Non-fiction Chapter Book Juvenile Fiction
Date Published: 10-30-2025
Publisher: Solander Press
While her sister Laura chronicles their life on the frontier, Carrie
Ingalls forges her own path. This is the story of the “forgotten”
sister, a frail child who grows into a resilient woman of the American West.
From the hardships of pioneer life, Carrie emerges as an independent
journalist, newspaper editor, and landowner, quietly shaping the futures of
fellow homesteaders and proving that strength comes in many forms.
Excerpt
Chapter Six A Single Bag of Wheat
On October 15, 1880, a fierce blizzard struck the Dakota Territory. It soon became clear that the Ingalls family could not survive the coming winter in a one-room shanty.
First, Charles took his haystacks to town in the wagon. Then he returned to the shanty, and he and Caroline packed the wagon with their few pieces of furniture, bedding, and clothes. They returned to town and moved back into the rooms above the small store Charles had built. The good news was that Laura and Carrie could go to school.
A lot had changed over the summer while they lived in the shanty. The school had been completed and opened on November 1, 1880. Laura and Carrie were two of the first fifteen students to attend De Smet School. When another blizzard hit during a school day, Laura and Carrie struggled to find their way back to where they lived.
Settlers depended on the train for their supplies. Not only did they get food delivered daily by train, but they also received mail and, most importantly, coal for fuel. Charles and the other men from town often shoveled snow from the tracks so the train could reach the station.
As the blizzards continued into January 1881, the railroad made a decision that significantly affected Carrie and her family. They would not deliver more supplies until spring and would cease operations for the winter.
The school was shut down because there wasn’t enough coal to keep the children warm, and soon food became scarce in the town. Food prices rose sharply, with flour costing $50 a pound, and the last few pounds of sugar selling for $1 a pound. Without coal, the Ingalls burned hay twisted into bundles. As their kerosene ran low, they burned the oil lamps less and less at night. But a good deed by Charles may have saved the family.
About the Author
Award-winning author Clarissa Willis writes children's books. She has authored
four picture books and one chapter book. Bloomers on Pike’s Peak, the
story of Julia Archibald Holmes, received a Will Rogers Medallion Award and
was a finalist for the Women Writing the West 2025 WILLA Literary Award in
Children's Picture Books. Her book Fast as the Wind: The Story of Johnny Fry
Pony Express Rider won a Will Rogers Medallion in 2023. The Three Little Pigs
and the Not So Big Bad Wolf, released in early 2025. It tells a familiar story
with a new twist. She believes childhood is a journey and strives to make it
joyful through her books and public speaking.
Clarissa loves traveling and has a special connection to the American West.
She finds inspiration in the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona, and the Rocky
Mountains of Colorado. In fact, her next book, Not from Around Here, is set in
Sedona and chronicles an unusual friendship between a young cowboy and his
friend from far away.
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