From the trips to the general store to battles with bedbugs and falling cows, Five Pennies brings to life the experiences of a boy growing up in the early west. Filled with details about pioneer life, each story gives insight into the difficulties, challenges, and joys faced by families building a new home on a rugged, new land.  Young Archie's observations offer a different perspective on that life, one tinged by a child's wonder and sense of adventure. These heartwarming stories about Christmas pageants, starting school, summer jobs, and the exciting potential of owning five pennies were told to author Irene Morck by her father. She has captured the spirit and humour of his memories and brought them together in this entertaining collection.

When Ambrose is forced to sell his horse because of an injury, he must find a new animal that can handle the rigors of the mountains while packing for his uncleís trail-riding outfit. To save an old lady's beloved companion from the meat-buyers, Ambrose buys a horse who would be better off in retirement than climbing the treacherous trails of the Rocky Mountains. The horse, Society Girl, almost dies on the trail, and Ambrose realizes she will have to go back to the meat-auction. When Ryan, a misbehaving ten-year-old, takes the horse and disappears into the teeth of a dangerous mountain storm, Ambrose and Janice are forced to work together to find him. Will the young boy and the elderly horse survive a vicious hailstorm? Will Society Girl prove that she has a future? Will Ambrose be able to save the old horse from certain death? This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read!