Review of Kregel Publications' "Andi's Scary School Days" Book

Most moms I know are constantly on the lookout for new, wholesome, fun books for their kids to read.  Tween and kid series starring vampires, "mean girls",  and adult-type relationships abound, but books showing kids acting like kids are in short supply.  For this reason, I was delighted to receive the Kregel Publications' book Andi's Scary School Days free in exchange for my review.

Andi's Scary School Days is part of a larger series of books starring Andi called Circle C Beginnings.  The series is comprised of six books total (two are not yet published), and they are intended for children 6-8.  Each book is around 80 pages.  The books take place in the Wild West of the late 1800s, and they feature a lively little girl who loves horses.

The Circle C Beginnings books should appeal to any child who has not been jaded by modern culture (in other words - homeschoolers!).  The book that I read to my children (9, 7, 6, and 6) was entertaining, charming, and quite reminiscent of the Little House on the Prairie books.  The story was perfect for both boys and girls, as Andi is obviously a girl, but she could never be accused of being girly! My whole family thoroughly enjoyed this book as a readaloud, and I'm sure that my girls would have enjoyed reading it silently (my boys, typical 7 and 6 year-olds don't sit still long enough to read for any length of time yet).

There is nothing not to like about these enchanting books.  They reflect a simpler time, but they don't present unrealistic views of children.  As indicated previously, the books would likely not appeal to children who have already been heavily exposed to what passes for kids' books these days, but this is not the target audience of the Circle C Beginnings books.  As an aside, although the books are published by a Christian publisher, they should appeal to a wider audience.  I would encourage even non-Christian parents who want wholesome books for their beginning readers to try this series.

The Andi books are available through Kregel's website, Amazon.com, and Christianbook.com, and they cost $4.99 each.  Considering that there are supplementary coloring pages and activities to download from the website, the books really are a great deal.  My kids enjoyed these books.  To find out what other Crew members' kids thought, visit the Crew blog.