Bargain Bride by Evelyn Sibley Lampman

I first read this book when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. I enjoyed it very much then, and have enjoyed it just as much every time I’ve read it since then.

The story is based on a pioneer practice of marrying a very young girl to a much older man, so that the man could claim twice as much land as if he were single. Since the girl was really too young to be a wife, she continued to live with her family until she was in her mid teens. Women were scarce in the west, so the girl’s family might get quite a bit of money out of the deal. But if the bridegroom were a successful farmer, and then suddenly died, the bride could be a very young and very eligible widow. And how would she deal with greedy relatives, winter isolation, local Indians, and suitors of all ages and varieties? How would she know true love when she found it?

This is a fun book to read aloud, full of memorable characters and vivid historical details.