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Sugar Creek Gang #1
The Swamp Robber
The tales and travels of the Sugar Creek Gang have passed the test of time, delighting young readers for more than fifty years. Great mysteries with a message for kids, The Sugar Creek Gang series chronicles the faith-building adventures of a group of fun-loving, courageous Christian boys. Your kids will be thrilled, chilled, and inspired to grow as they follow the legendary escapades of Bill Collins, Dragonfly, and the rest of the gang as they struggle with the application of their Christian faith to the adventure of life. In this book, the Sugar Creek Gang discovers a "disguise" hidden in a old tree. Does it belong to the bank robber hiding in the swamp? A mysterious map hidden near the tree proves to be even more exciting than the disguise. Before the adventure ends, the gang encounters the robber, helps Bill Collins welcome a new baby sister, and saves the victim of a black widow spider bite. Join the gang as they learn the lesson of sowing and reaping.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1940
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541 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
April 14, 2023
This review is based soley on this edition, not the original work. And this review is not based on the current story, etc.
This review only concerns addressing the insane and repugnant idea that the Sugar Creek Gang series needed 'updating for today's readers'. Words can hardly describe such a horrible idea.
Where do we get this idea that 'today's readers' are such primitive creatures as to need 'updating'? If it were just a matter of spelling, but everyone knows spelling hasn't change dramatically over the fifty years that these books have been in existence.
I have the feeling that most people who bought these books bought them because they had read them and enjoyed them as children, and wanted their children and grandchildren to have the same experience. The last thing in the world I wanted, speaking purely for myself, is a version that was 'updated for today's reader'. Gag.
The publisher in response to us wrote:
"Please note that the entire quote from CBD’s website regarding these books is actually, “The tales and travels of the Sugar Creek Gang have passed the test of time, delighting young readers for more than fifty years”. This is still true. The stories in the updated versions are the same, as are the characters. Over 1 million of these books have sold since the updates.
I have offered this information to CBD and they will make the decision if they want to note that the books are updated versions on their website.
The updates were done from 1997 – 1999 by Moody Publishers with the updates being written by Paul Hutchens daughter, Pauline Hutchens Wilson. Here is the preface that is in the front of each of the books, by Mrs. Wilson:
PREFACE
Hi – from a member of the Sugar Creek Gang!
It’s just that I don’t know which one I am. When I was good, I was Little Jim. When I did bad things – well, sometimes I was Bill Collins or even mischievous Poetry.
You see, I am the daughter of Paul Hutchens, and I spent many an hour listening to him read his manuscript as far as he had written it that particular day. I went along to the north woods of Minnesota, to Colorado, and to the various other places he would go to find something different for the Gang to do.
Now the years have passed – more than fifty, actually. My father is in heaven, but the Gang goes on. All thirty-six books are still in print and now are being updated for today’s readers with input from my five children, who also span the decades from the ‘50s to the ‘70s.
The real Sugar Creek is in Indiana, and my father and his six brothers were the original Gang. But the idea of the books and their ministry were and are the Lord’s. It is He who keeps the Gang going.
Pauline Hutchens Wilson
I can understand your disappointment that the books are not exactly the same as the ones you read as a youngster. It was our opinion, as well as Mrs. Wilson’s, that some of the words that her father used were outdated and could easily have a different meaning in today’s language. One of the updates I specifically remember is that in The Chicago Adventure some of the landmarks that Mr. Hutchens used when he wrote the book in the 30s or 40s are no longer there. Mrs. Wilson replaced some of those landmarks with current landmarks that the children of Chicago may know very well and may actually live near. "
To which I replied:
As you may understand, the fear that I and others of my friends have had in reading this is that these books have been made politically correct. So, for instance, on one of the first pages of the first book I read our main character saying he 'was punished'. My PC antennae started buzzing and my guess, from my age old remembrance of the original, was that the 'punishment' concerned was a little better described and very physical (ie he got 'spanked' or 'got a licking'); but that this was deemed offensive to today's readers, and changed.
Regardless even with the part of the description you highlighted (which may cover you legally but I can assure you does NOT imply that there have been edits) you advertising does NOT warn people of your edits, nor their nature. And the fact that you have sold millions of copies of these books, if it is based on a false understanding of what has happened to these books, is not exactly to your credit, eh?
but then we found some of the old copies and wrote:
Dear Mrs. Hackler,
While waiting for our postage return slip from the distributors we decided to go through the books and see what kind of edits they had undergone. I had looked at only two pages when I found the following example of political correctness: the exact kind of thing that we were worried had been done to spoil the moral message of these stories.
