I knew something of Hedy Lamarr’s wartime efforts and intelligence going in, but this story shed much more light on the woman and highlighted the difficulties she faced.
I recommend it for readers who enjoy historical fiction, WW2 stories, and novels about strong women.
Bestselling author Marie Benedict reveals the story of a brilliant woman scientist only remembered for her beauty.
Her beauty almost certainly saved her from the rising Nazi party and led to marriage with an Austrian arms dealer. Underestimated in everything else, she overheard the Third Reich's plans while at her husband's side and understood more than anyone would guess. She devised a plan to flee in disguise from their castle, and the whirlwind escape landed her in Hollywood. She became Hedy Lamarr, screen star.
Books have the power to change your life, that is, if you can find a story that inspires you. As a multiple-time CEO and board director I noticed the lack of fiction books with smart, strong, and positive female leaders- that’s why I started writing the Ceiling Smasher series. My first novel, The Closer, is about the first female CEO of a sports company and the secret society of professional women, called the Ceiling Smashers, who help her succeed. The books on this list are based on true stories about extraordinary women who demonstrated courage, brainpower, and grit to achieve great things and blaze new trails- who wouldn’t be inspired by that?
I like the fact that Out of Africa is about a strong woman who was also an entrepreneur and an enlightened leader. Karen Blixen, a Danish countess, took up residence in Kenya and actually ran a coffee plantation—who doesn’t love a brave businesswoman? She built successful relationships with the Masai, Kikuyu, and Somali natives who worked on her plantation. A woman of many talents, Blixen’s poetic style of writing led to a profession as author Isak Dineson after she left her beloved Africa.
With classic simplicity and a painter's feeling for atmosphere and detail, Isak Dinesen tells of the years she spent from 1914 to 1931 managing a coffee plantation in Kenya.
