By The Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I just finished reading By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  The girls loved this book and hearing more about Laura’s adventures.  By the Shores of Silver Lake is the fifth book in this series.  The story continues as Laura and her family move from Plum Creek to the Dakota Territory.  Through family Pa found a job working on the railroad which helps makes ends meet until they can file their claim on their homestead.

Once the girls who were sick with scarlet fever were well enough to travel they took the train to meet Pa in the new area.  Their first winter in Dakota was cold but they were able to stay in the surveyors house that was stocked with supplies without anyone around for many miles.  At the first sign of Spring many men started coming through so they could file a claim on their homestead.  Ma and the girls cooked many meals for men traveling through while Pa was away hoping to get the piece of land he wanted to start their new homestead.  The town of De Smet started popping up right before their eyes and even Pa built a building in the new town that he could rent or sell later.

The girls enjoyed listening to another story about Laura and her family.  After each chapter they always want me to read another one.  They thought it was neat that Laura got to spend some time with their cousins and they especially loved reading about Laura riding the horse.  It was a cute book and the girls have loved these books so much that they are already planning on reading the series again after I finish reading them.