Making A Home

I have in my hand...

An insurance authorization for Malaika to see her out-of-network therapist for 10 more visits.  HALLELUJAH!!! 

(Dated for the day AFTER the latest denial letter they sent us... I'm sure I don't understand this insurance game at all, and 10 visits is only a start, but I'LL TAKE IT!)

 
(Here is how Molly feels about the idea of seeing him 10 more times!)

Now THAT'S some GOOD MAIL!

Hilary :)

TOS Review: Eagle's Wings

We received in the mail a copy of Eagle's Wings' "Considering God's Creation" science curriculum.  It is described as "A creative biblical approach to natural sciences.

The authors/publishers put in a lot of effort to make sure it was easy for homeschoolers to use - and by that I mostly mean it requires very little preperation and can be used with multiple grade levels, which we certainly always appreciate.  Our children span just 2 years in age (7-9), but 4 years in grade level (1st-4th) and due to some special needs (both positive and negative), the span is sometimes even greater in their abilities to do the work presented, to focus or to fully comprehend and retain the information.

Considering God's Creation is billed as being adaptable for 2nd to 7th grade, and I'd say that's fairly accurate.  Depending on your students, of course, and your creativity, it could be stretched both to younger and older students.  (For instance, my first grader had NO trouble with the basic scientific information... and an older student can use the curriculum as a launching point for further, possibly independent research.)

There are three parts to this curriculum. 

The Teacher's Manual gives you everything you need to teach your students:

- Preparation (all supplies you will need or anything you need to do before sitting down with your students.)
- Vocabulary words for this lesson
- Introduction (to read aloud, a synopsis of what they will be learning.)
- Song/Poem (including song lyrics)
- Activity (experiment or project)
- Bible Reading (relates the science lesson to scripture)
- Notebook (a summary the children keep of what they are learning)
- Evolution Stumpers (scientific facts that support creation and challenge evolution in a positive way)
- Review (questions and review puzzles)
- Digging Deeper (resources for deeper learning, often other books are required for this part)

The Child's Notebook

The notebook is where you'll find all of the puzzles, activities, worksheets and more that the child will use for their learning activities.  Photocopying is allowed within one family or class, but for the sake of time and convenience, I'd really consider buying seperate notebooks for each child.  (The notebook alone costs just $13.95 each.)

 


There is also included a CD of songs to accompany each lesson, to help the lessons really sink in and be memorable.  (And here comes the cynic in me... I couldn't stand the CD.  Nice idea, but if you can get a child older than about 3 to sit and listen to these, you're a better convincer than I am.  They made me cringe... but I'm a really tough critic of most educational music.)

The full curriculum is $29.95 and includes all three parts - Teacher's Manual, Notebook and CD.

As for my overall impression of the curriculum (barring the CD, of course)... I liked it.  I thought it was thorough, but still simple enough for multiple grades.  It covered a wide variety of topics (listed below), in ways that were easy to understand.  I usually find the Bible reading sections of products like this to be trite, and quite a stretch, and while this had a hint of that, it wasn't nearly as cheesy as many curriculums attempts at tying it in.  I really liked the evolution stumpers being included - fun info that makes them think AND reinforces creationism.  As with any curriculum, you can take what you like and leave the rest.  But this was a great basis for an easy to teach and well prepared science program. 

Topics include:

Creation

The Universe: Stars, Sun and Planets

My Place in the Universe
Our Solar System
Getting to know the Planets

The Earth

Our Planet Earth
Light
The Earth
The Atmosphere

Non-living Things: Rocks and Minerals

Rocks
Igneous Rock
Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rock
Becoming a Rock Detective

Weather

Weather
Sun and Weather
Air and Weather
Water and Weather
Rotation and Weather
Land and Weather
Clouds
The Speed of Light, Sound and Wind

The Plant Kingdom

Plants
Photosynthetic Plants
Flowers
Fungus Plants
Trees
Plant Ecology - Flora and Fauna

The Animal Kingdom

Insects
Spiders
Introduction
Fish
Reptiles
Birds
Mammals
Zoo Adventure
Amphibians

Animal Anatomy & Physiology

Animal Structure
Animal Food Chain
Animal Reproduction/Genetics
Animal Instinct, Vision and Brains
Animal Ecology
Extinction
Whales

Man: Made in God's Image

Man - Reproductive System
The Cell
Man - Skeletal System
Man - Digestive System
Man - Circulatory System
Man - Respiratory System
Man - Nervous System
Man - Integumentary System
Man - Endocrine System and Excretory System
Man - Muscular System

(Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this product in exchange for my honest review.  I have not been compensated in any other way.)

