The Martha Years books are a series of four novels written by Melissa Wiley about Laura Ingalls Wilder’s great-grandmother, Martha Morse Tucker.
Martha was born in Scotland; her father was a small landowner, a laird. She emigrated to America and was married to a Scotsman named Lewis Tucker in Boston on January 1, 1799. Among their children was a girl named Charlotte, who would grow up to marry Henry Quiner and give birth to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s mother, Caroline.
Charlotte’s story is told in the Charlotte Years books.
Books about Martha Morse
- Little House in the Highlands
- The Far Side of the Loch
- Down to the Bonny Glen
- Beyond the Heather Hills
Resources and activities for exploring Scotland with Martha
Books about Charlotte Tucker
- Little House by Boston Bay
- On Tide Mill Lane
- The Road from Roxbury
- Across the Puddingstone Dam
Charlotte Years resource and activity page
Author interview at Ramblin’ Roads
Is it true the Martha and Charlotte books have been abridged by the publisher? Why?
Yes. Here is a Bonny Glen post explaining the publisher’s decision, as well as my decision not to continue writing books in the series. There are more details in the follow-up post, here.
How can I tell the difference between the original editions and the abridged ones?
The originals have painted covers, as shown above. The abridged versions have photographic covers.
Oh no! Is The Road from Roxbury (unabridged) already out of print? I can’t find it at Amazon.
Try smaller booksellers such as those affiliated with the various Little House museum sites around the country. Whenever I hear about a source, I post a link on this page.
Is it true they are getting rid of the Garth Williams illustrations in Laura’s books?
Only in the new paperback editions with the photographic covers. The Garth Williams art will still appear in the hardcover editions of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books, as well as the colorized paperback editions.
Are Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books being abridged?
No, only the Martha, Charlotte, Caroline, and Rose books are being abridged.
How did you get started writing the Martha and Charlotte books?
I tell that story here.
Will there be any more books about Martha and Charlotte?
I’m afraid not. When the publisher decided to abridge the books, I knew the time had come for me go in a new direction. I have explained my decision in depth in this post, excerpted here:
One important point is that HarperCollins doesn’t think of the abridgements as dumbed-down. I do, and that I am strongly opposed to the dumbing-down of children’s literature must be obvious from my decision to walk away from a series of books that has been my heart’s work for the past decade. Although I came to the decision many months ago, the shock of it still takes my breath away sometimes. I love Martha and Charlotte, really love them. Like daughters. I have written certain scenes between Martha and Lew in my mind a hundred times. I’m sorry that I will not be sharing them with you, more sorry than I can express.
And yet, if you read this blog then you know my stance on giving children the highest caliber of literature—not a slimmed-down version of what had been a carefully crafted novel. And so, when it became clear that my publishers were committed to their decision to abridge, I made what I believe to be the right decision—the only decision I could have made. Doing the right thing, I tell my children, is almost never the easy thing.
Certainly, this was a very hard thing to do.
But as I said, while I see the abridgement as dumbing-down, I must say in all fairness that I don’t believe my publishers see it that way at all. They see this as an opportunity to bring the books to a younger audience, a way to keep the series in print.
UPDATE (March 2008): After releasing the first few abridgements in each series, the publisher has decide to discontinue these editions as well. All the Little House prequels and sequels will gradually go out of print.
I have been asked by many readers whether I would consider publishing more Martha and Charlotte novels (the “rest of the story”) elsewhere. I’m afraid that is not possible due to the unique copyright situation pertaining to these books. I am, however, deeply moved by the many heartfelt letters I have received, and I want my readers to know how much I appreciate your enthusiasm for the stories of Martha and Charlotte’s lives. I appreciate every letter and email. Thank you!
Will you be writing more books (not about Martha or Charlotte)?
Oh yes! In fact, there is a new novel in the works…Watch this site for more details!
For more information about my source material and inspiration for the Martha and Charlotte books, explore the Little House archive here at Here in the Bonny Glen.
Martha illustration by Renee Graef. Charlotte illustration by Dan Andreasen.