Tunnel of Gold . . . I Dig it!

When Jeremiah (Jem) Coulter learns that the Midas gold mine has been played out (aka: no more gold!), he's afraid Goldtown will become another ghost town. But the angry miners may not leave much for even the ghosts, if they continue to riot. Jem learns the hard way—with a rock zinged at his head—that these miners and the mine owners are at odds. With no gold, there's no pay. Who's going to keep the peace? Why, Jem's pa, the sheriff, of course. A dangerous job, but one that's a great fit for Jem's strong, steady father.

The Sterling family, that owns the Midas mine, is scrambling to open a new mine so the town can get back to work. Young Will Sterling also happens to be Jem's nemesis. The two mix about as well as oil and water.

The Sterlings have found the perfect spot to begin blasting a new mine, but there's a hitch: all mines need an air shaft. This new mine's airway would cut right through the old Belle mine that's been shut down for years. Seems like a simple solution except a played out mine is not a collection of deserted tunnels. Chinese immigrants have moved in to scavenge what they can of any gold that is left in the Belle mine. A common practice. In fact, the mine is technically the property of the Chinese and they are not interested in giving it up. Not even for a nice price.

Things really heat up between the townsfolk, the rich folk, the Chinese folk, and the young folk. The Chinese are not well-liked on a good day. A town on the brink of collapse unless the Chinese cooperate, well . . . let's just say hostility runs rather high.

Jem finds himself getting more than a rock to his head when he steps in to protect his Chinese friend, Wu Shen, from a group of bullies. Two against three looks to become two against four when Will Sterling shows up. But . . . what's this? Jem is amazed when Will takes up his side of the fight!

The kids' problems are just a reflection of the prejudices and temperament of the town as a whole. Jem, like his father, wants to be on the side of what's right, no matter the cost. The battles that Goldtown faces will test his faith, his stamina, and his friendships. In Jem's darkest moments, he remembers scripture from the prophet whose name he bears: Jeremiah. He rallys his faith and quells his fear remembering the promises of God.

Tunnel of Gold, by Susan K. Marlow, is part of the new Goldtown series aimed at 'tween' boys. Mrs. Marlow has packed in the action and suspense in her latest book and it won't disappoint. Nor should it be enjoyed by only the young men in your family. It's a great adventure for all! You may even recognize a character from the Circle C Adventure novels who makes an appearance in Tunnel! 

You can read my review of Book One, Badge of Honor, by clicking here. And I have several reviews of the Circle C books that you will find if you search "Marlow"on my blog.

Marlow's Latest is a Real *Jem!

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. 

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.

Susan Marlow Strikes Again!

Fans of Susan K. Marlow’s Circle C Series will be glad to discover—if they haven’t already—the Circle C Beginnings book series! Geared for the younger cowpokes in your home (ages 6-8), Circle C Beginnings chapter books brings the earlier adventures of Andi Carter and crew to your younger readers.

In Andi’s Fair Surprise, Andi and her family take a train to the California State Fair. Andi has never been to the fair and has no idea what to expect. She’s not so sure she even wants to go, especially if it means leaving her beloved horse Taffy at home.

The sights and sounds and displays that greet Andi create a world of wonder for the six-year-old in the late 1800’s. Besides getting her own money to spend each day of the weeklong fair, she is also given a ticket that might win a prize! Andi makes some new friends, watches a ‘thrill show,’ and learns that big sisters and brothers can be pretty special. Friends and family take home ribbons for everything from roosters to jelly . . . and Andi has her eyes on a prize or two as well!  

Andi’s first day of school is a memorable one, not necessarily for the best of reasons, in Andi’s Scary School Days. Hiding doesn’t keep Andi from having to get dressed up and head to school. Climbing a tree doesn’t keep her from the one room schoolhouse either.  As things go from bad to worse from the first day of school to the second, Andi decides that desperate times call for desperate measures!

Your early readers will enjoy frolicking along with Andi as her impetuous spirit and tomboy personality take them along from one escapade to the next! But Andi isn’t allowed to get away with poor behavior; natural consequences and lessons learned round out each adventurous tale (told from a Christian worldview).

The black and white illustrations from artist Leslie Gammelgaard add lively impact, reflecting the fun and fearlessness that Andi embraces. Your readers will also appreciate the “New Words” list, at the beginning of each Andi book, explaining terms that may be unfamiliar. “A Peek into the Past,” at the end of each book gives some background on life in the late 1800’s relevant to Andi’s stories.

Parents and kids alike will appreciate the FREE coloring pages and learning activities that are available to print out from the Circle C website. Also, A Journey Through Learning has created Lap Books that can be made with the Readers, in order to make the Circle C Beginnings book part of a Unit Study. Adding these teacher helps will make Circle C Beginnings a truly educational experience, one your child will misconstrue as plain ol’ fun!

For a review of other Circle C Beginnings books, click here. If you’d like to read a review from the original Circle C books (chapter books for tweens), click here.To purchase any and all of the Andi books, published by Kregel, click here. And to visit Susan K. Marlow’s website, you can click here.

Review: Circle C Beginnings. Early Chapter Books You Won't Want to Miss!

Little girls and horses just seem to go together like . . .well . . . little boys and puppy dogs. I know that I was a horse-crazy kid, and now I have three young ladies of my own that adore all things equine. If you can’t have adventures on your own horse though—oh, what a cross to bear!—the next best thing is to READ about adventures on a horse!