What I assume is the original story of 'The Secret Hideout' (copyright 1942, 1968 edition Moody Publishers) has a sentence that reads (on page 57 of that edition):
"The bell rang and the girls came back in, looking at us to see if any of us had gotten a licking, and probably wishing we had, as girls sometimes do, and none of us had."
The 'for today's reader' that we had been shipped now reads (page 49):
"The bell rang and the girls came back in, looking at us."
I await anyone's statement that this is not a sop to modern political correctness, a fear of even mentioning the historical fact that children used to get 'lickings' in school (and from their parents) let alone what the original SCG actually taught, which was that that was a good thing.
This is not, as you suggest in your email, an instance of minor word changes to reflect changes in place names. It is, indeed, a change in the story, and a significant one.
Please express my disappointment to your staff, both for the change and for the disingenuous way you attempted to reply to us.
In Him,
Vaughn Ohlman
This review only concerns addressing the insane and repugnant idea that the Sugar Creek Gang series needed 'updating for today's readers'. Words can hardly describe such a horrible idea.
Where do we get this idea that 'today's readers' are such primitive creatures as to need 'updating'? If it were just a matter of spelling, but everyone knows spelling hasn't change dramatically over the fifty years that these books have been in existence.
I have the feeling that most people who bought these books bought them because they had read them and enjoyed them as children, and wanted their children and grandchildren to have the same experience. The last thing in the world I wanted, speaking purely for myself, is a version that was 'updated for today's reader'. Gag.
The publisher in response to us wrote:
"Please note that the entire quote from CBD’s website regarding these books is actually, “The tales and travels of the Sugar Creek Gang have passed the test of time, delighting young readers for more than fifty years”. This is still true. The stories in the updated versions are the same, as are the characters. Over 1 million of these books have sold since the updates.
I have offered this information to CBD and they will make the decision if they want to note that the books are updated versions on their website.
The updates were done from 1997 – 1999 by Moody Publishers with the updates being written by Paul Hutchens daughter, Pauline Hutchens Wilson. Here is the preface that is in the front of each of the books, by Mrs. Wilson:
PREFACE
Hi – from a member of the Sugar Creek Gang!
It’s just that I don’t know which one I am. When I was good, I was Little Jim. When I did bad things – well, sometimes I was Bill Collins or even mischievous Poetry.
You see, I am the daughter of Paul Hutchens, and I spent many an hour listening to him read his manuscript as far as he had written it that particular day. I went along to the north woods of Minnesota, to Colorado, and to the various other places he would go to find something different for the Gang to do.
Now the years have passed – more than fifty, actually. My father is in heaven, but the Gang goes on. All thirty-six books are still in print and now are being updated for today’s readers with input from my five children, who also span the decades from the ‘50s to the ‘70s.
The real Sugar Creek is in Indiana, and my father and his six brothers were the original Gang. But the idea of the books and their ministry were and are the Lord’s. It is He who keeps the Gang going.
Pauline Hutchens Wilson
I can understand your disappointment that the books are not exactly the same as the ones you read as a youngster. It was our opinion, as well as Mrs. Wilson’s, that some of the words that her father used were outdated and could easily have a different meaning in today’s language. One of the updates I specifically remember is that in The Chicago Adventure some of the landmarks that Mr. Hutchens used when he wrote the book in the 30s or 40s are no longer there. Mrs. Wilson replaced some of those landmarks with current landmarks that the children of Chicago may know very well and may actually live near. "
To which I replied:
As you may understand, the fear that I and others of my friends have had in reading this is that these books have been made politically correct. So, for instance, on one of the first pages of the first book I read our main character saying he 'was punished'. My PC antennae started buzzing and my guess, from my age old remembrance of the original, was that the 'punishment' concerned was a little better described and very physical (ie he got 'spanked' or 'got a licking'); but that this was deemed offensive to today's readers, and changed.
Regardless even with the part of the description you highlighted (which may cover you legally but I can assure you does NOT imply that there have been edits) you advertising does NOT warn people of your edits, nor their nature. And the fact that you have sold millions of copies of these books, if it is based on a false understanding of what has happened to these books, is not exactly to your credit, eh?
but then we found some of the old copies and wrote:
Dear Mrs. Hackler,
While waiting for our postage return slip from the distributors we decided to go through the books and see what kind of edits they had undergone. I had looked at only two pages when I found the following example of political correctness: the exact kind of thing that we were worried had been done to spoil the moral message of these stories.
