In the Land of the Big Red Apple (Little House) [Paperback]

Roger Lea MacBride (Author), David Gilleece (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

Eight going on nine, Rose Wilder is beginning to settle into her new life in Missouri, the Land of the Big Red Apple. Her father is building their farmhouse and she dreams of the day they'll have their own bright crop to harvest. But before that can happen, she has a fierce ice storm to contend with and her first real Christmas in the Ozarks to enjoy.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6?In the third entry in this series, Rose, age eight, adjusts to life in the Ozarks with her parents, Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder. Readers experience the year 1895 along with Rose as she picks apples at the neighbors' farm and helps to prepare sorghum molasses. They feel her jealousy as the hired hand, Abe, goes courting, and join in her dilemma when she is unsure whether she is poor or rich. When Rose's father makes her a sled for Christmas, she is overjoyed. Then she discovers that Abe's little brother has received nothing as both his parents are dead. Can she sacrifice her joy for Swiney? The characters are finely drawn; the era and the setting are alive as well. The simple charcoal drawings are compatible with the slow, quiet thread of the narrative. This book is a must for anyone who enjoys Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" series (HarperCollins) and wishes to follow up with this contemporary installment, but it also stands on its own quite well.?Katrina Yurenka, Jaffrey Public Library, NH
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-7. The third entry in the series about Rose Wilder Lane's childhood follows her family from the fall of 1895 through the summer of 1896. The farm at Rocky Ridge is on much firmer financial footing after a year of operation, and nine-year-old Rose has made some new friends. MacBride describes typical farm activities (making sorghum molasses, moving a beehive, and rescuing young apple trees from the ravages of a winter ice storm) and holiday celebrations, but the richly developed characters that gave such depth to the two previous novels are strangely flat here. Except for a few childish indiscretions from Rose, MacBride leaves the impression of a perfect family leading an idyllic life. Despite these shortcomings, Wilder fans will eagerly absorb this latest offering, and a few of the chapters (such as "Treasure Hunt," about exploring a forbidden cave full of bats) will make terrific read-alouds. Kay Weisman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 338 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064405745
• ISBN-13: 978-0064405744
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,268 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Maggie's Review, May 17, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: In the Land of the Big Red Apple (Little House) (Paperback)

In the Land of the Big Red Apple is adventurous and suspenseful. Rose and her Mama and Papa moved to Missouri and left her Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Mary, Aunt Carry, and Aunt Grace in De Smet because of a drought. Rose's best friend was Alva. Alva hated town girls. Rose's Papa had a hired hand. His name was Abe. Abe lived in a rented shack with his little brother Swiny. Abe and Swiny's mother and father had died. They met Abe when Papa caught Swiny stealing some of Mama's eggs. The next morning Abe came by to apologize. Then they harvested the last harvest. Then Mama and Rose baked and cooked for Thanksgiving. They invited the Coolys over for supper. The last thing Mama put on their plates was three kernels of corn to remind them of the Pilgrims. Then they said grace. After they ate Rose told Paul and George about a cave, but she wasn't allowed to go in it. Paul said, "They wouldn't know if we do so let's go." They went inside the cave and got really muddy. They got in big trouble when they got back. It was time to go back to school. Rose saw Blanche, her school friend. Rose's Papa came and picked Rose up from school. Papa said, "Why Rose you're lips are blue and you're shivering." When Rose got home he said, "Go sit by the fire." Soon it was Rose's birthday! Mama kept looking out the window but wouldn't let Rose. When it was time for chores her Mama wouldn't let her do her chores. When Papa came inside he said, "Go outside and have a look." There was a donkey outside with a new saddle! A little while after Rose's birthday was a terrible ice storm! It was hard getting around. You had to put cloth on your shoes. Their orchard barely made it. Abe was sparking with Effie, Alva's older sitter. Then Abe asked Effie if she would marry him. Will Effie marry Abe? I recommend this book, because it shows you what it was like when Rose was a little girl compared to now.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I have the whole series..., May 15, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: In the Land of the Big Red Apple (Little House) (Paperback)

I love THE LAURA INGALLS YEARS and the ROSE YEARS. In the later ROSE books, Rose is a little more fiesty and romantical...it builds up as the series goes along, so this is more for pre-teens and teens later on. Otherwise it is very wholesome and fun; Rose is interesting, and has many ideas about the world! I have all the LAURA YEARS books except THE FIRST FOUR YEARS and all the ROSE books except ON THE BANKS OF THE BAYOU (my fave) and BACHELOR GIRL (haven't read that yet).
...

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I found this series to be very disappointing..., December 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: In the Land of the Big Red Apple (Little House) (Paperback)

I found this entire series of books to be disappointing. The writing was average but what really bothered me most is how the stories lacked the sweet innocence of the original series. On doing some research I discovered that parts of the books were based on Rose's diaries. Unfortunately, she was not a happy soul and these books suffer from her same pessimism. The listed author for this book (MacBride) died before the last few books were published. The books were still published under his name and HarperCollins claimed that he wrote the manuscript before dying yet one of the last books in this series contains several chapters (almost verbatim) from a story that Rose wrote herself for an adult audience. The story is totally out of character with the series. Rose and her friend sneak out for several nights to meet a traveling salesman. He eventually makes a pass at her...

This series is okay as light reading for adolescents but if you are looking for a piece of americana, and/or a wholesome book for your child or self this is not the best choice. It grossly fails to live up to the original series of books. The Caroline series is a better choice.