Books for Early Elementary

Homeschool Review Crew

Do you have someone ready to read?  Maybe wanting to read some chapter books but they’re just a bit too hard?  I love these books for early elementary that we recently reviewed through the Homeschool Review Crew from Kregel Publications. We received two books from the Goldtown Beginnings series.  Jem Strikes Gold and Jem’s Frog Fiasco are books one and two in this new series of books for early elementary readers.

About the Books

This new series of books is set in 1859 in Goldtown, California.  Boys and girls alike will love these books!  The target range is ages 6-9.  So I would say first through third grade should be about right.  That’s why I think they are perfect books for early elementary.  My six-year-old is not reading these types of books yet but my 8 years old loves them!

Honestly, though I would say older kids are going to enjoy these just as much as the younger set.  They just read the books faster!

Susan K. Marlow is the author. She has a degree in elementary education and uses it to her advantage with her writing.  Not only does she have this fun new series of books for early elementary but she also has several other book series.  You’ll find something for everyone in her repertoire!

A homeschooling mom, Susan taught in a Christian school before she began her homeschool journey.  Now she extends her knowledge to all homeschooling families with these great books!

Jem Strikes Gold

Seven-year-old Jem Coulter’s family is trying to make a go of it in Goldtown, with Pa panning for gold and Mama baking pies and washing laundry to make ends meet. Jem and his little sister, Ellie, do everything they can to help out.
             
But it’s hard to help when Will Sterling, a rich boy with a mean streak, picks on Jem every time he runs errands for Mama. When Will’s antics end up ruining the pies, Jem’s had enough. No pies mean no money for the whole family! How can he get Will to stop?

When Strike-It-Rich Sam, Jem’s prospector friend, shows up with a scrawny dog, Jem might have an answer to the bully problem. The brave pup can protect them – if only Jem can convince his parents that another mouth to feed is a good idea . . .

Jem’s Frog Fiasco

Jem needs to buy food for his dog, Gold Nugget. But try as he may, his panning just never leads to gold. When he asks for a job, Mr. Sims, the café owner, sends him out to catch bullfrogs for the menu. Money and frog catching–what a great solution for this active boy!

But Nugget and Jem’s little sister, Ellie, get in the way and ruin his plans. When he argues with Ellie, she stomps off in a huff, and Jem can get back to work. He heads home with a bucket full of frogs and the knowledge that he’ll have plenty of cash for Nugget’s food.

There’s just one big problem–no one knows where Ellie has gone. She’s disappeared! Search parties go out, but no matter where they look, there’s no sign of her. And Jem knows that it’s all his fault for yelling at her. Can he find Ellie before it’s too late?

Our Thoughts

I love these books for early elementary.  My kids have read the Circle C books before and loved them so I knew we were going to like this new series about Jem.  The Goldtown Beginnings Series is super fun and sweet.

I opened the books and they immediately disappeared from my hands.  They made the rounds between kids until they finally came back to me.  Once they were in my hands we used them as a read-aloud.  

These books are short and sweet.  They teach a good lesson and I love that.  I really don’t like books that are just cutesie.  We need some meat in those things!  Teach my kids about patience and kindness within that cute little storyline. 

That’s why I as the parent really like these books.  They teach something!  Also, they follow along with our Christian beliefs and I never have to worry that there will be scenes or words that we wouldn’t approve of from this publisher. 

The extra resources on http://goldtownadventures.com/ are amazing as well!  You will find free resources such as lap books to help make the fun of reading these books spread out.  It also helps to make sure the key learning points are talked about and your child truly does learn from the reading, comprehension is always a good thing!  These are free language arts and educational resources that go with the whole series.

We will be purchasing more from this series and making sure we have all the current Circle C books as well.  As a homeschooling mom, I truly believe the philosophy of you can’t have enough books!  Christmas is coming and books always make the best gifts!

Learn More

Learn more by reading all the blog reviews linked up on the Main Blog Post over on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.  You can also find Kregel Publications on Facebook, Circle C Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.