What is the difference between Attachment Therapy and traditional therapies?

Found this article that explains a bit of why we are driving so far for Molly's therapy.  In our area there are no Attachment Therapists.  There are counselors in abundance.  Molly has seen several.  In all (between our home and others), she has seen FIVE counselors, and has conned them all.  (And it's not necessarily the counselor's fault... these children are VERY charming. Several have relayed what a "sweet child" she is... and that's not the child we generally see at home.)  Children with Attachment Disorder do that... they con, control, lie, triangulate and manipulate.  And traditional therapies (play therapy, talk therapy, etc) do not work for these children.  In fact often, these therapies hurt them more, because everytime they con another counselor (or teacher, or other adult), they feel more powerful and their hearts get sicker. 

This week's visit with Molly's therapist was another positive experience.  Some further evaulations gave us areas of concern we wouldn't have been aware of otherwise, giving us the ammo to keep everyone safer.  (And yes, I believe they were accurate, as I observed the whole evaluation... and I've gotten pretty good at knowing when Molly is lying.) 

Our daughter needs someone trained to heal a heart and mind that have been through the kinds of things she has endured - trauma and broken attachments.  We are thankful to have found someone who is highly skilled in this area, even if we have to make a long drive each week to see him, and even if we do end up having to foot the bill.  This article from attachment.org explains that more in-depth.

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A child with cancer should be taken to a doctor who specializes in cancer. A child with an abscessed tooth should not be taken to a proctologist for healing. A child with Reactive Attachment Disorder needs treatment for the condition they have. A therapist who is not trained to deal with the extreme level of behavior and manipulation that a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder has, can do more harm than good.

Attachment therapy uses the mother as the change agent to heal the broken bond between mother and child. Traditional therapy leaves the mother in the waiting room, not a part of the healing of the child. Attachment therapy focuses on building trust in the child toward the mother, traditional therapies deal with building trust in the child toward the therapist.

Traditional therapies have consistently failed with children with Reactive Attachment Disorder because these therapies such as, talk therapy, play therapy, sand tray therapy, are based on establishing a relationship with the client and then using that relationship as a trust base to help the child deal with their issues. I heard of one therapist, calling himself an Attachment therapist, that wasted fifteen months of a child’s life in weekly therapy sessions. He told the parents that he was working on establishing trust with this child with RAD so that he could begin to work on the child’s issues. He had decided that the child was not ready to deal with tough issues, while he continued to charge the parents the $100 a week for this quackery. If you had a toothache and three months later the dentist had not been able to resolve it or at least improve it, would you change dentists? Would you wait fifteen months? Unless I see significant improvement within six months I will look elsewhere for a new therapist.

Therapists trained in attachment work confront issues with the child in a timely manner. Realizing the painful issues of the child’s abuse/abandonment/neglect/pain are carried inside the child every minute and every day of their life. Surgeons don’t wait until a tumor’s big enough to take it out. Attachment therapists don’t wait until the child’s childhood is over, family destroyed, months and years of learning opportunities wasted before dealing with vital issues.

Children with Attachment Disorder lie, manipulate and con. If they are taken behind closed doors with an adult who doesn’t live with the child, the child will use that opportunity to fine-tune their skills in manipulating, conning and lying to the therapist. This causes tremendous regression in the child’s behavior. Attachment therapists base the progress of the therapy on the child’s behavior at home, not the façade the child shows in the office. An attachment therapist is skilled at breaking through that façade and getting to the real child so that they can express their feelings and embrace honesty. As a child is able to become emotionally honest about their feelings in therapy, they are more likely to volunteer the truth about other things. A therapist working with a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder must be trained to listen to the child’s behavior not their words, to actively listen to the child’s feelings not their words. Loving acceptance by the mother of the child’s genuine feelings is a vital part of the bonding work. The rage that comes out continually with the child’s behavior must be released in a therapeutic environment in order for everyone to be safe. This rage release often takes three to five hours. Feelings cannot be rushed or compressed into the typical 50-minute hour.

