Gold Fever hits the residents of the area where Sarahs family farm is, everything changes, From Sarahs father and brother setting off to find their fortune to neighbors leaving and strangers arriving, Sarah and her remaining family must whether the changes.
Through it all, Sarah remains kind and compassionate, With guidance from some key wise men and her mother, Sarah and her remaining family provide for a group of men who, while at first appear to be troublemakers, have hearts of gold when it comes to protecting the feisty young lady who feeds them in exchange for work or money.
Once again, Bertha Schwartz offers middle grade readers a story of intrigue and adventure while showing that kindness, compassion, and charity are the best ways of breaking down barriers and softening hard hearts.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley, I am not required to write positive reviews, The opinions I have expressed are my own, I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade CommissionsCFR, Part,
This story takes place during the California Gold Rush, So many men left their home and families behind in the quest to get rich quick, In this story, Sarah, her mother andsiblings are left to fend for themselves when her father and older brother leave for a week to find gold.
It is anothermonths before she sees them again, With faith, prayer, ingenuity and some wonderful people who help her, Sarah is not only able to survive the Gold Rush, but prosper as well as keep her family and values intact.
I enjoyed this story of a family left behind, I know that all families did not survive like this one did, but as a middle grade story, it gave a glimpse into the evils thievery, alcohol, murder, prostitution without the story centering on that side.
The story shows the strength and ingenuity of this family, particularly Sarah and her mother, to not only survive but thrive.
I liked the way the family stuck together and shared the burdens and the work, even making it fun at times.
Some of the strangers that came to the farm became an extended family and helped, especially keeping the miners civil and settling down arguments and fights that easily could have become violent.
The story line of the characters who realized that they had lost their way and needed to come back to Christ were not over powering, but an important part of the story nonetheless.
Seeing families reunited, violent men come to Christ and Sarah realizing that she is a strong, smart young woman made this story a winner.
There are discussion questions at the back, but I don't think it is necessary to use these to have some wonderful discussions about this story.
I definitely recommend this to families who enjoy Historical Fiction and have Christian Values, or to Christian based schools.
I received a copy of this book from Just Reads Publicity in exchange for an honest review, The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own, ed at The Power of Words: sitelink ly/UJrbQq
Sarahs Search for Treasure concludes an excellent faithbased adventure series for middle grade readers, one that not only entertains, but provides opportunities for discussion and the learning of important life lessons.
Each story covers different historical elements of thes and would work well for personal reading or in an educational setting.
Sarahs Search for Treasure focuses on Californias Gold Rush years and its impact on Sarah and her family a wife and five children left behind while the father and oldest son are gone for eight months in their quest for gold.
Theres danger and adventure, with some hard topics lightly touched upon such as alcohol, thievery, lying, prostitution, I loved the focus on the home front during this time, especially the humorous situation of neighbors leaving their animals with Sarahs family as they left.
Fourteenyearold Sarah steps up to the responsibility placed on her and is simply delightful in her diligence, courage and creativity.
This story gives a good glimpse at human nature regarding wealth, a situation that brings out both good and bad characteristics.
Faith is woven throughout, with some inspirational life changes along the way and most importantly, the realization of what true treasure is.
Recommended to middlegrade readers and their families,
I received a copy of this book through JustRead Tours, The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own, Link to full review:
sitelink wordpres
Here is an excerpt:
This was so interesting seeing the Gold Rush from a childs point of view, and it was a great reminder of how young people can influence older people.
I had a bit of trouble figuring out who was who but I figured it out pretty fast.
I liked learning about how to run a lighthouse, I didnt know what a sloop was and had to look it up, I wish she would have explained it in the book, I thought the book was good, It was very Christ centered and I think it is a good story that teaches we can turn to God in every situation and He is always with us.
I think middle schoolers would enjoy it Its a great story of bravery and full of adventure,
I received this book from the publisher to read and give my honest opinion,
I recommend this book to my family and friends, A sweet book perfect for older elementary school kids and middle grade fiction, Myyear old daughter enjoyed it and was inspired by the resilient and persevering Sarah, As a mother, I was impressed by Sarahs bravery, cleverness, and hard work, It was a sweet story but touched on some hard things like alcoholism, stealing, and hanging, Spoiler No one was actually hung but it was historically accurate to include that and I think it worth the mention.
It provided an interesting conversation and some further research for my daughter and I about the gold rush era.
