Entertaining Reading with Goldtown Beginnings from Kregel Publications {A Homeschool Review Crew Review}

I love finding new books for the children to read. Especially the children who don't get into reading as much as I would like. When I learned that there was a new series coming out by Susan K. Marlow, I was quite excited. Especially because one, it is a series for younger children (ages 4-8), and two, the main character is a seven-year old boy named Jem (short for Jeremiah), though his younger sister Ellie plays a decent roll in the books as well. The first two books in the series are titled, Jem Strikes Gold and Jem's Frog Fiasco. They are published by Kregel Publications, just like the Circle C Stepping Stones books that feature Andi, which we reviewed a couple of years ago.

When I first learned about these books, I asked Harold (my seven year old) if he would be interested in reading them. He seemed quite excited, so I was thrilled when we were notified that we were on this review. These are the first two books in the Goldtown Beginnings Series, and let me tell you, he can't wait until the next books are available. 

The series tells the story of a young Jem Coulter. Jem is the main character in the Goldtown Adventures series for older children. It takes place during the Gold Rush, in the town of Goldtown, CA. Jem and his sister Ellie live with their Mama and Pa on a claim along Cripple Creek.

Both books are paperback, 5x8 inches in dimension, and 80 pages in length. 

Let me tell you a bit about each book.

In Jem Strikes Gold, we are introduced to the two children as Jem is panning for gold in his own little claim on the families claim. Like most gold prospectors, they aren't striking it rich, but finding little bits of gold flakes now and then. In fact, it was a little speck of gold that Jem was trying to retrieve from him pan when the story opens. Their family actually makes ends meet from the jobs their Mama does, such as selling her homemade pies and doing laundry. The children are kept busy by helping deliver the pies and transporting the laundry, when they aren't in school or trying to find their own gold. Jem does his best to be a good big brother, and he also tries hard to remember to be kind. Which isn't easy when there is a bully to contend with. Every Saturday the children are supposed to help deliver pies, but Will Sterling like to harass them. Of course, he is the son of the owner of the gold mine, and the richest kid in town. Poor Jem feels quite inferior and bullied due to having to deal with Will. Will even caused Mama's pies to be ruined, and the laundry to spill on the road and get dirty, making more work for their Mama. 

The children's lives are made more interesting when a neighbor gold miner comes back after a long absence and has brought along a stray, starving puppy he found. Of course, the children want the dog to belong to them, and Strike (a.k.a. Strike-it-rich Sam) would love for them to have him. Unfortunately, due to finances, the children are not allowed to keep him. To the parents' dismay, the puppy keeps making himself a part of their life, and a nuisance. However, when he comes to the rescue when Jem is again dealing with Will, he's looked upon a bit differently. 

Jem's Frog Fiasco begins three weeks after the first book ends. Mama still isn't thrilled with the idea of the dog, both with the thought of it being in the tent, or with precious food being given to him to eat. Jem is determined to feed the poor dog, who now goes by the name Gold Nugget, or Nugget for short. Jem gets a job with Mr. Sims, the cafe owner. His task is to catch bullfrogs and he earns five cents for every one he catches. One day, while out catching frogs, Ellie scares the frogs away and Jem yells at her, causing her to run off and get lost. She ends up falling into a coyote hole. Jem finds her after listening to Strike's advice and with the help of Nugget. 

Both books also contain a couple of other features. After the Table of Contents you will find a "New Words" section which highlights some words that might be unfamiliar to the reader, along with the definitions. And the books conclude with a "Peek into the Past" section. Jem Strikes Gold takes a closer look at "Gold," explaining a bit about the gold rush, and Jem's Frog Fiasco looks at "Coyote Holes" which, though mentioned in both books, play a more significant role in the second book.

In addition to these educational features, we were able to download learning activities from the website. Even though Harold read the books on his own, we spent some of our "mommy-time" reading the books together while he filled out the worksheets. We were able to work through them faster than scheduled. Working on a few chapters at a time (unless I fell asleep reading). There are comprehension questions, vocabulary activities, map work, even a maze (which Harold loved).

Harold absolutely loves these books. 

They kept his attention and he was able to get through each book in just a matter of days. Which is good for him, especially because he rarely finishes a book when he starts. it. In fact, he has read both books twice already! That has never happened. He has never reread a book. And this is in addition to me reading a few chapters to him aloud each day we had mommy time. He can't seem to get enough of these books. As I said at the beginning of the review, he can't wait for the next books to be available. And he really seems to enjoy working on the worksheets as well. Which is amazing, as he usually complains about doing schoolwork. He remembered enough about the story, that he could answer the questions before I even got to the answer in my reading. 

Personally, I think the books are wonderful. The stories are great for both boys and girls. I even had Hannah read the first book to determine her interest level. She was able to zing through the first book in under two hours. She seemed quite interested in them, and even wanted to join us in our pie making time in the kitchen. This was actually Harold's idea, as the pies play a significant roll in the story.

Yummy Blueberry Pie!

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Don't forget to click on the banner below to see what my fellow Crew Mates thought of these wonderful books.