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The series is available on Amazon here.
{I purchased these books myself. All opinions are my own!}
Read on for a detailed REVIEW.
When my son was ready for simple chapter books, I wanted to find a series that he would not only enjoy, but would also provide some sort of educational purpose {beyond just the act of reading.} I honestly do not know where I first heard of The Imagination Station series, but forever grateful I will be that I did! This is a perfect series, in my opinion, for the early elementary student who is at the start of his/her independent reading journey. The books are fairly easy to read, offer exciting storylines designed around real experiences in history and all from a Christian perspective. I have often coined this series as “the non-magical substitute for the Magic Treehouse series.” But, it’s so much more than that. It does not just avoid the dark trappings of magic that concern many Christian parents, it actually actively and without hesitation spreads the light and the truth. It does this through the non-confrontational ways of two young cousins who often travel in a time machine and end up in exciting adventures across our world’s history.
In addition to reviewing the
CALIBER OF CONTENT,
and the
EFFECTIVENESS OF ITS ILLUSTRATIONS,
I will also include information on the
APPROPRIATENESS AS AN ALL-AGES READ ALOUD,
ADAPTABILITY TO ACTIVITIES and the
QUALITY OF THE PHYSICAL BOOK.
And at the end, you’ll find an
EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION from an adult perspective plus an
ENJOYMENT ASSESSMENT from the perspective of a few students!
.
NAME OF THE SERIES: The Imagination Station
AUTHOR: Marianne Hering, Paul McCusker, Brock Eastman, Marshal Younger, Wayne Thomas Batson, Nancy Sanders
PUBLISHER: Tyndale
CATEGORY: Historical fiction from the perspective of two children
INDIVIDUAL TITLES WITHIN THE SERIES: 1. Voyage with the Vikings, 2. Attack at the Arena, 3. Peril in the Palace, 4. Revenge of the Red Knight, 5. Showdown with the Shepherd, 6. Problems in Plymouth, 7. Secret of the Prince’s Tomb, 8. Battle for Cannibal Island, 9. Escape to the Hiding Place, 10. Challenge on the Hill of Fire, 11. Hunt for the Devil’s Dragon, 12. Danger on a Silent Night, 13. The Redcoats Are Coming, 14. Captured on the High Seas, 15. Surprise at Yorktown, 16. Doomsday in Pompeii, 17. In Fear of the Spear, 18. Trouble on the Orphan Train, 19. Light in the Lion’s Den, 20. Inferno in Tokyo, 21. Madman in Manhattan, 22. Freedom at the Falls, 23. Terror in the Tunnel, 24. Rescue on the River, 25. Poison at the Pump, 26. Swept into the Sea, 27. Refugees on the Run
LENGTH OF EACH BOOK {approximate}: 130 pages
READING LEVEL: 2nd-4th
INTEREST LEVEL: Ist-7th
PRICE {approximate}: Inexpensive at $4-5 {paperback}, $10 {hardcover}, $2-3 {if purchased in a bound set}
AVAILABILITY: Easy to find on Amazon, eBay, Rainbow Resources, Christian Books.com and directly from Adventures in Odyssey.
WHAT THEY’RE ABOUT: Each book takes the reader on an adventure with cousins, Beth and Patrick, who are friends with and customers of the owner of Whit’s End Ice Cream Shoppe. Whit also happens to be the inventor of a time machine that takes the cousins all over the world where the cousins safely experience different historical periods and witness to the people they meet.
CALIBER OF CONTENT: This series contains an excellent array of historical experiences including World War II, Christ’s birth, the Roman empire, David and Goliath, the Revolutionary War, Daniel in the Lion’s Den and so much more. The kids meet real people from history like Genghis Kahn, Joseph and Mary, Corrie ten Boom, Erik the Red, Telemachus and George Washington. The writing is fairly simple though there are many interesting vocabulary words used throughout each book. SCORE 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
EFFECTIVENESS OF ILLUSTRATIONS: The illustrations are all black and white and show up in a variety of ways. There might be a small picture formatted within a paragraph or a full-sized image that replaces an entire page. But, they do not appear too frequently and seem to always serve a brief but important purpose, whether it be putting an image to a new vocabulary word or giving the reader an idea of what a specific person from history looked like. SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
APPROPRIATENESS AS AN ALL AGES READ ALOUD: This series is perfect not only as a read aloud, but also as a read aloud for nearly all ages with its exciting adventures, quick chapters and genuine history. Additionally, if done as a read aloud, the opportunities to discuss the factual vs the fictional will be both be plentiful and purposeful . SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
ADAPTABILITY TO ACTIVITIES: This entire series is perfect to use as an additional resource to accompany your history lessons. But, they can also serve as the backbone for individual snippets of history and would be very easy to build on with art projects, food items, additional books and more. SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
QUALITY OF THE PHYSICAL BOOK: I have only ever purchased the soft-cover versions and they have all held up very well…especially considering how many times I have loaned them out. My library bought the entire series in hardback and they are, of course, even nicer than mine. I will say I have never seen the combo sets and have no idea if the printing and the quality is the same. SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION from an adult perspective: As a homeschool mom, I find these books to be an excellent option for most students beginning their journey into independently reading chapter books, as well as a great option for read alouds for both families and co-op classes alike. With the two main characters, they will appeal to both girls and boys. With their historical context, they serve a dual purpose. And with their unabashed Christian perspective, they work towards the Great Commandment. The only warnings I would provide would be 1. some possible touchy subjects including, but not limited to, slavery, war and druids, and 2. a need to insure that the reader is clear on which parts of the story are fictional and which are factual.
ENJOYMENT ASSESSMENT from a student’s perspective: “These books are cool to read! They take you on adventures but in a safe way. And they don’t include anything too grown-up or inappropriate. And they always talk about God, which doesn’t happen in most chapter books.”
If you decide to give this series a whirl, may I also suggest the Companion Packs to go along with them?
Each Companion Pack is filled with comprehension checks, writing prompts, vocabulary work, book report templates and extension activities. Plus, they are super easy to use and very inexpensive! You can find them here.