Eye contact, touch, movement, smiles and the sharing of sugar between the mother and child are keys to bonding that the Attachment therapist works toward in each session. Dr. Foster Cline says, "It takes about one month for every year of age that the child is, to complete the majority of the healing." So, a five year old would require about five months of therapy, a ten year old about ten months. If the child has been placed out of the home in the previous two years the time doubles. If there is an organic problem such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the time needed to heal is unpredictable.

Attachment therapy is used to dissipate the rage in order that the heart to heart connection can begin. More traditional therapies such as talk therapy, play therapy, and sand tray therapies can then be beneficial. A child with a broken heart needs a therapist who knows how to mend that heart. A trained Attachment therapist has the tools to do the job.

TOS Review: Wordy Qwerty

"Wordy Qwerty" is another product from Talking Fingers, the company that made "Read, Write & Type", another program my children used (and we reviewed) earlier this year.

Much like the previous program, my children enjoyed it and often asked to "play" it. 

 
"Wordy Qwerty" is essentially a spelling program.  Through games and songs in 20 consecutive lessons, children are taught the basic spelling conventions of the English language, and many of the exceptions to the rules, too! 

 

Intended for 7-9 year olds (Hey!  That's all four of my students!), Wordy Qwerty picks up where "Read, Write & Type" left off.  They could read the words, they could type them on the keyboard... now this program helps them learn to spell them (and many other words) correctly.  There are assessment tests (including a pre-test) included with the program so you can see your student's progress.

"Two engaging characters, Midi the musician and Qwerty the word coach, enlist children to help them accumulate the "spheres" that are needed to play Midi's music machine. Children do this by successfully mastering six activities in each of twenty lessons. They learn to recognize patterns in words, type to dictation, write and read stories, and listen to and sing songs that will help them remember how words are spelled and pronounced and what they mean."

 

An online "Wordy Qwerty" license for home use is valid for 5 years.  The cost for one student at a time is $25, two for $40 and on up from there (up to 5 students for $71.25.) 

Not surprisingly (but somewhat unfortunately), my student who enjoyed it the most, also happens to already be my best speller!  Go figure!  As usual, the songs drove me a bit batty, but the fact that some of my children were singing them is a good sign that they were catchy and the children were learning them (and hopefully those spelling rules along with them)!

You can go here to download a free demo. 

TOS Review: Mad Dog Math

I'm constantly searching for a way to get the basic math facts into my children.  So I wasn't disappointed to be offered yet another product for reviewing (and this time, testing) the math fact.

 

Mad Dog Math covers all 4 operations of basic math facts - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.  The basic premise is, the students use it for 10 minutes every day, are drilled in the facts with a bit added at a time, and alternating between math functions.  Personally, I loved that they tied addition and subtraction together so closely, rather than looking at them as seperate entities.  If you can add 2, you should be equally able to subtract 2... and the layout of this program makes that easy.  (The same can be said for multiplication and division.) 

Due to a hectic life over here the last few months, unfortunatly I only was able to have one student working with Mad Dog Math for this review. In this case, that was Hallie and she said she enjoyed it.  She never complained about having to go do her math facts, even if it wasn't her very first choice of things to do on the computer.

It's nice that mastery is rewarded in the program, which helps the children strive to move forward and keep working at their facts.  When they can answer all of the questions on a test in 2 minutes, they get a virtual sticker for the "2 minute club" and then move on to being able to answer the same problems in just 1 minute, then in 30 seconds. 

The Essentials of Mad Dog Math

	Enables children to master their +, -, x, and ÷ facts in a fun challenging, exciting, and motivating way
	Math supplement for any math curriculum
	For grades K through 5th; remedial middle school and high school
	Standard, daily 10 minute time commitment from start to finish
	Huge body of math facts broken down into bite-sized pieces any child can master
	Applied system that works in every classroom and in every home
	Students, teachers, and parents LOVE it

Mad Dog Math is a supplement to any Math Curriculum, for students of just about any age.   (It is only available for Windows.)  The CD Rom Homeschool version is $69.99, but the downloadable versions are even more affordable.  A 1 year license is $19.99, 2 years are $29.99 and a perpetual (lifetime) license is $39.99. 

As a mom, I liked that there was very little for me to keep track of - the program does the drilling and scoring for you, and I get the peace of mind that they are improving steadily.  And because it only takes 10 minutes a day per student, I can see this becoming a regular part of our school day... but not until next year.  End-of-the-year-itis has already set in for me!!

