Battle For Cannibal Island

Toki’s face twisted up in anger. “You speak like the man Calvert! I hate his words! I hate the teachings of his God! Your God would be King and change our ways. He would make us weak with words like ‘love your enemies.’ I am king. I kill and eat my enemies.”

Book: Battle for Cannibal Island (AIO Imagination Station Books) by Marianne Hering and Wayne Thomas Batson, Focus on the Family and Tyndale House Publishing, 2012

Genre: Adventure

Target Audience: Boys and girls 8-13

Subjects: Missions, Cannibalism, Selfishness

Summary: It’s not fair! His mom is making Patrick miss his big soccer game for his grandma’s birthday. His grandma isn’t even fun to be around! She pinches his cheeks and criticizes him. In his grumpiness Patrick even lashes out at Beth when she tries to encourage him. And he does what he knows is disobedient – he starts an Imagination Station Adventure without asking Mr. Whittaker’s permission. Soon Patrick and Beth find themselves on a ship with all sorts of problems. A storm is coming, the cannibal king is burning villages of Christians on the nearby island, a convict escapes and uses Patrick as his hostage, a man falls overboard and a missionary on board the ship is determined to be allowed to go on shore of the island with the cannibals!

Notes: This is the 8^th in the Imagination Station Adventures series. The series is much like the secular Magic Tree House books but instead of wizards and magic it’s imagination and inventions giving them the different place/different time experiences. The radio show the concept is taken from is very solid – full of great spiritual elements and lessons and challenges as well as fun and excitement. This book did a much better job than some of the other in the series at focusing on spiritual elements. The spiritual elements in this story are the history of the missionary James Calvert and his ministry to the cannibals, loving people even when they hurt you, and putting the needs of others above yourself. Calvert also has an interesting discussion with the kids about how being a Christian means you have died to yourself. As with the Magic Tree House, part of the focus of the series is on giving a picture of the time and place featured in the setting of the book.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Colossians 3:1-3 - Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.