What I assume is the original story of 'The Secret Hideout' (copyright 1942, 1968 edition Moody Publishers) has a sentence that reads (on page 57 of that edition):
"The bell rang and the girls came back in, looking at us to see if any of us had gotten a licking, and probably wishing we had, as girls sometimes do, and none of us had."
The 'for today's reader' that we had been shipped now reads (page 49):
"The bell rang and the girls came back in, looking at us."
I await anyone's statement that this is not a sop to modern political correctness, a fear of even mentioning the historical fact that children used to get 'lickings' in school (and from their parents) let alone what the original SCG actually taught, which was that that was a good thing.
This is not, as you suggest in your email, an instance of minor word changes to reflect changes in place names. It is, indeed, a change in the story, and a significant one.
Please express my disappointment to your staff, both for the change and for the disingenuous way you attempted to reply to us.
In Him,
Vaughn Ohlman
March 17, 2013
I really wanted this to be a fun book/series that I could read to my youngest son. Unfortunately, I didn't find it that well written. And all of the Christainese stuff thrown in felt forced, unnatural, and irrelevant to the story. I wanted a quality story for boys that had a strong Christian message. This book attempted to be that, but fell well short of the goal. I was bummed.
February 13, 2017
I've read like five books in this series. There's nothing really wrong with them. I just found them really boring. You'd think I could read a tiny book such as this. It took me two tries to get through it, I believe.
December 19, 2018
Two things I really enjoy about these books (which make more of an impression now that I'm older)--the genuine Christianity and the spot-on normal-kid perspective. Even the lengthy asides (and asides within asides) involved in setting up the characters, setting, etc. for the first book aren't something to be suffered through but something to be heartily enjoyed when seen through the lens of a perfectly-normal, generally-sweet, but definitely-less-than-perfect preteen boy narrator. :D
The preface mentioned the book having been updated, and it's been a while since I read the original, so I'm not sure what was changed, but there was nothing glaring that shouted "updated edition" in the text, which is definitely a plus in my mind.
Content--mentions of drinking and drunkenness (condemned); guns pointed and people threatened; mention of someone being shot; a man is bitten by a poisonous spider; rumors of a house being haunted
The preface mentioned the book having been updated, and it's been a while since I read the original, so I'm not sure what was changed, but there was nothing glaring that shouted "updated edition" in the text, which is definitely a plus in my mind.
Content--mentions of drinking and drunkenness (condemned); guns pointed and people threatened; mention of someone being shot; a man is bitten by a poisonous spider; rumors of a house being haunted
May 23, 2020
A great book on courage and how GOD works in the lives of different people. Courage as each or the boys and their family's used their courage
In different ways. How the six friends stuck together encouraging each other and standing up for each other in to as of need and family crisis. A great story of six rowdy spunky boys growing up in a back town in IN. All
the high jinks, and saving a man's life and their own friends. With quick
thinking and fast acting how they saved one of their own friends father
life. A great book, that brings fond memories of running free and happy
times as a frisky colt in summer. Great characters and action in a small
town. Can't wait to read the whole series.
Debra H.
In different ways. How the six friends stuck together encouraging each other and standing up for each other in to as of need and family crisis. A great story of six rowdy spunky boys growing up in a back town in IN. All
the high jinks, and saving a man's life and their own friends. With quick
thinking and fast acting how they saved one of their own friends father
life. A great book, that brings fond memories of running free and happy
times as a frisky colt in summer. Great characters and action in a small
town. Can't wait to read the whole series.
Debra H.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2017
What an excellent boys book - full of action and all the things boys love - guns, spiders, swimming, climbing and robbers. Even better it talks about Jesus in an engaging and frank way. So glad to have this to read to my boys. Looking forward to getting them the next one.
August 14, 2020
A fun read-aloud for bedtime for my daughter (6) and son (8). I really wallowed in my Georgia accent with this one. Not sure if it's set in the South or not, but the read-aloud was suited to my drawl. :) The plot gets lost a bit towards the end, with the robber situation all tied up and several chapters more to go. I'm hoping the next book (which we'll read) has a little more action, although there were plenty of amusing and exciting moments in this one--they just peter out a bit early on.
We learned some fun facts about nature from this book, too. Very sneaky, Mr. Hutchens! It had a few biology lessons thrown in there (e.g., breeding habits of mosquitos).
