By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder

This is the first book which takes place in De Smet, where Laura spends most of her teenage years, and where she would meet Almanzo and remain until after she married.

We are reintroduced to some of Laura’s family, which we had not seen since Little House in the Big Woods. De Smet changes from a railroad camp to a bustling frontier town.

Laura leads a much more independent life at the railroad camp in the book, spending much time with her cousin Lena.