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I still didn't love it as well the first few books about Laura's childhood, perhaps because I know and love the Little House stories so well from my own childhood (I know my mom read me "Farmer Boy" but I don't really remember it). That said, I did quite enjoy and appreciate Almanzo's story this time and feel Laura deftly articulated his conundrums being on the cusp of boyhood and young-manhood, both his eagerness to do the more adult work on the farm with his father and older brother as well as the angst of having independent thoughts and wishes but not being able to express them most of the time. I appreciated his gentle, thoughtful nature and earnest desire to be a good, hard worker as well as his abundant love for animals and especially his desire to have a colt of his very own. I didn't feel the siblings and parents were as well-developed as Ma, Pa and Laura's sisters, though I did enjoy some of father Wilder's wisdom and his ultimate gift to his son (both the tangible one and the gift of letting his son chose his own future).

Some of my favorite chapters included Independence Day, Keeping House, Christmas and the final chapter. I must say I was a bit shocked by the first few chapters which talk about the new school master and the abuse he (and the previous school teacher) endured from the big boys from town. It is rather violent and I would probably consider skipping those when I read this to my own son in the future.