We Ranked the Little House Books by Hardship

9. Farmer Boy, Book 3
The only book in the series that doesn’t focus on the Ingalls family, this tale of Almanzo Wilder—who would grow up to marry Laura—is low on the pioneer hardship meter, but high on charm. Young Almanzo lived with his family in New York State, where he and his siblings went to school, got into mischief, and worked on the farm. Almanzo’s childhood underscores the differences between families who chose to stay in one place and those who, like the Ingallses, opted for life as roving settlers.

8. Little House in the Big Woods, Book 1
The book that started it all is filled with admirable examples of PTCB (pioneers taking care of business). Pa’s fireside stories and Laura’s daily experiences acquaint us with the Big Woods of Wisconsin—think hungry bears and panthers—and the ways of pioneer life. Nature and family are central themes in the series, and here it is established that these two forces are the lifeblood of the Ingalls tribe. These are the days Laura will remember for the rest of her life.

7. Little Town on the Prairie, Book 7
When the crops are devoured by blackbirds, Pa sells the family heifer so that Mary can attend a college for the blind. Laura’s own school resumes, and she finds that Nellie Oleson, her haughty nemesis from Minnesota, has moved to town. Quelle horreur! Luckily, the attentions of bachelor hunk Almanzo Wilder are enough to offset Laura’s Nellie-induced woe. Determined to help with Mary’s tuition, Laura pursues a teaching certificate and accepts a job 12 miles away.

6. Little House on the Prairie, Book 2
The enterprising Ingallses would rather live in the wide-open country than anywhere else, and it is in this spirit that they ditch the now-crowded woods and head for the unsettled prairies of Kansas. Here, Pa builds a house and plants crops, and the family survives a bout with malaria. Just when their new life is taking shape, soldiers inform the family that they are trespassing on Indian Territory. Pa issues his best oh-no-they-didn’t and packs up the covered wagon once more.

5. These Happy Golden Years, Book 8
Why does a book with such a title come in at number five on the Cruelties of Life scale? The Ingalls brood enjoys a mostly smooth journey at this juncture—Laura earns enough to keep Mary at college, and her relationship with Almanzo blossoms—but the presence of a psychotic, knife-brandishing hostess is a prairie-sized nightmare. Laura’s safety is compromised when Mrs. Brewster, the hateful mistress of her temporary lodgings, threatens to slice and dice Mr. Brewster. After spending many sleepless weeks at the Brewsters’ while working as a teacher, Laura finally moves home.

4. On the Banks of Plum Creek, Book 4
The Ingallses leave Indian Territory for Minnesota, where Pa builds a beautiful house, the girls attend school, and Laura has her first encounters with meanie Nellie Oleson. Family fortunes quickly fade, however, when a grasshopper plague obliterates the crops, and Pa travels 300 miles away—on foot—to find work. On his way back, a terrible blizzard strikes and Pa nearly freezes, proving once again that pioneer life is not for the faint of heart.

3. The Long Winter, Book 6
Like most homesteading families, the Ingallses have moved to town for the interminable winter, and food stores are low. Bad weather has prevented trains from delivering supplies, and Pa worries that the family may starve. Almanzo Wilder and a friend risk their lives on a daring trip through the snow in an attempt to procure more grain for the townspeople. Will they make it back alive or will the settlers of the Dakota Territory perish?

2. By the Shores of Silver Lake, Book 5
An episode of scarlet fever sickens everyone but Pa and Laura, and leaves Mary blind. Pa accepts a job in the Dakota Territory, where he will work on a new railroad and claim their final homestead. Here, 12-year-old Laura faces two stark realities that make her realize she isn’t a little girl anymore: First, her cherished pooch and protector, Jack, dies; second, it becomes clear that she must fulfill Ma’s dream and become a teacher despite her own wishes to the contrary.

1. The First Four Years, Book 9
Marriage brings the happy beginnings of Laura’s new life with Almanzo Wilder. If her childhood as a pioneer girl brought a constant stream of adventures, Laura’s experience as a farm wife is filled with just as many surprises and, often, devastating tribulations. Together Laura and Almanzo deal with ruined crops, destructive fires, the loss of their second baby, and the lingering effects of diphtheria. But through it all they remain committed to each other and their lives on the land.
How do you rank the Little House books?