New Dawn on Rocky Ridge (Little House) [Paperback]

Roger Lea MacBride (Author), Dan Andreasen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Little House

It’s a big year for thirteen-year-old Rose and her family as they witness the turn of the century and, after years of hard work, experience their first apple harvest out on Rocky Ridge farm. And as her feelings for Paul grow stronger, there are even signs of romance in the air for Rose. It’s a time for new beginnings in New Dawn on Rocky Ridge, the sixth book in the Rocky Ridge series continuing the story that Laura Ingalls Wilder told of her own childhood, a story that has charmed generations of readers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6?This warm, comfortable narrative continues the story of Rose Wilder's life from age 13 through 16 in Mansfield, Missouri, with her parents Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder. Written by Rose's adopted grandson and heir, the book draws heavily from the woman's recollections of her own life and the stories her mother told her. It begins with the people of Mansfield celebrating the turn of the century. Much is made throughout the book of technological and social progress, as life changes ever more rapidly. Rose finds herself falling in love with Paul, who has been her best friend and who, being older, leaves town to work in Iowa as a telegrapher. The puzzle of relationships with the opposite sex is a continuing theme, whether in Rose's feelings for Paul, an old-maid school teacher being strung along by the local playboy, or Rose's friend who takes up with a "traveling man." Historical context is important to the story, from changing dress fashions to the dawn of socialism. Rose's aunt E.J., an early feminist, is an especially intriguing character. All of the figures are well drawn and engaging. Laura's return to South Dakota to tend to her dying father will tug at the heartstrings of readers who enjoyed the "Little House" books. MacBride's narrative is heavily episodic, as was Ingalls's; indeed, the style is a near match, and makes this a worthy continuation of that series. It stands alone as well, as an insightful portrait of a teenage girl in the earliest 1900s, with feelings and experiences not so different from those of the 1990s.?Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Roger Lea MacBride, a close friend of Rose Wilder Lane's, was the author of the Rose Years novels.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 4th Printing edition (October 4, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064405818
• ISBN-13: 978-0064405812
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > United States

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By far the best book of 'The Rose Years' series, February 5, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Dawn on Rocky Ridge (Little House) (Paperback)

I have to say that this book was the best book of the whole Little House series. I have read every single book in the series and this one has been the best one yet. Macbride lets you in on the years of Rose's life when she is growing up in the most important years of her life. Falling in love and getting ready to move away for the first time. He also takes you to the time where Laura's father 'Pa' passes away, and he gives you Laura's perspective of when she takes the train back to her home town for the first time since she left her family years before. He also takes you to the moment of 'Pa's' death and saying good-bye to him. Since I have read the entire series of the Little House books, it was refreshing to see Laura's point of view for a couple of chapters and the heartbreak she felt before and after his death. I have to say that I was in tears for two chapters strait. It took me back to the warmth of the house when Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura, Carrie and Grace lived there. And the pain they felt when Pa dies. I recommend that if you read these books, read them in sequence, so you can get the full effect of time and technology and how it progresses with time. I highly reccomend this book to all readers of the 'Little House' series.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this for a powerful story of Pa Ingall's death, January 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: New Dawn on Rocky Ridge (Little House) (Paperback)

This series just gets better and better and this one did not disappoint. Rose discovers herself in love with childhood friend Paul (they were real people who lived at the time), finds out how mean-spirited small town life can be at times, and in a brilliant step back into Laura's shoes, we see her travel back to the Little Town on the Prairie to be there for Pa's last breath. I defy you to read this section without a handkerchief. I found this book fascinating because it shows how life was a century ago, the beginnings of our modern way of life during a technological revolution much like the one changing our lives today. Instead of the Internet, it was the telegraph. I highly recommend it for adults as well as young adults.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best!, March 11, 2000

By 

Stephanie Davis (Spokane,Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Dawn on Rocky Ridge (Little House) (Paperback)

I own and have read every single Rose Years books and out of all of them this was my favorite! It's about a young girl who is full of dreams and ambitions. I think it's the best book and that everybody dhould be able to read it!