Friday, June 17, 2011

Review & Giveaway: Adventures in Odyssey The Imagination Station Book Series

When I think of Adventures in Odyssey, I think of exciting, colorful and wholesome reading for young impressionable minds.  So, when Tyndale House Publishers asked for me to do a review for them I said, "OH, Yes!".  They were so generous in giving me two books from The Imagination Station series in exchange for this honest review.  This adventure series is designed to give readers, age 7 and up, an adventure of a lifetime with the main characters, Patrick and Beth. 


I received Peril in the Palace, which is book 3 in this 4 book series.   In this book, you'll adventure through ancient China!  Patrick and Beth are kidnapped by Mongol warriors and brought to a palace where they come face to face with Kublai Khan.  Will they escape or be held there forever?  Who will come to their rescue?


 
I also received Revenge of the Red Knight, which is book four in this 4 book series.  Patrick and Beth are guests in a castle in 15th century England during the War of the Roses.  Through exciting turns of events, they find themselves locked in jail.  Will they both escape or only one?  Come join their adventure while you learn about the Crusades and why men choose to risk their lives for Christianity. 

So, what did the "official" readers think of The Imagination Station books?  Well, Matthew, age 11 was excited to see that they were part of the Adventures in Odyssey.  He thought the covers were colorful and interesting.  The titles sparked his interest.  When he opened the books he realized immediately they were for younger readers.  Although Matthew is 11, he reads large novels that are typically several hundred pages long.  But, he still wanted to give it a go.  He was mostly interested in Revenge of the Red Knight.  He read it in 2 days.  He stated with certainty that it was a great book and would be best for a younger reader that was maybe 8 or 9, in his professional opinion LOL.

My nephew, Ethan, who is 7 1/2 years old was visiting for a week and was more than eager to volunteer to read  Peril in the Palace.  He devoured the first 5 chapters during a short car ride.  He said it was very good and he would like to read it all and the others in the series.  He just finished reading several books from The Magic Tree House series and said they were similar.  But, he was happy that The Imagination Station series was Christian and, even though he is only 7, he thinks Christian books are a better choice because they teach kids more about good values.  Good thinking, Ethan!

It is my joy to see my son and nephew lost in the pages of a good book.


The authors of The Imagination Station series are Paul McCusker and Marianne Hering.  They are both working at Focus on the Family.  Paul is the Director of Creative Content and Marianne is a general book editor.  For me, when I see Focus on the Family endorsing a product I know I can trust it. 

Focus on the Family has partnered with Christianbook.com which is one of the places you can find The Imagination Station series.  They have them now for only $4.49 each or $14.99 for the complete set of 4 books.  Click HERE to order your set.  The other two books in the series are Voyage with the Vikings and Attack at the Arena.

This Giveaway is OVER!  Congratulations to the winner......
Julieanne from Joy in Our Journey

OK...so, here is what you have been waiting for.  The Giveaway!  Tyndale House Publishers would like to give away 2 books in this series (book #3 and #4).  Wow!  How generous!  This giveaway is only open to US and Canada.  Here is what you have to do in order to be entered into the drawing.  Please, leave a separate comment after completing each one.
Required
  • Follow me using Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs. If you are already following my blog, then just say so in your comment.
Additional Entry Opportunities
  • Click on the four titles of the books in this series that are found in this review.  Read the complete description and then leave a comment to tell me which one you like the most....or if you can't decide then just write "the whole set!"
  • Share this on your Facebook page so others can read the review and have a chance to enter to win.  Don't forget to come back here and leave a comment that you did that so you'll get your added entry.
A winner will be selected using Random.org on Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 9:00 AM EST.  Make sure I have your e-mail so I can contact you if you win.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the notification e-mail.  If I don't hear from you, then I will pick a new winner.  So, keep a close eye out!