Molly's Therapist

Knocked her off her rocker.  I'm pretty sure she hates him.  tee hee. :)

Oh my... as I told some of my other friends who also have RAD (or similar) children... I think I have a new best friend.  (I believe I also described him as "an artist", "masterful", "brilliant" and "awesome.")

This therapist KNOWS Reactive Attachment Disorder.  He's worked with a ton of these kids (including his OWN SON) and knows their tricks, their games, and how to throw them off-guard enough to get to their real thoughts and feelings.  I left flabbergasted and with a perma-grin.  (And Molly was silent the entire ride home. Even fell asleep at one point, I think... that kind of openness had to have been exhausting.)

THANK YOU for your prayers.  I really think we found the right guy. 

Now pray we can find the money to pay him!  Pray that the insurance company would approve a gap exception - he's out of network, there's no attachment therapists IN network, and they don't understand the difference.  Pray that adoption support will give us the funds to cover the counseling - since the state's handling of their case caused much of this to begin with. 

I can hardly wait for next week.

Hope, I hope...

Today we have an appointment to see an Attachment and Trauma Specialist with Malaika.  He came highly recommended and we are hopeful he can help our daughter.  (So far, it looks like we're footing the bill ourselves, since he's "out of network"... but there's just no other choice.  She needs help.  WE need help.)

 
(Malaika, July 2010) 

Malaika came to us after living in no less than 4 homes... then the state removed her and her brother from our adoptive home to live with another relative, then they came back to us. Regardless of the fact that was a "return", it was still another move, another rejection, another reason not to trust anyone (they ALL said she was staying forever, and while there were various reasons they couldn't be her permanent homes, each was a broken promise, broken trust, broken attachment...) and that, my friends, is how we ended up parenting a child with attachment disorder.

I won't go into all of her behaviors and issues here, but parenting her has been a bigger struggle than we could have imagined.  Every day, every moment is about control... the simplified idea of Reactive Attachment Disorder is that if anyone else has the control, the child feels like they are going to die.  (No joke.)  So her days become a constant effort to keep us off track, to make sure she is in charge, and that we are confused or angry or hurt... and not "in control."  She'll take any consequences, any loss of priveleges and even makes really bad choices that she knows will not remotely benefit her - because they benefit the long-term goal of feeling like she is calling the shots.  But the GOOD NEWS for friends and family is, RAD children are superficially charming... so she'll be delightfully sweet and well behaved at your house!  (Just as she was in the beginning here... and I think the SWs must count on that, at least long enough to get the adoption finalized before the really BIG behaviors come out.  Before you know it's the big scary Reactive Attachment Disorder and not just "some attachment issues.")

We got reports from her previous home that she spent much of the school year in the hallway or in the principal's office... because the teacher "didn't have a right to tell her what to do."  So not only am I "mom"... (new mom ALWAYS becomes the target for children with trauma), but I'm also "teacher", which she also has a big issue with.  So for this girl who has authority issues, I'm both asking her to do chores AND asking her to do schoolwork.  Which makes my doubly evil.  Which is why we've come to the preliminary decision (to be finalized or determined after discussion with her therapist) to put her in school next year.  I'm hoping that if we remove "evil teacher" from the equation of our relationship, maybe it will be easier to work on the "mom" part, before hopefully bringing her back to homeschooling in a year or two or three.  When she's hopefully a more willing member of the family.

Prayers, of course, appreciated for today's meeting.  The therapist will meet with Brian and I first, then bring Molly in for an hour, too.  When I asked if there was a safe place for her to hang out or if we needed to bring a babysitter for her during that time, he replied with:

"Yes, don't worry about Molly waiting - all the kids do, and that's part of her job - to regulate herself. I'll be very directive with her when you come in." 

Oh, I'm hopeful... gotta love a man with a plan.  And it's the first hope I've felt in months in regards to Molly.  (It's no surprise to me that many parents of RAD children end up diagnosed with PTSD.)

NOT a Jolly Holiday with Mary

(Upated: With apologies to my male readers, I am now blaming this post on PMS... leaving it up, since it was "real"... but my outlook is much better the next day!)

I bought tickets to Mary Poppins' Broadway show in Seattle MONTHS ago.  As soon as they opened up non-group sales.  I've been looking forward to it since I first heard about it - the end of last year. 

 
(Approaching the theatre)

But life is messy right now, and evidently my brain is over-capacity.  And I really screwed up.

