Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Imagination Station - Books 8 & 9

The Imagination Station series is back! Battle for Cannibal Island by Marianne Hering, Wayne Thomas Batson and Escape to the Hiding Place by Marianne Hering and Marshal Younger both illustrated by David Hohn are books 8 and 9 of this 12 book series. These books are part of what I consider the second part of the series. Books 1-6 follow a continuation of a plot line working to return a lost ring to Mr. Whittaker. Books 8 & 9 while they continue the familiar framework of cousins Patrick and Beth going on adventures with the Imagination Station are written so each book can stand alone and could be read in any order. The authors continue to work through history picking pinnacle times and people for Patrick and Beth to travel to and encounter. In Battle for Cannibal Island the cousins travel back in time and meet the missionary James Calvert who ministered to cannibal tribes in Fiji in the 1850s. The cousins find themselves aboard one of the Queens ships just off an island inhabited by cannibals. This story has a strong message of missions and gladly following God's will for your life. In Escape to the Hiding Place Patrick and Becky find themselves in Holland during World War II. The cousins get to help out in a big way and learn that there are lots of ways to help God's kingdom. These are quality books for young readers. They are filled with adventure, danger and lots of learning moments. They show character, humility, bravery and many other redeeming qualities. I'm very happy to have fun and positive books to share with my two emerging readers. I received copies of these books from Tyndale publishing for the purpose of this review.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Adventures in Odyssey Devotional

Adventures in Odyssey: 90 Devotions for Kids is a wonderful new devotional for kids. The familiar characters from the Adventures in Odyssey series fill this book sharing story examples that reinforce the devotional topic. There are 13 themes each with 6-7 devotions per theme. The devotions are short, about two pages which is a perfect length for this age but they are packed with information and Biblical truths. There's a daily challenge with each lesson and a memory versus. I'm planning on using this for our next family devotional. The themes covered include: Salvation, Learning about Jesus, Discipleship, Prayer, The Bible, Exercising Faith, Forgiveness, Giving, Witnessing, Worship, Going to Church, Serving Others and Overcoming Sin. It's a great line-up that I can't wait to share with my kids. I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review.