(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Living like a pioneer is not quite what 13-year-old Genevieve Welsh had in mind for her summer break.  Trudging around the prairie in a long dress (and petticoats!), growing her own food, slaving away at chores that can easily be done by machine, living with her family in a tiny, rustic cabin—nothing about Frontier Family History Camp sounds like a vacation at all.  What are her parents thinking?  Living without modern distractions might bring her family closer, but it's also going to make Gen completely insane.

Camp isn't completely awful, especially considering there's a cute boy to practice her flirting skills on.  Still, Gen finds plenty of drama to rant about in the texts she sends to her friends on the forbidden cell phone she snuck into camp.  When Gen's pals turn her messages into a blog and that blog goes viral, attracting national media attention to her plight in the Wyoming wilderness, Gen starts to wonder just what she's done.  Has she managed to ruin what's turning out to be the best worst summer she's ever experienced?

Little Blog on the Prairie, a middle grade novel by Cathleen Davitt Bell, tells a cute, uplifting story about learning to appreciate the simpler things in life.  It's an easy read that's funny, upbeat, and entertaining, albeit totally predictable.  While it feels contrived and far-fetched at times, it's still a fast, fun read that will appeal to anyone looking for a light, laugh-filled story that's not without a lesson or two.  I enjoyed it.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:  

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence and scary images

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find