By the Shores of Silver Lake

“Encouraging children to read more can be a challenging prospect. One method for getting children to read is to find stories that appeal to them with adventure, characters they can related to and love, and stories that keep them wanting more. Children will learn about resourcefulness in this timeless classic about family, overcoming hardships and determination. Engaging and thought provoking, this story is one that will encourage children to read more as they become completely absorbed in a story based on the real life of the author.”

The NEA recently reported that reading is up among adults. Hopefully reading has gone up among children too, although children tend to read more that adults because they are in school.

One book series that remains popular among kids is the Little House on the Prairie series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. One of these books is called By the Shores of Silver Lake. In this book, Laura’s father has to go ahead of the family because he is working on the railroad and hoping to find a place for the family to live. Laura gets to ride on a train for the first time when she, along with her mothers and sisters travel to reunite with him at Silver Lake. According to the book, Pa Ingalls is the very first person to erect a building in the new town that is soon to be built on the shores of Silver Lake.

By the Shores of Silver Lake marks a significant turning point for Laura and her family and for the book series. It is by Silver Lake that the finally decide to put down some roots. For years before the family had traveled by covered wagon, moving from place to place, but now they are going to get a taste of what it is like to live in a settled territory. Readers who were used to seeing Laura and her family get in the wagon and move on, now have to adjust to reading adventures that will be happening in one place.

If you have moved a lot then you know the unsettling feeling that comes with landing somewhere and knowing that you may not be there very long. When you are a child who has to move often you really keep wondering with will happen next. In some ways, getting to Silver Lake may have been a relief for young Laura. On the other hand, if you have moved a lot then you probably know how to be resourceful. You know to figure out ways to get what you want and how to stretch a dime.

One way to stretch a dime is to sell silver. If you have old silver coins, broken silver jewelry, and other silver objects that you can sell to a silver buyer, do not hesitate. There is no need to take this unused silver with you on one more move, sell silver and get instant cash for silver.