Wholesome, entertaining literature for kids can be hard to find. Luckily, we’ve happily discovered Circle C Adventures thanks to Crew Reviews. This time, we had the pleasure of reading Tales from the Circle C Ranch by Susan K. Marlow and using the accompanying Andrea Carter’s Tales from the Circle C Ranch Learning Lapbook.
Earlier this year, Bookworm and I had the chance to review Thick as Thieves by Susan K. Marlow, which we loved! We were delighted to have the opportunity to review another book in the Circle C Adventures.
About Tales from the Circle C Ranch
Marlow has written a number of books about Andrea Carter, a girl who lived in the late 1800s in California on a horse ranch. The books are grouped together in different series.
- Circle C Beginnings is for kids ages 6 to 9 and includes six books that are about six year old Andrea Carter.
- Circle C Adventures is for kids ages 9 to 14 and includes six books about Andrea Carter as she continues to grow up.
- Circle C Milestones is for kids ages 12+ and includes stories about a teenage Andrea. (Thick as Thieves is the first book in this series, and the second one, Heartbreak Trail, was just recently released.)
You do not have to have read the previous books to enjoy this book, though I’m guessing having read the other books would make reading this book a richer experience. Before each short story starts, there is a few lines that tell when this story happened in regard to the other stories. Sometimes there is a brief mention of an event in one of the earlier novels, but again, it does not take away from the reader’s understanding of the stories in Tales from the Circle C Ranch.
Our Experience With Tales from the Circle C Ranch
Bookworm and I set aside 20 minutes a day for reading aloud from the book or doing the lap book activities. In our five week review period, we were able to finish reading the 160 page book and complete the lap book.
Bookworm might be at the older end of the age range for this book (he’s 11), but he loved it and often laughed out loud. We loved the humor in this book and the adventure. Bookworm also loved the lap book as he enjoyed doing the hands on activities. I liked that the lap book wasn’t simply busy work. Instead, the lap book enhanced and expanded on what he was already learning through the novel.
My Thoughts on Tales from the Circle C Ranch
Okay, can I just gush for a moment? Bookworm and I have now read and used study guides/lapbooks for two of the Circle C books, and we loved both of them!
After the first book I reviewed, I considered getting more of the Circle C books for Bookworm and starting at the beginning of the series for the girls.
Now, after having had the chance to review a second book, I’m definitely planning to buy the books in the Circle C Beginnings series for ages 6-9 and use them for PB & J Girl and Cuddle Bug next year. Best of all, the books in the Circle C Beginnings come with study guides/lap books and lesson plans. Oh-my-goodness-I’m-so-excited!
Bookworm enjoys these books so much that he asked for some more for his birthday. I would have bought them for him, but he told me two days before his birthday. Oops! However, I’m definitely planning to buy some more and use them in our homeschool next year. We simply love these books!
I was one of 50 people to review the novel and lapbook. For more reviews, click on the link below.
Thanks for such a thorough and delightful review. That was a fun book to write. I would post the stories on Andi’s blog, but the kids kept saying, “We’d like the stories in a book.” Well, okay then! 🙂
I know some of you will be disappointed that the new CCMilestones book, Heartbreak Trail, did not go to the Review Crew. But it released a whole month early!
Thanks for your comment. We do love the books! I’ve updated my review to reflect that Heartbreak Trail was just released.