I occasionally call my kids the "R______(fill in my last name here) Gang". But, I don't mean it in the sense of the word "gang" that is the usual connotation these days.
I mean it in the older sense of the word.....think the Apple Dumpling Gang or Spanky and the Gang.
The Sugar Creek Gang uses that same mind set in the use of the word "Gang".
This is a great audio book series that is being distributed by Beloved Books.
The audio recordings are based on the books by Paul Hutchens, and they are narrated and brought to life by Paul Ramseyer.
I grew up in Minnesota listening to KTIS, which is the Christian radio station that broadcasts from Northwestern College in St. Paul....which is where these audio recordings first aired. As I listened to these with the kids, I am sure that I heard at least some of these stories when I was a kid. I know I recognized Paul Ramseyers voice.
They have an innocent, "aww-shucks" kind of feeling to them. Many times I kept picturing Beaver Cleaver and his friends and the way they spoke during the adventures. (You younger folks won't get that reference, but I am sure anyone around my age or older knows exactly what I am talking about. Whenever I talk about the possibility of one of the kids friends being an "Eddie Haskell"....they just don't get it!)
These are great adventures for you to listen to with your kids. When I first mentioned them to the kids....I got a few eye rolls and even a few "No.....please.....no."
But, in my sweet, homeschool mom kind of way, I said, "Too bad....find a comfy spot and be quiet."...or something like that.
All it took for A-man to get on board was for me to read the titles of the stories to him. This is just for Volume 1.
The Swamp Robber
The Killer Bear
The Winter Rescue
The Lost Campers
Chicago Adventure
The Secret Hideout
See what I mean? What little kid/adventurer wouldn't want to hear those stories? Remember there are a total of 6 volumes of these stories.
I was a little nervous about attention span issues, because each story is about 2 hours long. But, it actually didn't turn into a big problem. We never listened to a whole story at once. Usually we listened to about half and came back another day for the "exciting conclusion". (Doesn't that make you want to use your narrator voice?)
These stories are innocent, but not unrealistic. I mean, there is a boy that has a drunk for a father and some of the "gang" aren't Christians. It is real....but still manages to be wholesome....if that makes any sense.
This is totally going to come with us on the next road trip. It will be perfect and will keep everyone's attention. And, won't be making the parents cringe with the disrepectful stuff ath we have heard from other audio books (think Junie B. Jones). Just innocent, old fashioned story telling.
I guess that is my favorite part. It really harkens back to another day and age....when boys were boys and had gang meetings in the woods by their house....went fishing at the creek.....got into "scrapes".....but were home by suppertime. When building character, telling the truth, having manners and believing in God......were good, honorable things. Wholesome goodness.
Do you want to get a taste of the Sugar Creek Gang? Try listening to the first story in the series to see what you think? Click for the Swamp Robber. (It's a good one.) It is free.
Beloved Books also has some other interesting books and CD titles available.
The Little Britches series.
G.A. Henty Audio stories.
All-Of-A-Kind-Family series.
Elizabeth Enright stories.
They all look like more old fashioned, wholesome, innocent....but definitely not boring stories.
(I know. Did little boys really stay clean and combed like this? )
When you are ready to just try these on out for yourself for road trips, quiet time (like us), or bedtime stories. (We have talked about using them as our bedtime stories...but some people are afraid of falling asleep and missing out on the adventures....so, for now, we are sticking to broad daylight listening.) The normal price for each of the volumes for $54.95....or the complete 72 disc set for $279.70....with free media shipping rates.
But, I get to pretend I am one of those big time bloggers and offer a coupon code for JUST my readers!!!
If you put in SHUT-THE-FRIDGE-20 at check out....you will get 20% off. That brings the price down to about $44 or so....if I did the math correctly...which we know may or may not be my strong suit.
It would be a great Christmas gift for grandkids....especially if you used to listen to this or stories like this when you were a youngster....or for anyone who makes a lot of road trips.
See what other folks on the TOS Review Crew thought of the Sugar Creek Gang.
Disclaimer: We received Volume 1 of the Sugar Creek Gang series for free, in exchange for an honest review.
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