While dropping off a few books at a little free library in Evart, I found a copy of On the Banks of Plum Creek. And like my girl Laura stealing her doll back from a frozen puddle, I rescued this to claim it for the cottage.
And now I’m obsessed with finding the rest of the series, either in little free libraries or thrifting, so I have a set up there. The place is named for the books after all.
So how did I get here?
My obsession started when I was 7 or 8, borrowing OTBOPC from the Orange Street library. My sisters and I would walk there together, and sometimes the other neighborhood kids joined us since it was only about a mile away. Armed with our library cards, Burger King Kids Club coupons, and maybe a dollar, we’d make a day of it, reading comics, finding books, and looking at whatever collections they had. When we checked out, we’d either go across the street to the hardware store that had candy and stickers or across Michigan Avenue to feast on free burgers and fries.
Personal perspectives on what I loved about Laura, then and now, are different than other LauraFans. It didn’t start with the show, it started with a line from this book where she stated her whole skin was thirsty to get in the water. I thought that line perfect, as a girl that loved how mud felt and had a tendency to fall out of trees.
That summer, I worked through the series and continued to read them all, annually. Was it all about her strong moral fiber? Nah. Here’s the random list of why Laura ruled:
She was a turn-of-the-century fashionista who had an after-school job so she could buy hats and dresses.
The girl loved to eat.
Scored the town hottie.
Had a posse of BFFs in Minnie, Mary Power, and Ida.
And we've all had our own personal Nellie Oleson to deal with.
Citrus obsession.
Loved to write even when she didn't have an audience *crickets*.
Determined as hell and even wrote an essay about it called Ambition.
Looked after her sisters but was not above wanting to smack ‘em.
Hated being good but did it anyway.
Liked to jam - sure, it was Pa playing the fiddle, but I can visualize teenage Laura in '22 jamming to Billie Eilish.
Generous. Who gives away all her pretty crafts just so the family can have Christmas presents?
But yeah, my girl was into Christmas presents. And furs. And health and beauty aids.
Knew how to make a feast out of scraps.
Most of all, her engaging storytelling has made me a lifelong reader and scholar of all things Laura.
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