Willie’s Redneck Time Machine

Just in case your brothers are watching you right now – and in case Raymond was some guy in on this whole joke – you look around to make sure any cameras catch your grinning, then push the button. Now everything is moving and shaking, jerking you off your feet and onto the floor. The thing feels like it’s taking off. After a few moments it stops and the doors open. You stand and peer at the screen. It’s still flashing on and off, but now it says something different. BE CAREFUL, AVOID DANGER, AND DON’T BE STUPID. “Okay, I sure will.”

Book:Willie's Redneck Time Machine by John Luke Robertson with Travis Thrasher, Tyndale House Publishers, 2014

Genre: Adventure

Target Audience: Boys 11-15

Subjects: Family Relationships, Wisdom, Time Travel

Summary: He’s just working in the warehouse like any ordinary day. The others are out of the room at the moment. All of a sudden an outhouse appears, right there in the room. Cautious, yet curious, Willie investigates, all the while expecting one of his relatives to pop out from behind a corner somewhere with a hidden video camera. When he enters, he finds it is no ordinary outhouse! One moment he’s in the Duck Commander Warehouse, the next he’s taking adventures through time and space! He finds himself on Noah’s Ark, he finds himself back at his high school dance, he finds himself angering a rival and getting Duck Dynasty replaced with his rival’s show and worse still: living in a community where shooting ducks is illegal! With this rather odd time-machine, Willie has no clue what to expect next!

Notes: Willie’s Redneck Time Machine is the first in the Be Your Own Duck Commander series, written by the son of one of the famous Duck Dynasty stars. It’s a Choose Your Own Adventure book – each chapter ends with a decision where you turn to one page if you pick choice A or another page if you pick choice B, and so continue the story in whichever way you chose. This genre of writing does not leave much room for theme development and therefore very little room for spiritual emphasis. It tries to toss in a few elements – mainly that of making good and righteous decisions and the consequences of not doing so – but it is primarily just an adventure book, moving from one cliff-hanger moment to another.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 2/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Proverbs 2:6, 9 - For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good path.

BONUS: The publisher has sent a 2nd copy of this book to be a giveaway! First one to comment on this post will receive this.