In Showdown with the Shepherd, the fifth Imagination Station book, children's book author Marianne Hering teams up with Brock Eastman to send Patrick and Beth to ancient Israel for a wild, unpredictable adventure. The story is based on I Samuel 17, but with a few twists.
Mr. Whittaker built the Imagination Station to teach kids about history, but it malfunctioned and will only let Patrick and Beth inside. In this book, they must capture the villain Hugh and send him back to his own time period. They must also recover Mr. WhittakerÂ’s ring, which Hugh stole.
After a close encounter with a bear, Patrick and Beth meet David and follow him to the Israelite camp, where David accepts Goliath's challenge to battle. Meanwhile, Patrick and Beth try to help the Israelites by thwarting Hugh's plans to change history. The book ends with a cliffhanger sure to get kids begging to read the next book. A prologue explains the events in the previous installments.
Similar to the Magic Tree House books, the Imagination Station series teaches kids about history through the eyes of time-traveling children. But unlike the Magic Tree House, Patrick and Beth trust in God, not magic. The premise of the Imagination Station comes from the audio drama "Adventures in Odyssey," but kids do not have to listen to the program to enjoy the books.
The series' website, www.theimaginationstation.com, provides a vocabulary list and a place to type in the code word from the book's puzzle. The correct code word will reveal a prize. Written for early grade-school children, Showdown with the Shepherd can be enjoyed by all members of the family. Alexandra Mellen, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com
