Andrea Carter and the Family Secret is the third book in the Circle C Adventures series of six books. Written by Susan K. Marlow and published by Kregel Publications, Andrea Carter and the Family Secret has 144 pages and is recommended for ages 9-13. The Family Secret is $8.50 for the individual book or $40 for the bundle of all six books in the series. The website also has a free unit study guide with enrichment activities, as well as a very cool looking lapbook packet for sale to use with the books.

Set on the family ranch in 1880 in California during the California gold rush, 12-year-old Andrea Carter loves adventure, but her adventures often turn into trouble on the ranch. Andrea Carter and the Family Secret has Andrea “Andi” finding a man nearly dead near the river. Then she finds out her family had kept a secret from her. When she discovers she has a sister she didn’t know she had, Andi is angry. Trouble brews, threatening Andi and her nieces and nephews she didn’t even know existed. Who was the man by the river really? Why was Andi’s sister kept a secret? Andi has opportunity to live out her faith and ask for forgiveness when she fails to do right as she fights for the ones she loves.

I have two children in the proper age range of 9-12, and two older horse loving teens who all love the Circle C Adventures and Andrea Carter. We had borrowed Family Secret from a friend several months ago and finished reading the series. When we received Family Secret for review, they read it again. I’d highly recommend this book. We’ve read nearly everything Susan K. Marlow has published and continue to look for her new releases. I’m thrilled to fill my bookshelves with quality Christian literature that my children love.

-Product review by Adrienne Falkena, The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine, LLC, July, 2018