This wasn't as good as the first two books in the series. Rose and her family continue to settle into life in the Ozarks, establishing their farm and learning local traditions. It's a bit of a filler book -- the first book covered the family's trip to the Ozarks, the second trip was settling in, and from the description, in the forth book we start seeing more of the hardships that befell the family before. That said, it as still a fun read and I'd rather have this book than a gap for a year in which "nothing" happened to Rose and her family. ( )

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love this series!!!!! ( )

With a title like that, you'd think this book was some sort of fantasy novel, maybe one where a kid falls into a world of good nutrition or something. Well, it's not. Instead, this is the 3rd volume of the Little House: The Rocky Ridge Years series. The story of the Wilder family continues, describing life on their farm in the Ozarks and the events in their lives. It's enjoyable reading, though nothing outstanding. One thing I noticed in this one is some of the subtle differences between Mr. MacBride's storytelling and Laura Ingalls Wilder's. The Rocky Ridge Years tends to read a bit less sheltered than the original Little House series. Rose's crush in this volume and the jealousy that accompanies it is played out a bit more than a similar event in Laura's life might have. There's also a better sense of historical context. While reading the Little House series, I couldn't have told you when the events occurred other than sometime in the 19th Century. (Well, save for the few times when a date is mentioned.) In Apple, you have scenes where the Wilders--children of staunch unionists--refrain from joining their Missourian neighbors in singing "Dixie" and where the town folks send campaigners for William McKinley on their way with some Democrat hospitality. Anyway, it's certainly worth checking out.
--J. ( )