Now, for the faith part: There is a lot of emphasis in this book on the evangelical idea of that conversion moment: Do you know when you "asked Jesus into your heart"?? Are you sure, sure, sure?? Have you checked that box yet?? As a girl raised Southern Baptist (29 years) and now Orthodox Presbyterian (nearly 8 years), I could identify with this evangelical mentality while also struggling with the emphasis put on the event of "asking Jesus into your heart." I went to my fair share of youth camps and Sunday Schools and revival sermons where I was challenged to "remember the exact moment" when I asked Jesus into my heart. As a young child whom God graciously reached out to and stirred to faith, I could remember that exact moment. But 10, 20, 30 years down the road, that memory fades. Having someone challenge the veracity of your faith if you can't remember that moment when you were saved is, to me, a bit of a scare tactic. Now, the author here doesn't go so far as to say that if you can't remember when you got saved, you better ask again just to be sure. BUT he does put emphasis on the box-checking mentality of salvation (e.g., making sure various characters who are in peril "get saved" before they die), and he does have the main character ask Jesus to save him--perhaps even though he already had before--just to be sure. This didn't sit peacefully with me, but that's probably just the Presbyterian in me rearin' her TULIP-minded head... :)
Mr. Hutchens does have some theologically positive points to make however, like rebutting the idea that one can really be good without God's help. He also deals with a common feeling of self-consciousness/embarrassment about being faithful in front of others who maybe don't share the same beliefs (e.g., praying in front of non-believer friends). I was glad to have the chance to talk to my kids about similar situations they might find themselves in.
On the whole, it was good enough that we'll be reading the next one at some point!
We learned some fun facts about nature from this book, too. Very sneaky, Mr. Hutchens! It had a few biology lessons thrown in there (e.g., breeding habits of mosquitos).
Now, for the faith part: There is a lot of emphasis in this book on the evangelical idea of that conversion moment: Do you know when you "asked Jesus into your heart"?? Are you sure, sure, sure?? Have you checked that box yet?? As a girl raised Southern Baptist (29 years) and now Orthodox Presbyterian (nearly 8 years), I could identify with this evangelical mentality while also struggling with the emphasis put on the event of "asking Jesus into your heart." I went to my fair share of youth camps and Sunday Schools and revival sermons where I was challenged to "remember the exact moment" when I asked Jesus into my heart. As a young child whom God graciously reached out to and stirred to faith, I could remember that exact moment. But 10, 20, 30 years down the road, that memory fades. Having someone challenge the veracity of your faith if you can't remember that moment when you were saved is, to me, a bit of a scare tactic. Now, the author here doesn't go so far as to say that if you can't remember when you got saved, you better ask again just to be sure. BUT he does put emphasis on the box-checking mentality of salvation (e.g., making sure various characters who are in peril "get saved" before they die), and he does have the main character ask Jesus to save him--perhaps even though he already had before--just to be sure. This didn't sit peacefully with me, but that's probably just the Presbyterian in me rearin' her TULIP-minded head... :)
Mr. Hutchens does have some theologically positive points to make however, like rebutting the idea that one can really be good without God's help. He also deals with a common feeling of self-consciousness/embarrassment about being faithful in front of others who maybe don't share the same beliefs (e.g., praying in front of non-believer friends). I was glad to have the chance to talk to my kids about similar situations they might find themselves in.
On the whole, it was good enough that we'll be reading the next one at some point!
January 31, 2023
Awesome boy book! I listened to it as an audiobook on Scribd, and I can highly recommend doing the same, for the narrator did a great job.
p.s. don't get the updated versions. The old one is real good.
p.s. don't get the updated versions. The old one is real good.
November 1, 2019
My 11 yo had been blowing through these books. It was good to listen with all the kids. I had forgotten the fast paced adventure and the clear Gospel presented.
June 4, 2025
My 7 year old boy was hooked!
September 29, 2025
Very fun audio book for a road trip, but a little heavy on the nose with the Christianese.
December 9, 2023
I love these stories! I read them all as a kid and am reading them to my boys now. They are a great way to instill Godly values into your boys and help them learn how to grow up to be Godly men.
June 19, 2025
I didn’t necessarily hate it. Just very much out of my comfort zone.
January 25, 2021
This is the first of four Sugar Creek Gang books I found in a charity shop that supports a cancer hospice. After looking into the background a bit, I found these were fairly popular for kids a bit too young for Tom Swift or the Hardy Boys. They were also favorites for parents who wanted a book series with Christian themes woven into the plot. The series was reprinted in multiple formats until the mid-80s.
