Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink, 242 pages

Caddie Woodlawn is an 11-year-old girl who is brave, whip smart, and has a big, caring heart. Living in the wilds of Wisconsin, Caddie spends her days roaming with her brothers and her trusty dog Nero. Much to the consternation of her mother, Caddie would rather spend all day in the sun picking berries, befriending Indians, and fixing pocket watches than practice being a lady. But the year passes with its triumphs and tragedies, leaving Caddie to realize that change--and growing up--isn't so bad. 

Caddie Woodlawn was a great favorite of mine as a kid, and after I picked up a copy at the STL book fair, I had a wonderfully nostalgic pioneer vacation. The Little House series gets a lot of love, but I prefer Caddie Woodlawn. 

Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede

Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede - 344 pages
Frontier Magic series: book 1

Eff has grown up her whole life knowing that as the 13th child in her family that she will turn out bad and end up cursing her family.  She's fine with that as long as her twin brother Lan, the seventh son of a seventh son, fulfills his role as the lucky, powerful wizard.  To escape the persecution of her extended family, her parents move her and the youngest children to the frontier where her father will be a college professor of magic.  And this works for a while -- until a plague of grubs strikes just outside of the magical barrier destroying all their crops.  Now it is up to Eff, Lan, their friend William, and her father to determine what the grubs are and how to stop them.
 I really enjoyed this first book in the Frontier Magic series.  Although most of the book is setup for the grub problem in the last third of the book, it doesn't feel contrived or boring.  Instead, you get a really good feeling for the characterization and setting of the story.  I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series.