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Islands and Enemies: An Adventures in Odyssey Review

DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.

As a new homeschooler, I remember thinking that if I just taught them how to read, I would have accomplished this huge thing. Now that I have a 6th grader this fall, that feeling has long since faded, but it has been replaced with a deeper understanding of how that desire and ability to read has exploded into a million questions and interests. Reading is a springboard for all the stories and lessons of life. I know for some kids, reading, much more loving to read, is such a struggle. In other cases, finding interesting, clean and age appropriate content can be such a struggle too. Cultivating a love of reading and stories in your home is so important and whether it is in your lap, through audiobooks or a zillion trips to the library, this consumption of words feeds your family on all the levels. One of the best ways to encourage literacy in a home is by having good quality books available to your family. Today’s review highlights a new installment of a popular series that every Christian parent should know about and have available when their children are ready for it. We’re talking about Book 28 in The Imagination Station Series: Islands and Enemies from Tyndale and Focus on the Family.

What We Received:

We received one hard back book, Islands and Enemies , Book 28 in The Imagination Station Series from Tyndale and Focus on the Family. This 150-paged book is part of a series that has its origin in Adventures in Odyssey, an audio drama that has been produced by Focus on the Family since 1987. It is not necessary to have listened to the audio drama to read Islands and Enemies, but it is a fun link that readers enjoy. This chapter book is recommended for ages 7 and up and includes black and white illustrations every few pages.

Who Would Like This Book:

This book and those in this series are full of adventure, history and moral values. Parents looking for books with a Christian worldview will certainly approve. In this book, the main (cousin) characters are in a fight about a broken project and explore loyalty and well-spoken words over the course of the book. Parents will appreciate the focus on character building concepts. Readers who enjoy the time machine effect and getting to ‘visit’ another place and time will love this series. My 8 (almost 9) year old daughter and 11 year old son both read it and enjoyed it. The reading level is below the 11 year old’s skill level, but the historical components and reoccurring characters make it just a fun read. The series could be a great read aloud series for those not yet reading on their own fully, especially in conjunction with the Adventures in Odyssey audio stories.

Reader Recommendation:

If you have never tried out the Adventures in Odyssey or The Imagination Station book series, I as a parent and my children as readers highly recommend them! With years of episodes and books, it’s certainly something they could ‘binge’ on this summer that you can trust is encouraging positive growth and understanding. If your family is familiar, but just haven’t tried them out in a while, rest assured that Islands and Enemies continuing the engaging legacy.

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Several families reviewed this book so check out other reviews to see if our perspective is consistent with theirs before you give this one to your kids.