Summary

High adventure stories of a boy growing up in the California goldfields.

Stats

Genre: Early chapter books, historical fiction/adventure

Series length: Six books

Violence: Light scary situations, like dealing with a bully and his sister getting lost.

Magic/Supernatural: None

Romance: None

Christian/spiritual element: Overt Christian content

Recommendation: Especially for boys looking for adventurous tales.

To Purchase

---

Opening Lines:

"Hey, Jem!"

Jem did not answer his little sister. he was too busy.

A piece of gold was mixed up with the black sand in his round, flat pan. 

A teensy piece of gold. Smaller even than the onion seeds he and mama had planted in the garden yestereday. 

​But it was real gold. 

Jem Strikes Gold (Goldtown Beginnings #1)
by Susan K. Marlow

Seven-year-old Jem Coulter's family is trying to make a go of it in Goldtown, with Pa panning for gold and Mama baking pies and washing laundry to make ends meet. Jem and his little sister, Ellie, do everything they can to help out.

But it's hard to help when Will Sterling, a rich boy with a mean streak, picks on Jem every time he runs errands for Mama. When Will's antics end up ruining the pies, Jem's had enough. No pies means no money for the whole family! How can he get Will to stop?

When Strike-It-Rich Sam, Jem's prospector friend, shows up with a scrawny dog, Jem might have an answer to the bully problem. The brave pup can protect them--if only Jem can convince his parents that another mouth to feed is a good idea . . .

---

Opening Lines:

A cold, wet nose jerked Jem Coulter awake.

Jem sat up and threw back his covers. "Nugget! How did you sneak in here?"

He looked around. mama did not want their new dog inside the tent.

Not even if Nugget stayed clean. not even if Jem's little sister, Ellie, asked a hundred times. 

No sirree! Mama always shooed the dog outside. 

Jem got dressed in a hurry. "Come on," he said. "Before Mama sees you."

Jem's Frog Fiasco (Goldtown Beginnings #2)
by Susan K. Marlow

Jem needs to buy food for his dog, Gold Nugget. But try as he may, his panning just never leads to gold. When he asks for a job, Mr. Sims, the café owner, sends him out to catch bullfrogs for the menu. Money and frog catching--what a great solution for this active boy!

But Nugget and Jem's little sister, Ellie, get in the way and ruin his plans. When he argues with Ellie, she stomps off in a huff, and Jem can get back to work. He heads home with a bucket full of frogs and the knowledge that he'll have plenty of cash for Nugget's food.

There's just one big problem--no one knows where Ellie has gone. She's disappeared! Search parties go out, but no matter where they look, there's no sign of her. And Jem knows that it's all his fault for yelling at her. Can he find Ellie before it's too late?

---

Opening Lines:

Jem took a bite of his morning mush and made a face. 

Not even pouring molasses on his hot cereal made it taste better. 

he peeked under the table. His golden dog lay at his feet. 

When Nugget saw Jem looking at him, his tail thumped. 

"Good dog," Jem said. 

Nugget could like a bowl of mush clean in a hurry. Mama would never know.

​But Jem's belly would know. It grumbled. 

Jem and the Mystery Thief (Goldtown Beginnings #3)
by Susan K. Marlow

​Jem can't wait for school to let out for the year. Is there anything more boring than class when you could be outside? When rich boy Will brings a coin collection to school, it's an exciting treat. It isn't often the students get to see all that interesting money in one place.

Then a silver dollar goes missing during recess--and Jem is blamed! After all, he's the only one who went indoors on this sunny day. When a charm bracelet is stolen the next day, more fingers point his way.

Jem knows he isn't the culprit. But how can he prove it? To clear his name, Jem sets a trap for the mystery thief--his sister's gold locket lays in plain sight on his desk as bait. Will it go missing too? Or will Jem's good name be muddied forever?

---

Opening Lines:

Swish, swish, swish. Sand and water swirled in Jem's gold pan. 

Rattle, rattle. Gravel and small rocks banged against the sides.

The morning sun beat down on Jem's head.

His hat kept the sun out of his eyes, but it could not keep out the heat. 

​Jem felt like it had sucked him dry. 

Jem Digs Up Trouble (Goldtown Beginnings #4)
by Susan K. Marlow

Jem is turning eight years old. And there's just one thing he wants for his birthday: a prospecting trip with Strike-it-rich Sam. With his grown-up friend to watch out for him, Jem's parents say yes. It's off for two weeks in the mountains to find gold!

But this trip isn't going as planned. There are more tall tales from Sam than there are deep pockets of gold ore. And the map to rich diggings they brought along doesn't have any treasure at the end of it. Striking it rich is a lot harder than it looks.

​When they find an unexpected cache, things seem to be looking up. But Jem and Sam shouldn't count their gold nuggets before they get home. An injury, a bad detour, and other problems plague them. Not only are they empty-handed, they might never make it home at all!

---

Opening Lines:

"Jeremiah!"

Jem sucked in his breath. Mama meant business when she used his full first name.

"Jeremiah Isaiah Coulter!"

Roasted rattlesnakes!

Did Mama have to shout Jem's whole, entire name so it was heard by every miner along Cripple Creek?

He looked around.
​
Half a dozen miners were lined up on their gold claims. 

Jem and the Golden Reward 
​(Goldtown Beginnings #5)
by Susan K. Marlow

No one really knows where Jem’s beloved dog, Nugget, came from when Strike-it-rich Sam found him. Jem doesn’t care; he just knows he loves his pup. But now "missing dog" posters are going up around town--and the dog looks just like Nugget!

It turns out the pooch is a golden retriever, a brand-new breed that’s very rare. A rich man from Scotland was visiting San Francisco when one of his dogs was lost in the mountains above Goldtown. There’s a reward for the dog’s return--and mean Will Sterling wants the money.

Jem is desperate to keep his furry best friend, and he’s sure Nugget wants to stay with him too. But when he tries to hide out in the woods, he has no idea of the danger that awaits them. . . .

---

Opening Lines:

Rattle, rattle...bang!

"Shh," Mama whispered. "Don't wake the children."

Too late. 

Jem opened his eyes. Except for a faint glow, everything was dark inside his family's tent.

Mama held a lantern in one hand. Her other hand clutched a blanket around her shoulders.

She was shivering. 

Jem's Wild Winter (Goldtown Beginnings #6)
by Susan K. Marlow

There’s never been a winter like this in all of Jem Coulter's eight years. After weeks of heavy snowfall, no one can pan for gold. And all the wild critters from rabbits to cougars are coming down to the low country around Goldtown looking for food to stay alive.

t isn't all bad, though--animals mean Pa can put out a trapline to make some money for the family. Jem is excited to help with this grownup job, until their overnight campsite in the wintery woods has an unexpected visitor. Now they're in the most danger Jem's ever faced!

---