Summary

The adventures of a curious girl growing up on a ranch in the 1800s, who desperately wants a horse of her own.

Stats

Genre: Early chapter book, historical fiction

Series length: Six books

Violence: Light scary situations, like getting lost

Magic/Supernatural: None

Romance: None

Christian/spiritual element: Overt Christian content

Recommendation: Especially for girls who are actively curious or love horses. 

To Purchase

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Opening Lines:

Andi Carter dropped her spoon into her empty bow. "I have something to say."

Her family kept right on talking.

Andi looked around the breakfast table. She knew that children with good manners did not talk during meals. Polite children waited until somebody talked to them.

But the only time somebody talked to Andi at the table was when they said, "Pass the salt, Andi."

​That was not talking. That was bossing.

Andi's Pony Trouble (Circle C Beginnings #1)
by Susan K. Marlow

No more ponies! Andi wants a horse of her own more than anything. But Mother says Andi has to ride pokey old Coco. Andi is sure she's big enough for a horse--even if she's not so good at remembering to care for Coco. Can Andi show her family she's ready for her own horse? Or will she always be stuck riding a worn-out, hand-me-down pony?

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Opening Lines:

"Hey, Andi!" Riley yelled. "Come see what I have."

Andi did not want to see what her friend Riley had. not today. She was too busy. She was leading her very own baby horse, Taffy, around the pasture.

Taffy's mama, Snowflake, was helping. Sometimes Taffy didn't want to follow Andi. When that happened, Snowflake gave her baby a push with her big, white nose. 

Obey Andi! Snowflake seemed to be saying.

Andi's Indian Summer (Circle C Beginnings #2)
by Susan K. Marlow

It's just a made-up story . . . or is it?
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Andi wishes Riley had never read her that scary old dime novel to her. Now she can't stop thinking about being captured by Indians. Then one hot day when she and Riley ride up to the creek, Andi hears something moving in the bushes. Is it a rabbit? Is it a skunk? Or is it . . . Indians?

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Opening Lines:

Andi Carter jumped off the back porch and ran across the yard. She was always running ... or jumping.

Right now she was carrying her very own lasso.

"Here, Duke!" she called.

Andi wound her lasso into big loops and called Duke again. Where was that dog?

Andi's Fair Surprise (Circle C Beginnings #3)
by Susan K. Marlow

If Andi can t take her new foal, Taffy, to the 1874 California State Fair, she doesn't want to go. But once she s there, there are so many exciting things to see that she's glad she came . . . until her big brother tells her she can't keep the prize she won fair and square! 

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Opening Lines:

Andi Carter peeked over the half-door of her horse's stall. 

"Nobody's coming," she whispered. "This is a good hiding place. Maybe I'm safe."

Andi's baby horse, Taffy, swished her tail. She nibbled Andi's hair. Then she stamped her hoof and whinnied.

Let's go play! Taffy seemed to be saying.

"Shhh!" Andi said. "you have to be quiet, so nobody finds me."

​Andi's Scary School Days (Circle C Beginnings #4)
by Susan K. Marlow

Andi didn't think she was afraid of anything―until now. School means being away from the ranch, away from her family, and away from Taffy. And sitting next to a boy who throws things at her. Having to stand in the corner for something that wasn't even her fault is the last straw. 

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Opening Lines:

"A penny for your thoughts, Andi," Justin said at breakfast one Saturday morning.

Andi looked up. Sometimes big brothers said confusing things.

Like right now.

"A penny?" Andi wrinkled her eyebrows. "For what?"

But she perked up. A penny could buy lemon drops. Or taffy candy. 

​Yum!

​Andi's Lonely Little Foal (Circle C Beginnings #5)
by Susan K. Marlow

In Andi s Lonely Little Foal, Taffy is growing up too quickly. Soon Taffy will have to leave her mama and stay by herself at night. When a mean boy tells Andi about the scary things that happen when a foal is separated from its mother, Andi wonders if she can keep her little horse safe!

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Opening Lines:

"Hold still, Andi," Riley said. "Hold really, really still." 

Andi sat frozen. She stopped writing. She tried to stop breathing. 

But that was hard to do. 

"Do you see a rat?" she whispered.

A shiver went down her neck Riley had seen a rat before. Right up here in the hayloft of the big bard. 

Rats are disgusting, ​Andi thought. 

Andi's Circle C Christmas (Circle C Beginnings #6)
by Susan K. Marlow

In Andi’s Circle C Christmas, Andi’s fun holiday break is spoiled when a grumpy, bossy visitor arrives. No more running. No catching spiders. No wearing overalls. But just when Andi thinks the fun is lost forever, she learns that she can help this unwelcome guest in a way she never imagined.

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