The Review: Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls

And now, after all the speculation and guessing on my part, here is my review of Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls by Tui Sutherland:

Let me begin by saying that I questioned the quality of this book beforehand. I wondered how the events from On the Banks of Plum Creek could be made fresh and interesting.

From the start of the book, Nellie came of as a spoiled brat with no sense of reality. Her voice was annoying:

"Nellie Oleson did not like the prairie. She did not like the dust. She did not like the big open sky. She did not like how there was nothing to see in any direction for miles and miles and miles. She did not like the mushy, hot, itchy smell of horses tied up along Main Street, or the wind that whistled all night and blew dirt in her face all day long." (1)

The background story before Laura showed up was interesting. It gave me a better perspective on Nellie's life, not just Nellie's actions as in On the Banks of Plum Creek. As I read on, I gradually began to feel more sympathy toward Nellie.

When Laura Ingalls was introduced, I felt that some of Nellie's thoughts were irrational, but I understood that Nellie felt ostracized from the other girls. While the Town Party and the Country Partly followed Wilder's description, Nellie's thoughts were insightful to her character.

Before I read this book, I had always felt that Laura's mean trick at the Country Party was justified. However, Laura's trick seemed cruel in Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls because Nellie is starting to accept Laura. This trick turns Nellie against Laura even more.

The end of the book did not show complete redemption. There was no "sorry" from Nellie or forgiveness on Laura's part. Nellie's struggle was more of an internal one. It was about Nellie feeling better. It showed growth in her character.

This book did exceed my initial expectations. The message was good and it fit well with On Banks of Plum Creek. I would not say that it was an exceptional book, though I did think that it was probably the best that could be done with the material. The language of the book was simple and redundant at times. This may have been done to get the effect of being inside Nellie's head. Also, the book was written for younger children. Overall, I would say it was well done.

I would be interested to know how much of the new plot information was factual.

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