Circle C Adventures - Tales from Circle C Ranch Book & Lapbook Review

We recently had the opportunity to try out a book series written by the talented Susan K. Marlow, called Thick as Thieves.  Well we had the privilege to try out another one of her adventure stories published by Circle C Adventures, Tales from the Circle C Ranch ($7.99 plus 2.00 s/h) and also use the accompanying Andrea Carter's Tales from the Circle C Ranch lapbook ($7.00).  

Susan K. Marlow has hit the mark again.  She has created a series of short stories that are not only creative and fun to read, but also educational.  Tales from the Circle C Ranch is a collection of short stories where we get to read about Andi Carter's, but really learn more about her life.  This collection of stories was inspired by questions that were written in by readers wanting to know more about her.

In Tales from the Circle C Ranch you get to learn more about Andi's father, her friend Jenny Grant and so many other things.  This is a great book for readers as they transition from Circle C Beginnings and the Circle C Adventure series.  This title would be good for independent reading in Grades 4-5 and up.

We are near this stage for independent reading, but Lydia needed some help so we did these as a read together.  Lydia reminds me a lot of Andi.  She loves horses and would spend all the time she could with them if we owned horses.  In fact, I see that as a good reason to not get horses....lol.

We have been enjoying the Circle C Adventures series by Susan K. Marlow for a few months now, and Tales from the Circle C Ranch was not a disappointment.  We have been enjoying reading about Andi's adventures.  Whether it be arguing about wearing overalls or hiding a pet snake named Clyde, I have enjoyed this wholesome and clean reading materials which is so hard to find today.  These are stories that are short, so they keep Lydia's attention for read-alouds, and I am not afraid to let her read them on her own.  I know there is nothing that I would not want Lydia to be reading in the stories.

The accompanying lapbook, Andrea Carter's Tales from the Circle C Ranch lapbook that you can purchase has been created by www.journeythroughlearning.com.  We have used several of their lapbooks and really enjoy the material and the presentation.  Andrea Carter's Tales from the Circle C Ranch lapbook has not been a disappointment.

This lapbook covers historical, geographical, poetry writing and scientific studies.  You and your children will be digging deeper into learning about life in the 1800s.  What was the clothing like and what were the stores like that you would've shopped in.  The history of Fireworks, snakes and weather such as blizzards are looked at.  The Andrea Carter's Tales from the Circle C Ranch lapbook helps your child get the most from the stories that they are reading.

Each topic has research material provided along with the components you need to create a lapbook.

 The research material that is provided to go along with each story really helps you to turn Tales from the Circle C Ranch into a unit study with the help of the  Andrea Carter's Tales from the Circle C Ranch lapbook.  Lydia is not a fan of cutting out lapbooks and completing them, but this is definitely worth the little bit extra because of the information provided.  All the work is done for me to really turn this book into several different school lessons.

Currently we are spending a couple days reading the story together from the Tales from the Circle C Ranch.  I usually have to limit read aloud time to around 20 minutes at a time due to attention span issues.  But then we spend time reading through the material that goes with the story then in the Andrea Carter's Tales from the Circle C Ranch lapbook.  This has allowed us to review material we have read in the past about the 1800s but also allowed us to learn more about a wide variety of other topics, all while reading about a girl who loves horses.  Currently the  Tales from the Circle C Ranch is one of Lydia's favorite books.

We can't wait to keep reading and also continue reading the Circle C Adventures books starring Andi Carter.

Several members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew were given the opportunity to try out both  Tales from the Circle C Ranch and the Andrea Carter's Tales from the Circle C Ranch lapbook.  Take some time to visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog to see how they have been using these materials in their schools.

Circle C Milestones Review - Thick As Thieves

Horses are a great love in our house.  Both girls love riding, but Lydia is head over heels in love with riding horses.  She does regular lessons and has participated in three riding shows already and placed in all events she had participated in.  Needless to say that we were very excited to get a chance to read the newest book from Circle C Milestones, Thick as Thieves.

Written by Susan K. Marlow, Andi Carter is back in this series written especially for the early teenage crowd, ages 12 and up.  In Book 1, Thick as Thieves ($9.99), Andi Carter is growing up in the 1880s on a ranch with her family.  Her mother wants her to be a lady, and all she wants to be is a horse woman.  At 14 she just wants to live life the way she wants and she wants to run the Circle C Ranch.

Andi's horse is about to give birth, but they had no idea what about the surprise that Taffy had in store for them.  Her palomino was going to give birth to twin foals, a rare occurrence.  This is so exciting.  She is the talk of all the area ranches.  All she wants to do is show her family how well she can train horses.  Her mother steps in and realizes that Andi is letting her grades slip.  So things become complicated as Andi is no longer allowed to work with her horses, but study harder.   Then there is a new girl in school making it hard for Andi to finish the term with her grades raised.  There is also worry about cattle being stolen from the ranch, which could bankrupt the ranch.  

We were also given a downloadable study guide that had comprehension questions to go along with our reading.  I love having study guides to go with books, it saves me lots of time in creating questions for the kids.  This study guide though goes a step further and includes vocabulary and language arts activities also.  (Love covering as many subjects as possible in one lesson.)  There are even some fun extras like crossword puzzles, math lessons and also science lessons about horses.  This resource has been invaluable.  This study guide is wonderful, it is something that I always strive to have for our kids with each book that we use for lessons.

Lydia did attempt to read this story on her own, she is at a 3rd-4th grade reading level, and she struggled.  So we ended up reading it together.   We were able to read it over a few week period (we read it a few days a week, and not daily).  Reading Thick as Thieves has been a great addition to the study unit Lydia is working on to go with her 4H project this year.  

Thick as Thieves is a great balance of being a fun read and also a book hidden with learning opportunities takes to the downloadable study guide.  If you have a daughter that loves horses like we do, I highly recommend checking out Thick as Thieves and reading it together.

We can't wait until the next book is available in July to continue reading this series.  I admit, I am not always a great fan of teen fiction, but this was a great book.  It also gave Lydia and I a book series to read together.  

You can see how the other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew enjoyed Thick as Thieves in their homes by visiting the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.