By Carol Ryrie Brink
Reviewed by Jubilee Anderson
GENRE: Middle Grade Historical Fiction
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Don’t be afraid to grow up.
Caddie Woodlawn is a real adventurer. She’d rather hunt than sew and plow than bake, and tries to beat her brother’s dares every chance she gets. Caddie is friends with Indians, who scare most of the neighbors—neighbors who, like her mother and sisters, don’t understand her at all.
Based on the true story of author Carol Brink’s grandmother, this exciting collection of tales explores themes of coming of age, maturity, and kindness.
There were many things I enjoyed about this story, but they all tie down to one person: Caddie Woodlawn
Caddie has a very distinct personality. I can imagine her telling Carol these stories, with just the same personality as when she was in the situation. She’s not the cliched ‘tomboy.’ She has a rounded out personality that matches what she desires most: to remain young, because she’s afraid growing up will restrict her from doing things she enjoys.
Her personality made the whole book. It connected the plot and the theme, as good characters should. I loved seeing how far Caddie had come at the end. Caddie grew in responsibility, kindness, and maturity. She became a young lady. She grew up.
Content Note
Racism and racial slurs are directed towards Native Americans by people around Caddie. This book is fairly clean.
Caddie Woodlawn’s Family
My mom read Caddie Woodlawn aloud to us when I was a middle grader. I really enjoyed the book then, and when I reread it to write this review, nothing had changed.
Carol writes her grandmother’s story so that it feels like it could have been my family. She has a lot of siblings. She tries to keep up with her brothers. While I don’t have an older brother, my younger brother and I got into a lot of fun trouble together. Caddie’s little sister was a little bit like my sister. I love the scene where Caddie and Hetty are sitting on the hill beside each other, staring out into the world together.
I highly recommend Caddie Woodlawn as a read aloud for your family!
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
PAPERBACK: $8
PUBLISHED: 1935