Roasted rattlesnakes! Have you been confounded in your search for an adventure-filled, wholesome story for tweens? That’s a tall order these days. And if you hope to find one with a bent towards boys it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Author Susan K. Marlow comes to the rescue with her new series for boys—just in time for Christmas! Marlow has turned her big imagination from Andi Carter in her Circle C Adventures series, to Jem Coulter in her new Goldtown Adventures series. But, honestly, it’s good, clean fun for everyone—boy or girl!
In book one, Badge of Honor, we meet twelve-year-old Jem Coulter and his little sister Ellie. The two want to help their widower father take care of things around their broken-down ranch. It was with the best of intentions that they both skipped school to pan for gold one fine, spring day. Surely the melting snow of the Sierra Nevada Mountains washed some gold down Cripple Creek to their little family claim, right? It's worth an afternoon standing in the freezing water to find out!
When their father, Matt Coulter, hunts down his truant children, they’re in double-trouble. Not only are they grounded from gold-panning until school gets out (a whole month away!), but their dad is sporting a six-pointed star on his chest.
Matt Coulter has been named the first sheriff of the unruly, mining settlement of Goldtown, California. Jem is devastated. Goldtown is full of hot-tempered men carrying firearms and that badge seems like a target on his father’s chest. Not to mention the example Jem will be expected to portray as the sheriff’s son. What could be worse?
Well, the day isn’t over yet. The Well’s Fargo wagon brings an aunt and cousin from sophisticated Boston to live with the Coulters. What are a couple of greenhorns from the city going to do on a ranch in a mining settlement? Change things—much to Jem’s dismay. He and his sister have been making it just fine since their mother passed away a year prior. The only bright side that Jem can find is that his cousin, Nathan, will be another set of hands to help with chores.
And so begins a new chapter in Jem’s life . . . as if being caught between boyhood and manhood at age twelve isn’t complicated enough. When summer finally arrives and the kids can officially return to pan for gold, things really heat up. The creek is nearly dry and Jem, Ellie, and Nathan stumble on something much more life-altering than gold . . .
Using humor and historical accuracy, Susan Marlow weaves a tale of danger and mystery that is sure to please most young men at about this age-n-stage themselves.
Using humor and historical accuracy, Susan Marlow weaves a tale of danger and mystery that is sure to please most young men at about this age-n-stage themselves.
With godly, moral lessons as an underlying current, you can be sure that Susan’s new series will please the conservative palate without being stuffy or preachy. As mentioned, girls will enjoy the Badge of Honor as much as their male counterparts. It would also make a great read-aloud for the whole family. It's a book I've thoroughly enjoyed and I'm waaaay older than the approximate 9-13 year old target audience!
You can read some sample pages from Badge here. Or you can download the free study guide and make it a very well-rounded adventure!
Publisher Kregel books sent me a complimentary copy of Badge in exchange for this honest review. Thank you, Kregel! It is a pleasure to review any of Susan Marlow’s books.
For three other reviews of Susan K. Marlow’s stories, click here.