This first one does a good job of introducing the kids, a few of the parents and an interesting story about a young man looking for his Uncle who disappeared a few years earlier. I'll leave the synopsis there, because it is fun getting to the resolution and how the boys stroll right into the middle of trouble while in their nightshirts.
It's a nice look into those times with a surprising amount of adventure for a book written for a pre-teen audience.
Find it! Buy it! Read it!
This first one does a good job of introducing the kids, a few of the parents and an interesting story about a young man looking for his Uncle who disappeared a few years earlier. I'll leave the synopsis there, because it is fun getting to the resolution and how the boys stroll right into the middle of trouble while in their nightshirts.
It's a nice look into those times with a surprising amount of adventure for a book written for a pre-teen audience.
Find it! Buy it! Read it!
March 1, 2019
I LOVE this book! Why did I never really get into reading the Sugar Creek Gang when I was younger?! I don't know... but this story really is good. But the thing I find the most amazing is how the author so effortlessly pieces together the model Christian boy's lifestyle. I mean, these boys really want to serve God and trust in Him with their lives.
Definite 5 stars. I'm actually really excited to read another one of these!
Both boys and girls could like it, as long as they enjoy adventure stories. (However, the only thing it could have done without... is the fact that Poetry's voice is changing. Young girls may not like reading about that, to be honest.)
Truly though... I can't recommend this book enough to Christian families with young readers.
Definite 5 stars. I'm actually really excited to read another one of these!
Both boys and girls could like it, as long as they enjoy adventure stories. (However, the only thing it could have done without... is the fact that Poetry's voice is changing. Young girls may not like reading about that, to be honest.)
Truly though... I can't recommend this book enough to Christian families with young readers.
May 4, 2021
I feel like this book doesn't really hold up very well in 2021, even when being read in a nostalgic way. I do love how the author portrays the sensitive heart of a boy, his love for Jesus, his friends and family, etc. It definitely sends a message that a boys can be brave adventurers without being emotionless tough guys. I also think that the author captures the protagonist's voice beautifully. That said, I don't love the "say a prayer and you're all-of-a-sudden saved from hell" theology, so that was a little tricky for me. Perhaps in future books, the author shows more of his journey with God vs. it being about saying the "magic" words. Lastly, there was just a lot of internal dialogue for a book marketed as an adventure/mystery book for kids.
August 18, 2017
A member of our church gave us a big set of Sugar Creek Gang books, for our boys to read. I had never heard of them before so I picked up the first one to see what it was all about. It's a short book, only 97 pages, but it was such a sweet story! He actually starts to develop the characters fairly well, but what I love is that it talks about Jesus and the main character, Bill, is learning how to pray and how to 'be a real Christian' like his friend little Jim. Some of the lines are just so pure and real and sweet! Obviously this is written for a young audience - young boys to be precise - so it was an easy and simple read but I loved it and will definitely have my little boys read it!
November 22, 2021
I remembered enjoying this one as a kid, but it doesn't bear older eyes. Hutchens' narrator voice is phenomenal, one of the strongest I've encountered, and it kept me reading through silly nonsensical plot errors and a tale overwhelmingly punctuated with "directly-at-the-reader" preachiness.
Apart from the voice, the best this book has to offer is a glimpse into "normal life" as Hutchens himself might have known it growing up (early 1900s). Some of the details are jaw-dropping - like deliberately pouring gasoline over the swamps to coat stagnant pools with an oily toxic film to keep mosquitoes from breeding. I get it, but... wow.
Apart from the voice, the best this book has to offer is a glimpse into "normal life" as Hutchens himself might have known it growing up (early 1900s). Some of the details are jaw-dropping - like deliberately pouring gasoline over the swamps to coat stagnant pools with an oily toxic film to keep mosquitoes from breeding. I get it, but... wow.
April 26, 2020
The sugar creek gang books from the perspective of an adult were written hastily and are not particularly well written. However, as a kid, I dearly loved every one of them and I am still sentimentally attached to them. They genuinely impacted my life for the good.
August 20, 2020
A throw-back to my childhood. Fun!
February 15, 2021
Fun childhood reading, years ago for my kids, more my grandchildren.
December 18, 2023
A fun and simple boy's story with an emphasis on loving Christ. (Theological differences aside, my kids loved it.)
