Our seven-year-old son is such an animated listener. He's the one who tries to play Wii games sitting down and ends up standing on the couch, jumping with each character jump (at least until I notice and tell him to stand on the floor to jump)! Even with Adventures in Odyssey, some of the stories become more suspenseful and he is the one quite literally sitting on the edge of the sofa trying to hold his sounds-of-anticipation down...usually unsuccessfully. It doesn't matter how many times our kids listen to the AIO stories; they still get excited about them. The thrill doesn't dissipate with age either ~ I guarantee we'll all still love them in our 90's.
I noticed a couple years ago that there are Adventures in Odyssey books available. "The Imagination Station" series currently ranges from volume #1- #9 and is geared towards children aged 7 and up. Going by our childrens' interests and reading levels, I could see this being a hit with ages 7-10. I know they will be slightly challenging for our 7-year-old but I've heard other children his age read quite fluently so it is on-target with what many 6 or 7-year-olds would be reading. It will be a very easy read for our 10-year-old but knowing how much he likes Adventures in Odyssey, he will be thrilled to read both #8 and #9.
Battle for Cannibal Island is rated by Flesch-Kincaid as grade level 2.1.
In this 8th book of the series, Patrick and Beth are taken via the infamous Imagination Station to Fiji in the 1850s. They meet missionary James Calvert, and are inadvertently brought directly into the midst of cannibals who have been burning Christian villages. James Calvert's desire is to follow God's calling on his life to reach out to these people. Self-proclaimed 'king' Toki is the head of this cannibalistic tribe and he vehemently spews out his hatred for God and Christians. Will Beth and Patrick come to understand what it means to die to self and live for Christ?
Admittedly, I've heard of James Calvert before but don't know much about him. Lately, we have been reading various missionary stories and I know there are books about his time as a missionary. Reading Battle for Cannibal Island followed or preceded by James Calvert's life story would be a great way to extend this adventure. I love that while this is a fictional account of Patrick and Beth's adventures; James Calvert is a real-life person who reached the "unreachable" to share God's love and message of salvation with them.
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