Kregel - Circle C Beginnings - Andi's Scary School Days

Many of you will be familiar with Susan K. Marlow, author of the Circle C Adventures series featuring Andrea Carter. Perhaps you and your 9-14 year olds have enjoyed reading these together. Well, here's some great news, Susan has written a whole new series specifically for 6-8 year olds.

Introduce your young reader to 6 year old Andi Carter and her family in these fresh new "first" chapter books, set in 1874, and titled Circle C Beginnings.

We received the third book in this series, "Andi's Scary School Days" to preview with our family. The first thing that I noticed when opening the book was the list of new words that we would come across in this book. Really helpful idea, especially when I thought about the many times that my children have interrupted me to ask the meaning of a word. Okay, let's keep going...

As we begin the first chapter, Andi is doing her best to hide, in an attempt to avoid her biggest fear- her first day of school. My daughters and I were quickly drawn into this charming story of a little girl entering her school years.

We felt like we were right there in the old pioneer days with Andi as she meets her new teacher and struggles to figure out if she's a nice old lady, or a mean one. And why in the world are there so many rules in school anyway? What about that boy Cory? He throws dead flies at her, and then brings a scaly surprise into class that ends up causing quite a commotion.

Scattered throughout the pages are lovely black and white illustrations that really captured the attention of my girls. Being first chapter books, the length of the chapters and of the whole book are just the right length.

Our girls happen to be book lovers and fairly good readers, and we enjoyed taking turns reading chapters aloud.

In the very last pages we read about what life was like in 1874. We learned about the many rules that were in place for students then, songs that they sang, and what kind of discipline was implemented. These were only a couple of pages in length, which was perfect for the attention span of the kids.

We fell in love with this series with the reading of Andi's Scary School Days. From the delightful young characters, the pretty illustrations, and the history, every element worked together to create a great read for young readers. Even better, author Susan K. Marlow has provided additional story stretchers to delight and entertain. Here's the best part...they're free!! Yes, you heard correctly. Choose a book that you're reading with your student and head over to http://www.andiandtaffy.com/ , and click on the free activities icon. Choose the activities that correspond to the book you're reading, and download your free activity pack. That's it!! You'll get 20 pages of great coloring sheets, puzzles, history, and a lot more. You will absolutely LOVE the coloring pages. Such beautiful illustrations right from the stories.

Let's talk about prices. The books are available for purchase for $4.99 each(plus $2.00 shipping and handling), but purchase more than one and save money. Books 1 and 2 are available together for $9.98 (plus $2.00 shipping and handling). Or purchase books 3 and 4 together for the same price. Or, purchase the first 4 books for $15.96(plus $3.00 shipping and handling).

More information you might be interested in...

Go check out one or all of the books in this series. If you find that you would like to share it with other homeschool families, co-ops, etc., e-mail the author at http://www.blogger.com/susankmarlow@kregel.com . She even has bookmarks for you to hand out.

Also, check out this very cute book trailer http://youtu.be/Kwz__ZQNUPo

I hope this has whet your appetite for these stories. Go pick one up today. Your family will be delighted. :)

* I received a free copy of Andi's Scary School Days in exchange for my honest review of the book, with no additional compensation.

Kregel Publications

Circle C Beginnings series

Ages: 6-8 years old

1.800.733.2607

http://www.kregel.com/

Price: $4.99 each + $2.00 s&h, or purchase 2 for $9.98 + $2.00 s&h, or buy the 1st 4 books for $15.96 +$3.00 s&h

Don't forget to stop over at TOS Homeschool Crew homepage and check out more great reviews and products. http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/