I particularly enjoyed the turnaround of some of the characters, the description of food, the hilarious absurdity of gaining so many animals in such a short time! All in all, I would recommend these books to other families.
We all myself very much included could use a healthy reminder that treasures are found at home! And that you can do a lot with what you already have, some kindness, and a little grit.
This was an enjoyable third book to the Searchers series! Bertha gives us a glimpse of what it could of been to live during the gold rush period, something I hadn't given much thought to.
Sarah is a solid character who grows as she faces difficult situations, I enjoyed this historical fiction story and recommend it for middle school on up!
I received this book from Just Read Tours.
This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy,
Its, and when Sarahs papa and brother strike out for gold, she is stuck at home to help take care of the family and farm.
This task quickly turns dangerous as
the Gold Rush rises in frenzy around them, Neighbors abandon their livestock and the family must fend off halfstarted miners ready to steal everything they have.
Sarah decides to turn her circumstances into a businessfeeding the miners in exchange for gold and labor,
Sarahs ingenuity and leadership are tested as she faces thieves, mysteries, and violent miners, Trouble closes in on all sides, and Sarah must make tough decisions on her own,
Soon Sarah learns that true treasure is not always gold, and that the greatest adventures can happen without even leaving home.
Sarahs Search for Treasure is the third book in The Searchers series and contains thoughtprovoking discussion questions for young readers.
Ive become attached to this series, It took me a minute in the beginning to get to the middle grade mindset, Its been too many minutes since I had minions to sit down and review with, It shows in my show grind to switch gears, I also found the enigma of the author to be its own little intrigue, As an avid reader of Amish fiction I was taken in by the idea of an Amish author.
To engage in something so very publicminded and the balance that must entail for her, Im so happy she has taken this path however, as her words have so much to offer to our children as they mature and learn.
Ive also picked up somewhere in my researching that there is plans for more books, Im seriously in favor of that coming to fruition,
I adored Sarah and her family, Girl has got gumption and a good head on her shoulders, She is not afraid to go after what she envisions for herself and is heartfelt in her logic.
Mind you, the Searchers Series, is not without its own moments that need a boost and Sarah is no different.
Shes just a bit too much, Shes too perfectly quick with her ideas and her wit, You dont really see her struggle and have to work through those things she just instinctively knows how to move forward.
She even puts her mother in a lesser light to some degree in that Ma just seems to follow whatever Sarah plots.
Im not sure that that is the overall message we want to send to our kids, Especially when they are making decisions, or could make decisions, that might not be the safest course of action like inviting in all the strangers all of them!.
I think when we give our children unrealistic heroes we are setting them up to struggle when they cant being to mirror that.
Timing, specifically the passage of time, is a frustration with this book as well, There doesnt seem to be a clear definition of time throughout the pages until the very end, I feel like the marking of time with seasons, or even holidays, would have helped to delineate this out better so that it didnt feel so abrupt.
Back to unrealistic heroes for a moment however, Yes, Sarah isnt necessarily the hero I want to give to Moo Moo, only because she is too quick and too perfect and truly lacks struggle but shes not all wrong either.
Sarah is also a young lady that trusts her instincts, uses what she knows to better life for everyone who crosses her path, and is willing to take whatever task comes across her path.
Those are all characteristics I want for Moo to emulate, Bells, through in Munch and Goobie and even Squirt when shes old enough, Its a trait that even the boys can advantage from as well, With a little more balance and a realistic expression of the struggle that being that person I think the better example we can provide for our children.
I dont want to ever discourage any of the Minions from really reaching for everything they can, The flip side is I dont ever want to set the expectation that what we do reach for takes work.
And setbacks. And redos. And that its always worth it for the right goals, Sarah found what she never really went looking for, right in her own backyard, I want that for my Minions, I want that for all the children around me, Heres to hoping that there will be more Searchers, More role models. More opportunities for our children to learn and grow with knowledge and faith,
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Just Read, I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own, I was not required to write a positive review,
Originally posted at sitelink com/sarahs . Bertha Schwartz is a Swiss Amish transplant to the beautiful farmland of Nappanee, Indiana, She loves spending time with family and friends, including fifty two nieces and nephews, Her hobbies include scrapbooking, sewing, and reading, Raised near the lovely Swiss city of Berne, Indiana, Swiss is her mother language, Languages and different dialects are a special interest of hers, .