Author Susan K. Marlow has delivered another wonderful series that will have your littlest horse lovers jumping in with both feet. “Circle C Beginnings” is the prequel to Susan Marlow’s other successful series, “Circle C Adventures.” I reviewed Trouble with Treasure, one of the books from the latter series, earlier this year. I just loved the wholesome fun it offered. So much so, that I bought the entire set for my 12 year old daughter. She inhaled every book and proclaimed them to be the best stories her voracious reading appetite had consumed!

When I received the first two “Circle C Beginnings” books recently, my daughter snatched them up and read them as well (even though they are aimed at an audience of 6-8 year olds). There’s something about Andi Carter, the main character of all the Circle C books, that is so endearing. She just seems to find trouble like a flea finds a dog. And it’s always with such good intentions that you can’t help but become a fan! 

In Andi’s Pony Trouble, Andi is tired of her pokey, hand-me-down pony, Coco. She is almost six years old, for Pete’s sake, shouldn’t she be ready for a full-grown horse? Her family doesn’t think so, but Andi is sure she can prove how mature and ready she really is. 

Andi and friend Riley go riding on Coco and Riley’s horse, Midnight. Riley let’s her take a turn galloping on Midnight and Andi feels like she can conquer the world! She certainly doesn’t want to ride boring old Coco anymore. In fact, why can’t the two of them ride double on Midnight and let Coco follow them back to the ranch? Good plan, until they realize Coco is no longer behind them. Andi knows that losing Coco will mean big trouble. If she can’t take care of a pokey, hand-me-down pony, then it proves she really isn’t ready for a full size horse! Maybe if she can find Coco on her own . . . (yes, it’s a bad idea!).

Andi’s Indian Summer finds Andi and friend Riley (or maybe “partner in crime” is a better description?) between a rock and a hard place. A dime-novel about Indian’s taking white men captive has planted some pretty scary images in young Andi’s mind. What could be worse than being kidnapped by a tribe of wild Indians? The children find that getting lost in the vast, unsettled wilderness proves to be a close second. When real Indians come across their path, Andi and Riley are sure they are goners! 

All of the Circle C adventures are set in the late 1800’s, in the untamed Sierra Nevada’s of California. A perfect place for a young tomboy to find trouble and adventure galore! There’s enough rough and tumble fun in these stories to ensure that boys will enjoy them as well. Although Andi makes bad choices at times, she also learns wholesome lessons through the natural consequences of her actions. Important concepts for young people to grasp!

These delightful early chapter books have a “New Words” list to help readers navigate the tale. Illustrator Leslie Gammelgaard has liberally sprinkled her charming sketches throughout the pages, serving to enhance the story that much more.The author also has a few questions and historical facts at the end of each book to add to the experience. You’ll also be glad to know there’s a definite Christian worldview woven into each story that's never preachy, just a natural part of Andi’s life.

Furthermore, on the Circle C website (visit it here), there are activity and coloring pages (related to each book) that can be printed out for FREE, serving to make these chapter books a truly educational experience. If you’re ready to add some Circle C fun to your Christmas gift list, then you can order books by visiting the Kregel Publishing website here.

It has been a pleasure to get to know Andi Carter and crew through the various Circle C books! I know you won’t be disappointed in the quality of writing and integrity of character that Susan K. Marlow serves up with each tale. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future! 

Book Review: Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure

“Here in the heart of the Sierras, the word lost took on new meaning. Steep, rock-encrusted gullies, ridges that went on for miles, and dark pine and sequoia forests marked this place as dangerous to the inexperienced traveler. Andi, for one, did not want to be left on her own in these mountains.” p. 35 

Oh, if eleven year old Andrea Carter (aka Andi) only knew the trouble awaiting her in those mountains, she may have dwelled on that thought long enough to return to the safety of her ranch...

Of course, headstrong and independent Andi would have scoffed at the idea of falling into jeopardy; not with her big brother Mitch and two of her closest friends trekking the mountains with her. After all, two weeks in the Sierras, fishing and panning for gold while sleeping under the stars, was to be the highlight of her life! On the back of her trusted horse Taffy, Andi always felt confident and ready to meet uncertainty head on.

What starts out as a promising adventure for everyone, quickly goes from bad to downright awful. Pulling the reader along the mountain paths of post Gold Rush California, the latest Circle C Adventure book from author Susan K. Marlow is sure to enthrall your tween readers with its rough-and-tumble tale set in the late 1800’s. From snakes to bank robbers--and even a stint in jail-- the young cowgirl and her posse seem to find themselves in a heap of trouble.

Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure  is a terrific and face-paced read that will prove to be hard to put down! Packed with good old-fashioned pioneer peril and a natural (yet not preachy) undercurrent of trusting in God and His care, this story delivers good, clean entertainment.

Although The Trouble with Treasure is part of the Circle C Adventure series, it is a stand alone saga that the reader can jump right into. But why limit the fun to just one book? Check out all of the Circle C Adventure books from Kregel publishing (available for $7.99) by clicking here. This series is also available in bookstores. As an added bonus, there is a free study guide with activities to go along with your purchase when you go to this website. 

**As part of the TOS Crew, I was provided with a copy of Trouble With Treasure in exchange for my unbiased review.