Canyon of Danger and River of Peril by Susan Marlow Book Review

 

Canyon of Danger Goldtown Adventures #3

Jem Coulter's pa, the sheriff of Goldtown, is away on a trip to deliver a prisoner to Sacramento, and he has left Jem in charge of the ranch-along with Aunt Rose, that is.

No sooner is the sheriff gone then trouble starts-a dead calf, a mysterious stranger, and then Pa's horse, Copper, and his prize rifle are stolen. And Pa's deputies seem unconcerned. Jem and his cousin Nathan find Copper's tracks end at a dark canyon up in the hills.

Jem remembers an old Indian legend Strike-it-rich Sam is fond of retelling about people disappearing and no one ever seeing them again. What is the real story of the canyon of danger? Have thieves found the perfect hideout?

Readers ages 8 to 12 will be entertained by the adventurous spirit and historical lure in this fast-moving series that teaches about life in the post-Gold Rush days of 1860s California. Quick-paced plots and unforgettable characters make these books fun for the whole family.

 

River of Peril Goldtown Adventures #4

Jem Coulter thinks his family is just on a sightseeing trip to the big city of Sacramento. Then armed bandits hold up the stagecoach for the secret stash they're carrying: gold for the Union Army fighting the distant Civil War! Suddenly war isn't so far away; it's right there on the road to Sacramento, with Jem's father, the sheriff of Goldtown, fighting against the rebel army's Knights of the Golden Circle.

When the family finally reaches the city, they think they're safe at last. Setting out to see the sights, Jem, his sister Ellie, and their cousin Nathan make a new friend. But is Henry the pal they think he is? With a father who is a die-hard Confederate, could Henry be in cahoots with the thieves?

River of Peril gives readers ages 8 to 12 the fast-moving, exciting adventure they've come to expect in this series, as well as a glimpse into the history of post--Gold Rush and Civil War life in 1860s California, with stagecoaches, steamboats, stowaways--and lots of gold!

My Thoughts:

In my opinion both books can be read without reading the first two in the series. I would recommend reading them in order if you can because you are missing out on a treat not reading them. You will not want to miss any of the books in this wonderful series.

I just can’t say enough good things about both books. If you love action and historical fiction then this is a book for you. The story is well written, full of adventure, and just plain fun. A wholesome Christian book filled with morals and takes you back into history.

I liked that the books are based on Christian principles and that the characters are realistic. The stories move quickly and will hold kids interest from the first to last page.

The main character Jem is always trying to do right thing and is not afraid to fess up when he messes up. He wants to honor God and his family. His faith and character are very inspiring. Ellie and Nathan are just as delightful and the personalities are all so different which add a lot of flavor to these stories

You can get free worksheets to go along with it or purchase a lapbook. Historical information is included at the end of the book. This series would be great to add to a unit study, supplementing your studies if you are learning about the California Gold Rush.

Disclaimer: I provided an advanced reader copy of this book from Kregel Publication for free in order to write this review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and were not subject to editing from the publisher.

Happy Passover 2014

"May you be blessed with happiness, prosperity, peace, and good health on Pesach and always" Happy Passover!

 

YESHUA HaMASHIACH

Dandelions and A Change of Heart

Dandelions by Five Iron Frenzy

In a field of yellow flowers, underneath the sun, bluest eyes that spark with lightning, boy with shoes undone. He is young, so full of hope, reveling in tiny dreams, filling up, his arms with flowers, right for giving any queen.

Running to her beaming bright, while cradling his prize. A flickering of yellow light, within his mother's eyes. She holds them to her heart, keeping them where they'll be safe, clasped within her very marrow, dandelions in a vase.

She sees love, where anyone else would see weeds. All hope is found. Here is everything he needs.

Fathomless your endless mercy, weight I could not lift. Where do I fit in this puzzle, what good are these gifts? Not a martyr, or a saint, scarcely can I struggle through. All that I have ever wanted, was to give my best to you.

Lord, search my heart, create in me something clean.

Dandelions You see flowers in these weeds. Gently lifting hands to heaven,

softened by the sweetest hush, a Father sings over his children, loving them so very much. More than words could warrant, deeper than the darkest blue,

more than sacrifice could merit, Lord, I give my heart to you. 

Here is a site with some Dandelion poetry. 

Anyone who has followed my blog for awhile has heard my rant about dandelions. Not because of the fact that they are considered a weed. I have a daughter who is obsessed with them. I can't go anywhere in the spring and summer months without dragging my daughter away from them while she is having a melt down. She wants to pick all of them. When there is one dandelion their seems to be a truck load of them. They just can't seem to bloom in ones. Bug's life revolves around them for two season in the year and sometimes I get the lovely Fall season to deal with them.

I even started spraying my yard years back so I can get to the van quickly. I even have threatened to sneak over to my neighbors yard in the night to spray them with weed kill. Purely to preserve my sanity.

You can read about some of the dandelion love I have from the following post. However I have talked about them often in other post.

My Nemisis Are back in Full Bloom!

Dandelions, bugs, birds and cracks in the ground.

 

Then something strange happened this last week. I called our weed control guy and informed him not to apply any weed killer only fertilizer to the grass. Gasp, I can't believe I just did that. I am still in shock.

Why did I do that?

They are one of the first foods for bees. They are plentiful and full of pollen. Somehow I have managed to talk Bug into not picking them because our bees will need them when they move into her beehive box. Then she thinks of her bees when we she sees these yellow flowers. She still stops to admire them but picking them takes longer. So I will let her gaze at them lovingly. I still need lots of patience and still cringe when I need to walk past them to get from point A to B. It's bug hunting season almost. No more picking dandelions and one less distraction to check off my list.

Bug did a lovely job taking pictures of the bees on my phone. I think seeing this helped her decide not to pick them anymore. Granted she is still tempted. 

Did I mention that we are planting clover in my backyard. More weeds and more flowers to deal with. All I can say is, "I will tolerate the weeds and forsake my sanity to feed the bees."

Lord grant me patience on this new journey in my life. All my sweet little girls obsessions I am encouraging and surrounding myself with on purpose. I have bought bugs to put in our backyard, let the dandelions live, and I am even planting more weeds.