The book I’m looking for was actually a series of Juvenile books I read in the mid 1980’s. I remember 4 or 5 of them. They were a sort of Little House on the Prairie-light. Set in mid western prairie state, but in a town. During or around a big influenza epidemic. The publisher may have been a Christian publishing house. The protagnist was a red head, who was 10-12ish, prone to eavesdropping and misunderstanding. There was a sort of mystery to be solved in each book by the children, that was always just a misunderstanding. One of the books revolved around Valentine’s Day. Can’t for the life of me remember the name or the author, nor can the friends who read them with me at the time.
They were short trade papers, with illustrations on a few pages, but not “illustrated.”
Don’t know if that is even remotely enough helpful information to track them down 🙂
Stump the Bookseller
New format, same book stumper solving.
I left two possibilities for this on another board: the Addie series, and the two Caddie Woodlawn books. Were those all ruled out? Caddie does have red hair and there’s a Valentine’s Day chapter; not sure about the epidemic though.
Both great suggestions, but neither of those were it.
I too am looking for this series. However, they were not published in the 80s. They were published in the mid 90s. It was a trilogy of books set in Pioneer time and were very loosely based off the Little House on the Prairie. The premise is that there was a widower father of three children. The middle boy was a red head who got his other siblings, an older brother and younger sister into trouble frequently. Some of their capers were trying to save Teddy, the Thanksgiving turkey from being eaten and adopted as a pet. The younger sister learned how pigs were butchered and had fallen in love with their pig, “Bessie”. They were often looked after by people who ran the hotel and the kids always somehow managed to get into major trouble in the book, but in the end they always seemed to work out.
This was published by a christian publishing house and I know the author was male, but I can’t for the life of me remember the series name.
I think you might be talking about the Sadie Rose series by Hilda Stahl. Sadie Rose has red hair.
Or you could be talking about the Elizabeth Gail series (which has way more than 5 books).
Both of her protagonists have red hair.
Perhaps you’re thinking of the “Mandie” series by Lois Gladys Leppard?
Maybe Rebecca Caudill’s Fairchild Family series? The Happy Little Family, The Schoolhouse in the Woods, Up and Down the River, and at least one or two more titles.
I believe this series is the “Great Brain” series and the great brain is John D Fitzgerald. JD is always looking for ways to make money and not have to work, and they live in Utah and are Mormons. This is an awesome series. I am 50 and still like to read these books.