Challenge On The Hill Of Fire

There was a loud snapping of branches. Leaves crunched behind them. The big druid was coming! “Don’t move,” Tristan said.

“Are you daft?” Caera’s father whispered.

 “Trust me,” Tristan said.

Book:Challenge on the Hill of Fire (AIO Imagination Station Books) by Marianne Hering and Nancy J. Sanders, Focus on the Family and Tyndale House Publishing, 2012

Genre: Adventure

Target Audience: Boys and girls 8-13

Subjects: St. Patrick, Druids, God’s Power

Summary: Green, shamrocks, leprechauns, pots of gold, all of it makes for a fascinating holiday and Patrick and Beth are ready to celebrate! But Mr. Whittaker has something more exciting than leprechaun traps for them. A trip in the Imagination Station lands them in Ireland on the night of the Easter festival. The law of the land says no one but the druids can light a paschal fire on this night, but the bishop and other Christians have no intention of following that law. They are determined to stand up to the druids and declare truth to the people trapped in fear. As usual, the adventure lands Patrick and Beth right in the midst of the danger. Captured to be used as either slaves or a sacrifice they have to escape the druid and use the gifts Mr. Whittaker gave them to help the bishop.

Notes: This is the 10^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 faith in the one true God, missions, and declaring truth. The historical figure in this book is St. Patrick. The children participate in the lighting of the fire that challenged the druids and led to the king accepting Christianity into the land. 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

Philippians 1:20-21 - I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.