Caddie Woodlawn, Newbery Winner 1936

I know that I've slowed down a bit this week. I apologize, I was busying myself with a short work that I've been writing. And I'm a very slow writer; I can spend nearly two hours on a page!
But today I read the delightful Caddie Woodlawn.
Many people compare it to the Little House series and rightfully so. The protagonist is a young girl who enjoys many of the activities that were considered un lady-like. Both are members of a pioneer family and both have plenty of adventures. It seems the whole world wishes to compare Caddie and Laura. I might as well jump on that boat.
However, I find them enjoyable on different levels. Caddie lived earlier than Laura and so we can hear a bit of the politics of the Civil War and how those people who lived on the frontier were affected by it. We also see a more 'civilized' frontier. There is a town and neighbors, they have each other but they are not part of the large population still living back east. And this book also has the nostalgic feel of listening to your older relatives gathering and telling stories of 'the grand old days'.
This is also a coming of age story. I feel that it has tremendous use for young girls today, I especially love when Caddie's father explains the difference between a lady and woman to her. Far from being a simple frontier tale, Caddie Woodlawn is a story about growing up independent. It demonstrates to young girls that it is possible to be wholly who they are and still be a woman. Caddie loved running and swimming with her brothers, but found that she enjoyed sewing too, those actions didn't have to be exclusive.
Not to say that Little House couldn't be these things as well, but I feel that Caddie Woodlawn is much better as a self-contained story. I would be willing to use it in a classroom quite readily, I feel that it would be a fun read for class when studying pioneers, and, as a bonus, I feel that it may appeal to boys due to Caddie's brothers playing a rather large role in the story.