January 6, 2023
I found an old copy of this book on my daughter's bookshelf. It was printed in 1942. I opened the cover and discovered the signature of my great uncle Dan Belles. He was a marine corporal killed in combat during the Korean War. Reading this story in its original published form (without the modernization) was like a window into childhood of a man I never had the pleasure of knowing except through stories, and a few possessions and pictures. In my imagination, the boys in this book were running through the mountain town and forests that he grew up in. I have visited these places many times over the years with three generations of my family while listening to the stories of their youth. The waters of the frigid mountain spring that everyone drank from, the streams for swimming, the wooded paths and the old trees are treasured memories that now carry a special connection to the elder generations of my family long since gone.
April 13, 2024
I have very fond memories of my Dad reading other books from this series out loud to me as a kid. My daughter and I listened to the audiobook of this one.
It gives "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" meets "Adventures in Odyssey" vibes. The narrator's voice is adorable and at many times it cracked me up.
Honestly, the plot was all over the place. It was a little bit intense at some moments for my preschooler (robbers, guns, drunkenness, and black widow spiders all playing a part in the story). (I also believe this edition was updated by the author's daughter and the original editions of the series may have contained offensive material.)
I wouldn't recommend it as a theology textbook or a story for young children, but honestly, I would still recommend it! The book felt sweet, innocent, and fun, and I loved the series as a kid.
It gives "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" meets "Adventures in Odyssey" vibes. The narrator's voice is adorable and at many times it cracked me up.
Honestly, the plot was all over the place. It was a little bit intense at some moments for my preschooler (robbers, guns, drunkenness, and black widow spiders all playing a part in the story). (I also believe this edition was updated by the author's daughter and the original editions of the series may have contained offensive material.)
I wouldn't recommend it as a theology textbook or a story for young children, but honestly, I would still recommend it! The book felt sweet, innocent, and fun, and I loved the series as a kid.
October 5, 2022
I don't know man . . .
Okay, this is completely innocent and sweet. It has a great message for kids and seeks to draw them to the cross of Jesus Christ. Honestly, what is not to like about that? It encourages hard work, encourages listening to your parents, discourages drinking, and promotes family and healthy relationships. That is awesome!
It's also as goofy as the day is long, incredibly dry and pointless, and really just talks in circles. None of the stories are ever satisfied, none of the conflicts are really meaningful, and it just kind of exists.
It is sweet and innocent, it draws kids to the cross of Jesus Christ, and my kids enjoyed it enough that we finished it.
Okay, this is completely innocent and sweet. It has a great message for kids and seeks to draw them to the cross of Jesus Christ. Honestly, what is not to like about that? It encourages hard work, encourages listening to your parents, discourages drinking, and promotes family and healthy relationships. That is awesome!
It's also as goofy as the day is long, incredibly dry and pointless, and really just talks in circles. None of the stories are ever satisfied, none of the conflicts are really meaningful, and it just kind of exists.
It is sweet and innocent, it draws kids to the cross of Jesus Christ, and my kids enjoyed it enough that we finished it.
October 6, 2020
3.5 stars. I enjoyed these books when I was younger, but now they just don’t touch me in the same way. They’re very clean, but it annoyed me how these Christian, raised-in-church kids don’t know much about the Bible or God. It may just the PK coming out in me... I’ve known all that stuff since I was a little child, but it’s probably not like that for every Christian kid. Big Jim and Circus make up for a lot though, and so does Little Jim. <3
*I read the Moody Press abridged version, but I have read some of the original copies of this series and I much prefer those, as being more vintage.*
*I read the Moody Press abridged version, but I have read some of the original copies of this series and I much prefer those, as being more vintage.*
April 19, 2020
I found a blessing when I found these stories. These boys sure get into some wild and crazy adventures. My favorite thing about these books, though, is that they've set a new standard. it is "cool" to have Jesus in your heart, do what your parents ask you to do, and to do the right thing no matter what. That is the best role model for children, in my opinion. These stories might be for younger kids, but I think they're good for kids of all ages.
May 16, 2022
This book is a great christian book from a great christian series. I love how it talks about real world problems while being a realistic fiction. I have been reading these books for as long as I can remember and it's easily the best christian book series. I'm giving this book 5 stars because it is an awesome book!!!
May 31, 2023
Read with my 12 year old son. At end of book he wanted to know who the robber was (have to read the next book I guess) very God and Jesus intergrated which was really neat-you don’t find kids books like this very often ! Def recommend for families to listen to together. Great adventure book!! Son said reminded him of Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn books
April 17, 2024
This is one I read as a child and am just revisiting since it was mentioned in a book on evangelicalism in the 50s. The book was sweet and compelling, but a little bit cheesy and very preachy. I wouldn’t say the preachiness is necessarily a bad thing most of the time, because the messages are solid, but they can be a little over-the-top at times.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews