On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

After leaving what was then known as the Indian Territory in present day Kansas (and returning to the Big Woods, a part left out of the series of books), Pa’s itch to head west has the Ingalls family traveling to Plum Creek in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. They begin by moving into a dugout, which was already built on the land, but then eventually move into their dream house made of sawn boards, which was an extravagance to the Ingalls family at the time.

Laura and Mary attend school in Walnut Grove for the first time, after previously been taught at home by Ma, who was a schoolteacher before marrying Pa. This book is where we meet many of the characters made famous by the television series, such as Nellie Oleson and the rest of the Oleson family.