CATS (a couple of weeks ago) was at 2:30. 
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (next week) is at 2:30.
Our appointment with an attachment specialist for Molly is at 2:00 tomorrow.
Saturday's matinee of Mary Poppins was at 2:00.

We hit some slow-going traffic on the way down, but made it to the theatre in Seattle by 2:00 for what I was sure was a 2:30 matinee... and they told us it was almost intermission.  My jaw dropped.  Then my throat tightened up. Today's show was at 1... and we'd already missed nearly half.

And I silently cried through most of the second act... knowing I'd messed this up for all of us.  (Updated to add: Well, maybe not completely silent... the poor man in front of me turned around at one point, presumably to see what the sniffling was.  Hoping he thought I just had a cold.)  The first Broadway show for any of us (me included.)  We've been reading the book series.  We made arrangements for Baby K after putting it off for a long time since we didn't know if she'd still be here or not (handed her off to friends after church for the afternoon.)  We planned where we would get dinner after (a place I love but don't get to often.) We drove to Seattle.  We found parking.  We got to the theatre... and made a memory they'll probably always remember - the day mom really screwed up. 

Hallie was looking at her program during intermission and saw that the Aladdin musical was coming soon.  I told her it was probably the same one we saw at Disneyland (which was amazing, but still, we'd seen it.)  She said "that's ok... at least we'd get to see the whole thing."  And the tears started.

Every time something funny happened in the play, the tears started again, knowing there were probably countless more funny moments in the first Act I'd made them miss.

After the show the children tried to help some more...

Hallie: "At least you'll see all of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!" (more tears.)

Sam: "I really don't mind that we missed the first half."  (more tears.)

All because my mind is a jumbled mess with all of Hallie's rehearsals, schooling decisions, Brian's precarious employment with his company likely being bought-out, not knowing whether baby K is staying or leaving from day to day, and the nightmare of living with a child with Reactive Attachement Disorder. 

We didn't go to dinner after all.  My stomach was in knots and I had no appetite when we were almost there and there was some miscommunication about what to do, so Brian got back on the freeway.   

I think I'll go cry some more.  (Just call me Debbie Downer.)

**Updated to add** - We teach our children to apologize AND make amends when they hurt someone (whether intentionally or unintentionally)... I had already apologized, and they all forgave me, but I came up with my amends.... they are all staying up late to watch the movie and eat popcorn.  I didn't realize TWO of my children (the newer ones, of course) had NEVER seen the MOVIE!  And I'm scheming to see if there's any way for just ME to get to the play before it leaves Seattle... this week's full of Chitty rehearsals and performances, but maybe the following week...?

TOS Review: Monki See

This is a different kind of review... since the product never actually arrived (must have gotten lost in the mail or something), I wasn't able to view or try this DVD... and therefore can't review or recommend it!  But I WILL share some basic information about it and you can go here to read reviews from people whose children actually viewed the DVD!

 

Monki See is a series of products for babies and toddlers.  There are flash cards, DVDs and books in the series, designed to teach babies as young as 3 months to read.  The crew reviewed the Baby's First Words DVD.  The Monki See DVDs are priced at $24.95, but are currenly on sale for $19.95.  The company recommends them for ages 3 months - 4 years.

From the website:

Expose your baby to written language, poetry, puppet shows, animals, children and much more with this fun and interactive video.

Baby's First Words Baby DVD teaches your baby to read 40 words! They will learn to read and identify their body parts and other familiar words.  Concepts are taught using puppets, children, animals, poetry and more. Set to lively music, including original music, your baby will truly enjoy learning to read.

Baby's First Words is an entertaining way to teach your baby to read. This 30 minute video is full of fun! Your baby will be begging to watch it again and again.

Features a 40 word slide show, used to review the words being taught. Contains valuable Parent Guide to help you get started. Video will auto play if no selection is made.

 

 MonkiSee Baby DVD is a unique video series, designed to teach babies as young as 3 months old how to read. Your child will be introduced to Howie and Skip, brother Howler monkeys from the jungles of Belize. Throughout this playful series, Howie is teaching his baby brother, Skip, how to read. Your baby will be reading along with Skip before too long.

 

Guaranteed to delight babies everywhere. Created by a mother of 6 playful children, this series is full of fun!

(Disclaimer: since this product never actually reached my home, I cannot give any opinion of this DVD.  In the interest of being fair and impartial, I will also spare you my general opinion on television viewing for young children.  But you can look up recent studies online for yourself.)

