Available Now · Book One of the Cody Gray Adventures
Cody and the
Lost Gold
1852
Lost gold. A dangerous secret. A boy and his horse will ride for the truth.
The Story
Some Things Are
Worth More Than Gold
1852. Cody Gray’s adventure begins in Gold Rush-era California.
Eleven-year-old Cody and his father lost the gold they worked so hard to find. Now they’re starting over at a cattle ranch, hoping for a little good luck and a chance to leave the past behind.
But the past has a way of catching up with you.
A cattle drive. A dangerous stranger. A loyal horse. A new friend. And somewhere along the trail, a secret that could change everything.
Cody is about to discover that the frontier is full of surprises—and that courage sometimes means facing danger when walking away would be much easier.
What's Inside
- A boy, a horse, and a long ride
- A story set in Gold Rush-era California
- A mystery that pays off
- Courage, honesty, and loyalty tested
- A frontier adventure for young readers
Meet the Riders
Meet the Riders
Three names you'll get to know before the trail runs out.
Cody
Eleven-year-old Cody Gray is not easily scared off. When trouble comes looking for him, he has a habit of finding himself right in the middle of the adventure.
Dove
Dove has a complicated past and a lot to prove. He and Cody form an unlikely friendship—one that neither of them could have expected, and neither will soon forget.
Ranger
Sure-footed, fearless, and worth more than gold, Ranger is the kind of horse a boy can trust when the trail turns dangerous. Whatever Cody rides into, Ranger goes first.
Parents & Homeschoolers
Written to Be Read for Fun.
Built to Fit Your History Unit.
Cody and the Lost Gold is an adventure story first. It just happens to be set in one of the most interesting decades in American history — making it easy to pair with what you're already teaching.
Content Notes
Author-provided guidance for parents and educators:
- Written especially for boys 9–13 — and enjoyed by anyone who likes a good ride
- No sexual content
- No profanity or crude language
- No alcohol, tobacco, or drug use
- Non-graphic violence and adventure-related peril
- No graphic or disturbing imagery
- Positive themes of courage, loyalty, responsibility, and perseverance
Pairs With
- Westward expansion and life on the frontier
- Daily life in the 1850s
- Cattle drives and the working West
- Horses, ranching, and frontier skills
- Geography and the American West
- Friendship, courage, and making difficult choices
Adventure Pack
- Gold Rush facts — what really happened in California after 1849
- 1850s vocabulary — the words Cody’s world runs on
- Horses of the frontier — learn about the horses, tack, and skills that made life on the trail possible
- Life on the trail — learn about cattle drives, ranch life, horses, and the people who kept the herd moving
- Discussion questions — for a read-aloud or a book club
- Hands-on activities — for kids who learn by doing
Watch the Trailer
Ride Into the Adventure
A glimpse of Cody and the Lost Gold, a historical adventure for young readers.
The Series
The Cody Gray Adventures
One boy, one horse, and a West that is bigger and stranger than anybody told him.
Cody and the Lost Gold
A lost fortune, a dangerous secret, and an eleven-year-old boy who refuses to give up until he finds the truth.
Available Now
Cody and the Broken Trail
The trail is broken. But their courage runs deep.
1852
Coming SoonThe Author
Lorne Thomas
Lorne Thomas writes historical adventures for young readers—stories with horses, hard country, historical settings, and young people discovering what they’re capable of when adventure comes calling.
Cody and the Lost Gold is the first book in the Cody Gray Adventures, a series set in the American West of the 1850s. The series blends a historical setting with fictional characters and adventures.
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