The Flash Flood

I like "The Flash Flood" because Ethan and Cal save little Skyler. They are still not over the danger yet. The water in the creek below is rising closer to the cave they are in. Then a mountain lion is trying to come in and attack them! What are they going to do? It is very exciting, and that is why I like "The Flash Flood". By Carter Toups 4th grade.

In the Beginning

John Martinez holds book reports up that he and his brother did. This is the report from John for In the Beginning, Volume 1: One day Ethan and Cal got some flashlights and asked their grandparents if they could go explore one late night. Grandpa said yes, but not to stay too late. Gus and Luke also went with the boys. The boys could only go to the barn and back. Ethan and Cal went outside shining their flashlights and saw some eyes shining back at them. They were scared but when they got closer they saw it was just deer looking at them. The boys started walking again to the barn pointing their flashlights to the ground and saw footprints in the mud and it had just rained. Ethan and Cal turned off their flashlights and walked close to the barn and saw a man near there with a truck and trailer. He was stealing Grandpa's cows! When Gus and Luke saw that the man was trying to load the cows in the trailer they herded the cows away from the thieves. Ethan and Cal ran to get Grandpa to call the cops. The cops got the thieves before they could get away. The next day, the sheriff went to Grandpa's house and told the boys they were heroes and thanked the boys for helping to catch the thieves. Gus and Luke helped capture the thieves too. Ethan and Cal got a big reward. They each put some of the money in savings for college and they each bought their own horse for the ranch. Ethan and Cal said, "Gus and Luke are Heroes."

From Joshua Martinez for the same story: Ethan and Cal are best friends, and they love going to their grandpa's house in the summer. Their grandpa would tell them stories about Indians and about how his great-great grandpa built the house in the 1870s. When grandpa took them exploring they found arrowheads and spearheads. Their grandpa would also teach them about trees, animals and plants. One day when Ethan was big, he asked his grandpa if he could go exploring and his grandpa said yes. While he was exploring, it started to get dark and he saw some eyes looking at him and it almost looked like a ghost! Ethan was afraid but he got close and saw it was a puppy. The puppy had a gray face and dark ears. Ethan told the puppy he was going to name him Gus the Ghost-Face Dog. Ethan took the scared puppy home and gave him food and water. Grandpa told Ethan that the puppy was a cow dog, a Blue Heeler. Grandpa also said when the puppy got older he could help him around the ranch. Next summer Ethan and Cal went to see Grandpa, and Gus now was a big guard dog. He would take care of them from snakes and other dangers. Cal brought his dog named Luke, a Yellow Lab. The boys would go swimming at the creek named Lucy Creek and throw toys and sticks and Gus and Luke would go in the water and get them. Ethan and Cal would help Grandpa with the ranch. They did everything together.

Alias Gus, Dog of the West

Grandpa would tell Ethan about the Indians who lived there before the pioneers. One day Ethan fell asleep and when he woke up he heard an Indian yell. The Indians were attacking! The door of the cabin swung open and Gus ran outside. The Indians just stood looking at Gus. The Indians thought Gus was a ghost dog or a spirit dog. The Indians thought it was a sign to leave the settles alone. One man said, "I don't know where you came from, but you saved our lives!" The man asked Ethan what his dog's name was and Ethan told him it was Gus the Ghost-Face Dog. The man told Ethan he would call his dog, Gus, Dog of the West. Ethan and Gus stayed with the pioneers that night. They woke up feeling great and excited. The man took Ethan and Gus to the Indians' camp to have a peace talk. When they got to the camp the Indian chief told them to sit down and the chief sat next to them and Gus sat next to Ethan. The man was able to talk to the chief and the man also brought deer meat to the Indians as a gift. They were going to be able to live together in peace. Moises Cervantes, Grade 5

The Search for Buried Treasure

I like this book because Cal and Ethan got to climb Flat Top Peak, and while they were up there they found a cave. In the back corner of the cave Gus and Luke were digging. Ethan and Cal went over there to see what the dogs were digging for and they dug up some very old saddlebags, and that is why I like this book. Calum Mitchell, 4th Grade.

Amazon Reviews for Volume 2

I am an adult and loved all 3 books. I can only imagine how much a child would love them! Going to read them all to my granddaughter!

I loved the first volume, and loved this one just as much! I am definitely a fan of this series!

Another good adventure story book. My grandchildren really enjoyed reading the stories of Gus, and Luke, and the boys Cal and Ethan.

Amazon Reviews for Volume 3

My heart began to race as I read the tales of predicaments these kids get into! But the dogs always save the boys from major fiascos! If you read either of the 1st 2 books, you must read this one, too!

Amazon Reviews for Volume 1

I highly recommend that you get this audio book to go along with the paperback or get the audio alone! Susan narrates her own book with passion and suspense.