TOS Review: Circle C Beginnings

My children are all avid readers, so I had no trouble finding someone to read the book we were sent!  Andi's Indian Summer  is one of the Circle C Beginner books from Kregel Publications, written by Susan K. Marlow.  We hadn't read any of the "Circle C Adventure" books, but I'm told the Beginner books have the same characters, but are geared toward 6-8 year olds (giving young readers the chance to progress into the more advanced books while still reading about familiar characters).  Because of that, I gave it to both of my 7 year old girls to read and give their own reviews (below).  The illustrations by Leslie Gammelgaard are fabulous line-drawings, full of excitement, and adding just a bit more interest for early readers. 

The currently available books are:

Andi's Pony Trouble:  Andi wants a horse of her own more than anything in the world, but her mother says she’s too young. Forced to ride the hand-me-down pony, Coco, Andi sets out to show her family that she’s ready for her own horse.

 

Andi's Lonely Little Foal:  Taffy is growing up too quickly. Soon Taffy will have to leave her mama and stay by herself at night. When a mean boy tells Andi about the scary things that happen when a foal is separated from its mother, Andi wonders if she can keep her little horse safe!

 

Andi's Indian Summer:  Andi’s friend Riley shows her a scary old dime novel that sets Andi’s mind spinning with thoughts of being captured by dangerous Indians. But when she and Riley travel a little too far from the safe surroundings of the Circle C ranch, Andi discovers the truth about the natives living nearby.

Andi's Fair Surprise: If Andi can’t take her new foal, Taffy, to the 1874 California State Fair, she doesn’t want to go. But once she’s there, there are so many exciting things to see that she’s glad she came . . . until her big brother tells her she can’t keep the prize she won fair and square!

Andi's Scary School Days: Andi didn’t think she was afraid of anything—until now. School means being away from the ranch, away from her family, and away from Taffy. And sitting next to a boy who throws things at her. Having to stand in the corner for something that wasn’t even her fault is the last straw.

Andi's Circle C Christmas: Andi loves Christmas! But her holiday is spoiled when a grumpy, bossy visitor arrives. No more running. No catching spiders. No wearing overalls. Can Andi do anything right? Then during an afternoon buggy ride, Andi finds out she can help this unwelcome guest in a way she never imagined.    

The books retail for $4.99 each, plus shipping.  Also available on the publisher's website are downloadable coloring pages that correspond with the books, activity packs with supplemental learning activities and online jigsaw puzzles.  (There are also lapbook kits for $12 each, or $15 with the book.) 

 

Malaika:

It was about a boy named Riley and a girl named Andi and Riley read her a dime novel and then she was scared and when she was eating her lunch, she was in the world of Indians, because that was what it was about.  And her brother pulled her braid and she jumped, like if it was an Indian.  And she got scared and they had a white tablecloth and she spilled her soup on it and then her sister yelled at Andi and her mother said it's not a big deal because they could clean it up.  Andi meets real Indians, too.  One is Choo-nook and one is Lum-pa.  And then they got lost and then their brothers came on their ponies to see if they were there and they were so they took them back.  And Andi had a horse named Taffy.  She had a few of her own horses. 

It was a good book.  And fun, because I liked the Indians.  I liked that there were girls and boys.  Lum-pa had 2 boys and 2 girls. And I like Andi. I liked that she was nice but only in a part of the book she gets mad at Riley.  It was easy to read, but it took me about a week to read it.

Hallie:

It was fun.  I really liked it.  And there was a girl named Andi and this boy named Riley and Riley was trying his best to scare her and she did get scared and then when that happened things began to mess up.  She followed Riley into a creek, then they got lost, and they met these Indians, Lum-pa and there was this other girl... Choo-nook. She was my favorite character, Choo-nook.  I'm not kidding. She was my favorite because she's nice.  I really like her because she's friendly and I really really really really like her.  I learned from it not to go off with people you don't know.  She also had a horse and her name was Taffy. Then Midnight was Riley's horse. And there were her two brothers, they were finding her and rode on horses, too.  It only took me about an hour to read. I wish it was a little bit longer because I want her to stay with the Indians for like a week or so and see what happened then. 

Long story short... both girls enjoyed the book and have read it more than once, and would be thrilled get more from the series.

(Disclaimer: We were given this product for free in exchange for our honest review.  We were not compensated in any other way.)