The Imagination Station book series is published by the Adventures in Odyssey group. If your children enjoy the audio stories, they are sure to love these beginner chapter books.
Imagination Station Book Series
by Jimmie
If you are looking for historical fiction for newly independent readers and are not too fond of the Magic Tree House series, try the Imagination Station as a Christian alternative.
Avery Whitaker
The Inventor of the Imagination Station
 Whit of Imagination Station |
Beginner Chapter Books for First Graders and Up
Christian Values in Historical Fiction
Who are the Imagination Station Books For?
The books are written for 6-10 year olds. The reading level is 1.5. (That means they are written at the level of a first grader who is midway through the school year.) The books have around 125 pages each.
Imagination Station books are great for children who are just starting to read chapter books independently. Foster their new found reading skills with exciting novels that portray Christian values.
How Does the Imagination Station Work?
Mr. Whittaker is the kind but mysterious inventor and father figure in the books. His Imagination Station makes imaginary fantasies seem real. In the book series, cousins Patrick and Beth experience other times and cultures through in the Imagination Station.
The Imagination Station is not a time machine, and it's not magic. The Imagination Station uses a person's own imagination to create a virtual experience that seems real. However, the characters are right in the Imagination Station. They do not actually travel in time or space.
Book #1 in the Imagination Station Series
Voyage with the Vikings
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| Voyage with the Vikings (AIO Imagination Station Books) |
More About The Books
Christian values are gently taught through the stories without being overly preachy. Each book has some mention of the Bible.
Each book ends with a secret word puzzle. You can use that secret word to unlock online activities at the Imagination Station website.
The books are suspenseful but not scary. The main characters are two cousins, a boy and a girl, so Imagination Station appeals to boys and girls equally.
The books are linked in order so that previous action is mentioned in the new books, but you can read them out of order as well.
Basic Book Synopsis
Books 1-4
Book 1 Voyage with the Vikings
The first book in the series has Patrick and Beth "traveling" to Viking lands in the year 1000 AD. While there, they meet both Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson. The chapter book ends with somewhat of a cliffhanger that is answered in book number two.
Book 2 Attack at the Arena
The adventure continues with a trip to Ancient Rome. Patrick and Beth meet Telemachus, a pacifist monk who opposes the fighting in the Colessuem. This chapter books ends in a similar way as the first. When the cousins solve their quest, they are faced with yet another task that is to be completed in the next book.
Book 3 Peril in the Palace
This adventure is in China in 1271. The children meet Kublai Khan and Marco Polo when they are kidnapped by Mongol raiders!
Book 4 Revenge of the Red Knight
The fourth book in the series takes place in the 1600s of England, during the War of the Roses.
Imagination Station
Books 1-4
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| Attack at the Arena (AIO Imagination Station Books) |
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| Peril in the Palace (AIO Imagination Station Books) |
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| Revenge of the Red Knight (AIO Imagination Station Books) |
Free Printables
Free Notebooking Pages for Imagination Station
Free printable pages with some leading questions and lines for answers from The Pelsers
An Alternative to Magic Tree House
No Magic
The Imagination Station series is a great substitute for the Magic Tree House (MTH) series. I admit that the MTH series is a lot of fun. The adventures are great and the books really engage newly independent readers. From a history perspective, MTH introduces children to lots of different time periods and cultures. But from a conservative Christian perspective, MTH has some objectionable content, namely magic.
The inclusion of incantations, spells, wizards, and talismans is troubling to many parents who do not want young readers exposed to occult practices. I can understand the concern. Although I allow my child to read books with magic, I feel that the magic in MTH is not necessary at all. It contributes nothing to the story but is instead a real distraction from the historical adventures. It seems that MTH has jumped on the popular occult bandwagon that we see in so many children's and young adult novels.
If you are a parent who dislikes magic of any kind in your child's books, MTH will not be an option for you. However, Imagination Station is a perfect substitute.
Books 5-7 of the Imagination Series
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| Showdown with the Shepherd (AIO Imagi... | Problems in Plymouth (AIO Imagination... | Secret of the Prince's Tomb (AIO Imag... |
Updated: 10/26/2012, Jimmie
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Comments
I love your perspective on the MTH series. While I don't come at it from a Christian perspective necessarily, I do think that life is so interesting, we don't have to have magic to get kids into it. Great Wizzle.