Monday, November 7, 2011

Review of Imagination Station Books and a Chance to Win 6 Books in the Series

Do your children enjoy exciting historical fiction?  Do you have a hard time finding educational, wholesome books for your early chapter-book readers?  If so, a new series of books from Focus on the Family may be perfect for your family!  

The Imagination Station series is written for children ages 7 and up and is absolutely perfect for early chapter-book readers.  All of the books feature large print, double-spacing, and pictures in most chapters.  The stories are fast-paced and designed to catch and keep a young reader's interest.  

The books make excellent additions to history studies.  The titles currently available cover a wide range of historical times and events including the Vikings, ancient Roman times, ancient China times, Bible times, the Middle Ages, and Plymouth Plantation.
Voyage with the Vikings - "Mr. Whittaker, a kind but mysterious inventor, has sent cousins Patrick and Beth to Greenland through the Imagination Station.  It's the year 1000, and they meet Viking Erik the Red, who is angry about the new God.  Mr. Whittaker wants the cousins to find a Sunstone, but what does one look like?  And what does it have to do with the mysterious letter found in the inventor's workshop?  Most important, can Patrick and Beth find a Sunstone before Erik's son Leif sails away with the Imagination Station on board his ship?"
Attack at the Arena - "'Stop the fighting-in the name of Christ-stop!'  Cousins Patrick and Beth are off on their second Imagination Station adventure.  Mr. Whittaker's mysterious invention takes them to ancient Rome where they must find a special silver cup.  Near the city gate, the cousins are separated when Beth is enslaved to the emperor and Patrick meets a wise monk named Telemachus.  All three end up in the famous Roman arena.  Telemachus wants to share an important message with the emperor, Beth wants to know how to get the cup.  And Patrick just wants to escape with his life!" 


Peril in the Palace - "The place - China in 2171.  The task? - find the golden tablet of Kublai Khan.  The problem? - just about everything!  On this adventure cousins Patrick and Beth are kidnapped by Mongol warriors.  Only the friendship of fellow traveler Marco Polo saves them from harm.  At the Shangdu palace, Kublai Khan dislikes their gifts and their message about Christianity.  Next, the Mongol magicians challenge the cousins to a spiritual power showdown, war breaks out, and Beth and Patrick are locked up to prevent their escape.  How do the cousins get the golden tablet they need to save Mr. Whittaker's friend Albert?  how do they escape the city and find the Imagination Station?  Enter the perilous palace and find out!?


Revenge of the Red Knight - "In this adventure, cousins Patrick and Beth meet Albert.  But they also meet with more trouble at Lord Darkthorn's castle.  The cousins are accused of stealing the very treasures they've been trying to return!  To save Albert and themselves, Patrick and Beth need to sort friend from foe, traitor from teammate.  And they must do it before the new moon.  That's when Lord Darkthorn will return and lock Albert in the terrible tower."



Showdown with the Shepherd - "Travel to the Holy Land, 1000 BC with Patrick and Beth.  Their goal is to find the menacing Master Hugh, get the Whittaker family ring, and then send Hugh back to 1450s England.  But problems await the cousins as soon as they step out of the Imagination Station.  First they meet an angry bear, later an angry giant. Set against the background of the David and Goliath story, the cousins must stop Hugh from changing history and helping the Philistines win.  Along the way, the cousins learn that having a giant faith is better than having a giant on your side."

My son and I both read "Problems in Plymouth" for this review.  While the book was a bit too easy for my 5th grade son (the books are perfect for early chapter-book readers), he still enjoyed the fast-paced story.


In Problems in Plymouth, readers will learn about why the Native Americans and the Pilgrims didn't always trust each other and the basis for conflict between them.  As well, the book also focused on the everyday lives of the people who lived at Plymouth Plantation and the Thanksgiving celebration.  The book was action-packed and the plot moved along at a fast pace.


The Imagination Station books are all written from a Christian perspective and I appreciated the references to prayer within the book.  As well, the values and actions of the main characters reflected positive character traits.   

Do you think your family would enjoy receiving all 6 books in the Imagination Station series?  Just leave a comment on this post and I will choose one lucky winner randomly to receive the first 6 books in this exciting series.  The books will be mailed directly from the publisher.  The winner will be chosen on Friday, November 11th at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.


I received the the first 6 books in the Imagination Station series from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review of the book series.  No other compensation, monetary or otherwise, was given in exchange for my review.

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