"She'd poured out her heart to God during those long, lonely hours when she was certain she would die of fear. She knew He'd heard her and even forgiven her for the foolish and wrong things she'd done lately. It came as a pleasant surprise, however, to actually feel less afraid after she prayed. The peace of knowing that God still loved her and was with her even in this dreary shed was a gift she wasn't about to forget."
First, some explanation: this is a series that's also four series, all about the same main character. In chronological order, they are Circle C Beginnings (intended for younger readers), Circle C Stepping Stones (also younger readers), Circle C Adventures (middle grade and up), and Circle C Milestones (young adult, but fine for middle grade too). You don't have to start at the beginning. The Circle C Adventures were actually written first, so you won't be missing critical backstory if you skip the Beginnings and Stepping Stones. I haven't read them myself. (And they are not pictured here.) However, you really should read the Adventures before the Milestones. Got it? Okay, now we can move on.
The heroine of these novels is Andrea "Andi" Carter, a brave and stubborn tomboy who's right at home in the Wild West. Trouble is always finding her! (She sort of reminds me of a Christian Lucky Prescott - and maybe how Jo March would have turned out had she lived in 1880s California.) There is nothing she'd rather do than ride her horse, Taffy, across the Circle C ranch. The last thing she wants to do is grow up.
I tend to be suspicious of any series this long - and, okay, it is a bit much, considering there is always some kind of life-or-death danger involved. But Susan Marlow handles her lengthy series well. Andi doesn't stay twelve years old for fifteen years. Through all her adventures, she does grow up and learns how a Christian should live, only becoming more likable along the way. It's so fun to see Andi and her siblings start their own families. It's also pretty fun when characters from previous books pop up again.
If you like exciting historical fiction, you will love Andi Carter. Because of just how exciting it is, it might be best to take your time and not read all the books at once, but this is not advice my sister or I have carried out. She first learned to love reading because of them!
"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." - Romans 5:2-5 (ESV)
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