Loved the book. A great adventure book for boys and girls. My grandchildren loved reading about Gus and his sidekick Luke. This is one of the best samples I have the pleasure of reading!

The Flash Flood

School had just gotten out and Cal and his cousin Ethan were going hiking with there dogs Luke and Gus. The boys had been hiking for a few hours. It started to rain. They had a shelter they called a cave on a cliff, but it was actually a rock over-hang. It's about twelve feet high over a flat rock floor. Cal's walking-talkie sounded and Grandma told them that there was a flash flood and tornado warning in their area. The boys changed the channel on their Wilkie-talkie to the weather channel which said there was a car that got swept away by the powerful storm and it fell into the river near the boys. A man and woman had just been saved but a four year old girl, Skyler, was still in the car. The boys saw the car rushing down the river and grabbed Skyler. They kept slipping on the muddy hill but Luke was very strong and helped them. The little girl was crying but the boys gave her food and she was playing with the dogs. Luke and Gus were growling at something, so the boys turned on their flashlights and saw a mountain lion!!! The mountain lion probably goes in there when it rains but the boys got there first. It was about to attack, but Gus attacked first. He clamped his teeth into the lion's throat but the lion stuck his claws into Gus' back. Then Luke jumped on the lion biting him on the back of his neck. Luke tore the mountain lion off of Gus' back but then the mountain lion and Luke started falling down the hill, but luckily Luke is a great swimmer, said Cal proudly. Luke came into the cave like nothing had happened. Soon it was morning and the boys started making the S.O.S. signal they had learned in Boy Scouts. An army helicopter saw them. Skyler's parents were happy to see her. The boys went home to rest. Two days later the paper came out with a picture of the wrecked car with a huge mountain lion jumping out of the car window!!! Selah Harris, Age 10

The Mystery Horse

I like The Mystery Horse because Ethan and I get to go on a night adventure. Then we see a glimpse of a horse and a boy's footprints in glowing moss. Then the boys find the horse and a boy named Joe. They become best friends. Calum Mitchell

Chief Straight Arrow

I like Chief Straight Arrow because there are Indians and my sister gets kidnapped and we find her and we find Chief Straight Arrow. We go back to the future and go back to where Cara was kidnapped and found her 100 year old shoes. Calum Mitchell

The Haunted Mansion

I love stories about haunted houses and treasure hunting, so even though I am a 'grown up', I found Chapter II The Haunted Mansion in The Adventures suspenseful enough to satisfy my childhood cravings for, you guessed it, adventure! I imagined myself being one of the children discovering the metal toolbox with a lock on it. When they succeeded to break the lock open and discovered a treasure map, my pulse began to quicken. I won't tell you the rest of the story so you will have to get this book and read it yourself! Renee Alter

The Lost Mine

I like The Lost Gold Mine because we find gold and we find a baby fox. It is a cliff hanger because my Grandpa gets stuck in the gold mine and we thought he was not going to make it. Then when he did we were all so happy. Calum Mitchell (with his $10 reward)

The Flash Flood

I like The Flash Flood because there was a big flood. They were trying to stay away from the high water. My most favorite part was when they had to save the girl in the car and when they had to stay under the cave. The coolest part was when Gus and Luke attacked the mountain lion! 
Asher Harris (with his reward)

The Flash Flood

I love The Flash Flood because of several reasons. One of those reasons is how calm Ethan and Cal were and how they took turns watching the water level and they listened to the radio instead of freaking out. Another one was how resourceful they were. Like how they made a poncho out of a backpack and a fire out of an old nest. The final reason is because of the action. Like The mountain lion fighting Gus. The car rushing through the water. And getting saved by a helicopter. Cara Eileen Mitchell (with her reward)

In The Beginning

The story is about a boy that found a puppy that looked like a ghost dog and he named it Gus the Ghost-Face Dog. And his cousin Calum would go over to their grandma and grandpa's house at the ranch and they loved to explore. The boys saw a man stealing their grandpa's cows and they went to get help. They went exploring again and they found a map that led to a haunted mansion. They saw a man there and he had a gun so the boys called for help. The police came and got the man who robbed a bank 20 years ago and the boys got a reward. The book is awesome and cool. Moises Cervantes, 4th Grade.

Chief Straight Arrow

My favorite chapter in the books is Chief Straight Arrow in Volume 3 because my cousins and I get to go back in time and stop a war between Indians and pioneers. My favorite part is when I meet a few of my ancestors. My other favorite part is when Calum makes me a bed out of leaves because it is very fun to visualize it. But my all time favorite part is when the Indians think Gus is a medicine dog! I think it is hilarious! Cara Eileen Mitchell (also known as granddaughter of Susan Mitchell)