The Prairie Thief
Recommended. Age: 8+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
A warm frontier story with a fairy-tale twist. Louisa trusts her father, tells the truth when it costs her, and keeps going when adults fail her. The brownie is a creature of old Scottish folklore, story-world magic in the Oz mode, with no spells to copy and nothing set against God. The one reservation: a cruel adult in the house hits and threatens Louisa.
For parents
Read aloud from 6, independent reading from 8. One reviewer read it aloud to a six-year-old; the publisher says 8 to 12. The brownie is a folk-tale creature, not a spirit to call on. Ask why Louisa kept believing Pa. Ask how she should treat the woman who was cruel to her (Matthew 5:44).