Tunnel of Gold – review

Tunnel of Gold is the second installment in Susan K. Marlow’s Goldtown Adventure series for tweens. Twelve-year-old Jem is caught in the thick of things when trouble erupts in Goldtown with a disagreement between the rich mine owner and the Chinese immigrants over the rights to a previously abandoned mine. Jem, his younger sister Ellie, and greenhorn cousin Nathan, are trying to do what they can to help the sheriff– Jem’s pa. Then along comes a new boy. Chad Carter is the son of an out-of-town investor who is in Goldtown on business. When Chad learns the whole story, he joins with the other kids in their efforts to save the town.

Fans of Susan’s previous series will recognize Chad’s name as the older brother of Andi Carter–the main character in Circle C Adventures. It was neat to think about this story taking place 16 years earlier, before Andi was born, when her father was still alive and her brother was a kid.

Susan’s books are well-written and engaging, even for us “kids” who are a “little” older than her target demographic. She offers lapbooks and free study guides to go along with each title which makes them great for homeschoolers. The third book in this series, Canyon of Danger, will be out in the fall. You can read my review of the first book, Badge of Honor, here.