Beloved Books–Sugar Creek Gang

• Beloved Books presents
•  Sugar Creek Gang audio series
• 6 volumes available each volume containing 6 stories
• Available for $54.95 individually or $279.70 for all CD’s

Beloved Books is a company dedicated to bringing wholesome stories and books to life on audio CD’s. They carry a wide variety of audio CD’s from Scripture Songs to Historical Fiction to Missionary Stories and Life. Their main ministry is to share the Sugar Creek Gang stories.

The Sugar Creek Gang  stories are a series of Christian adventure stories originally written by Paul Hutchens in 1939. A few years ago a man named Paul Ramseyer began to dramatize the books for radio. Now they are available as audio CD’s. There are over 100 hours of audio on 72 CD’s. These stories are loved by families because they present the gospel in an easy-to-understand way. The whole series becomes a discipleship journey.  Nature study, poetry, hymns and science lessons all find their way into these delightful stories.

The author, Paul Hutchens, began his career as an evangelist. He became a Baptist minister and traveled around the U.S. When he developed tuberculosis he began writing. The first Sugar Creek Gang book was published in 1939. Each story takes you back in time to one room schoolhouses, hot summer days and barefoot boys. Christian principles and the courage and confidence to share the gospel are woven into each adventure story.

ClarkClan Experience

We were graciously sent the first volume of the Sugar Creek Gang audio CD’s.  This includes six different stories: The Swamp Robber, The Killer Bear, The Winter Rescue, The Lost Campers, Chicago Adventure, and The Secret Hideout, presented on 12 CD’s.

Ben (11) and Rebekah (9) as well as mom were the testers for this product in our family. Ben and Rebekah have a long history of loving books and stories on CD. The Sugar Creek Gang was no exception. We received the CD’s one day as were were getting in the car. I popped one into the car’s CD player and when we arrived at our destination, the Ben and Rebekah were not ready to get out because the story was not finished.

This enthusiasm remained high throughout the review period and they continued to listen to find out what was going to happen next to the Sugar Creek Gang.  I knew these CD’s were a hit when Ben did not want to stop them when it was time for dinner. These stories really captivated Ben. They are full of adventure and suspense.The stories follow a continuing story line, although each one can stand alone. We listened to them in the order they are on the CD, as recommended.

The stories present real life, with its real problems and emotions. One story I remember has a father who is a drunk. This is handled tastefully, giving enough information to know the seriousness of the situation without being judgmental. Another time, the main character has a new sister and is having trouble with his emotions over it. Once again, this situation is handled gracefully and works out nicely. There is quite a bit of suspense and even some danger within these stories. You can tell they were written in the late 30’s and early 40’s. The kids are allowed to play by themselves in the outdoors and also work out their own problems. While this is different than our day and age, it nevertheless makes for exciting adventures. Ben often talked how he wished he lived where he could just play outside in woods and near ponds.

Recommendation

I would recommend these audio CD’s to other families. We have truly enjoyed them. They are fun, exciting and most important teach a good lessons about God. The only caveat I would have is that they come from a Baptist perspective.This shows up in the story lines as someone needing to be “saved”. This is not exactly the language we, as Lutherans, use, but it gives us an opportunity to talk about other denominations and how they differ and are the same as ours.

Many of my Schoolhouse Review Crew mates also were able to review The Sugar Creek Gang.audio CD’s.  Visit the Crew Blog to read what their thoughts and opinions on the product are.

Disclaimer: As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received volume one of The Sugar Creek Gang, for free from Beloved Books in exchange for my honest review of their product. All opinions given are mine and/or my children’s.