Travels with Gannon and Wyatt: Ireland

Travels with Gannon and Wyatt: Ireland
Book #5
Authors: Patti Wheeler, Keith Hemstreet
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group
ISBN: 9781626341951
Hardcover: 192 pages
Genre: Young adult, adventure, travel

About the Book:

While on vacation in Ireland, Gannon and Wyatt visit medieval castles, climb the Cliffs of Moher, and explore the ancient Newgrange monument. But after Gannon kisses the Blarney Stone their adventure takes a dramatic turn. While volunteering on a farm to connect with their Irish roots, they learn that a deadly blight is wreaking havoc on the Irish farmland. Determined to uncover the true cause, the courageous explorers embark on a secret mission to gather evidence against a ruthless suspect, but soon find themselves running for their lives. Ultimately, they must rely on their wilderness survival skills and Gannon’s “gift of gab” if they hope to bring justice to their ancestral home.

In the tradition of the historic journals kept by explorers such as Lewis and Clark, Dr. David Livingstone, and Captain James Cook comes the adventure series Travels with Gannon and Wyatt. From Africa to the South Pacific, these twin brothers have traveled the world. You never know what they will encounter as they venture into the wild, but one thing is certain wherever Gannon and Wyatt go, adventure is their constant companion.

You can find Gannon and Wyatt’s blog, photographs, and video footage from their real-life expeditions at travelswithgannonandwyatt.com.

My Thoughts:

Get ready to go on adventure with Gannon and Wyatt in Ireland! Book number 5 of the Travels With Gannon and Wyatt series, this book will take you on an adventure to the Emerald Isle! Visit some exciting landmarks including the Blarney Stone (complete with pictures). I had no idea how "fun" it would be to kiss that stone until Gannon gives it a try!

Full of adventure with two home schooled boys, this novel is sure to keep the reader engrossed to the end! Throughout the boys travels, one will see and experience Ireland and the locals as well as become entwined in a great mystery adventure.

Gannon and Wyatt are both great characters. Like most brothers, they are both interested in life but from different points of view - one from the scientific side and the other from the humanities side. This leads to some disagreements but also shows how things are viewed from all sides and creates an interesting story from both points of view.

Great for middle school boys and girls, this series can be started anywhere. Match them to your studies to bring a sort of living history to them. This series is fun, so don't be surprised if your young reader wants to read them all!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley courtesy of the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, but instead, one that gives my honest opinion.

NIV Boys Bible

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card is:

NIV Boys Bible

Zonderkidz; Special edition (March 6, 2012)

***Special thanks to Rick Roberson of The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Getting into a routine of reading the Bible can be challenging for anyone, but trying to keep the attention of pre-teen boys is especially difficult. So now there is a Bible especially developed for them. The NIV Boys Bible is designed with boys ages 9 to 12 in mind. Fun in-text features help boys dig deep into the Word and learn about amazing people, facts and stories of the Bible. The NIV Boys Bible will help boys grow into the young men God wants them to be. It will appeal to boys and cause them to desire to spend time in the Word with its unique features such as:

* Introductions to each book of the Bible

* Hundreds of highlighted verses worth memorizing

* What's the Big Deal?-Need-to-know biblical stories and people

* Check It Out-Interesting and fun facts about Bible times and characters

* Grossology-Gross and gory stuff they never knew was in the Bible

* Makin' It Real-Help for applying Bible stories to their everyday lives



This Bible includes the full text of the New International Version, the most popular Bible translation in the world, and 12 color tip-in pages introducing content that shows boys how they can grow to be like Jesus. Each book of the Bible has activities that make God's Word more relevant than ever. It is jam-packed with customized content and artwork that really makes the Bible stand out.

Product Details:
List Price: $27.99
Reading level: Ages 9 and up
Hardcover: 1504 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz; Special edition (March 6, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310723086
ISBN-13: 978-0310723080:

AND NOW...A SAMPLE. PLEASE CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO VIEW THEM LARGER: 

My Thoughts:

A hard-covered and sturdy NIV Bible that let's you know it was definitely made for boys. From it's diamond-plating steel looking cover, to the blue print with orange headings, chapter numbers and orange comment boxes, it should appeal to most tween males.

I found the colors interesting but the print was a little hard for me to read. The comment boxes were helpful, but I personally didn't care for them. They were more to the point than those in the "NIV FaithGirlz! Bible" that I reviewed yesterday. Let's look at the same example I gave yesterday with David and Bathsheba. The comment box for this Bible gives a good analogy of being sinful and needing to come straight with God. In David's instance he was "tangled in sexual sin.." and he needed to "come clean".

This book doesn't seem to be as "delicate" as the girl's Bible, but the modern language is still there making it feel like one has to through in a bunch of glitz to make Bible reading appealing to our youth. These Bibles don't work for us, but may be fine for others. If you don't have a problem with the modern style language and enjoy fun commentaries, this Bible may work for you and your family.

Triple Dog Dare Devotional by Jeremy Jones

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Jeremy Jones

and the book:

Triple Dog Dare Devotional

David C. Cook (October 1, 2011)

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jeremy V. Jones is an award-winning journalist who has served as senior associate editor of Breakaway magazine. He has authored several books, including Toward the Goal: The Kaka Story and The Keeper: The Tim Hoard Story. He also writes for magazines such as Clubhouse and Christianity Today. He resides with his wife and two children in Colorado.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Boys want action. They don’t want to sit around and talk—that’s for grown-ups and girls. They engage life and relationships by doing something: skateboarding, playing games or re-creating favorite movie scenes. So why should faith be any different? That’s why Jeremy V. Jones created Triple Dog Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Boys—to provide the action boys need in order to grow their faith.

The Bible is full of action. Remember how David slew Goliath, Daniel faced those lions, Paul survived a shipwreck and Jesus stood up for a woman about to be killed? God made boys to take His truth and do something with it, to man up and change the world. These action-packed devotions for boys ages 9 to 12 are filled with godly truth and bold spiritual challenges that transform time with God into the adventure of the day.

Triple Dog Dare connects God’s Word to boys’ hearts and hands with real-life scenarios and activities. Each day is filled with short Scriptures, concise biblical truth and a daily dare, all challenging them to put their faith into practice. Scripture readings from every book of the Bible open up the action-packed Word of God. Whether it’s drawing comic strips of biblical battles, dreaming up a life list of goals, making snack packs for the homeless or producing Bible-based movies, boys will go on daily dynamic experiences with God, taking faith off the page and setting it into motion. Themes cover the daily realities of pre-teen males, including bullying, peer pressure, girls, sibling rivalry, honesty and more.

These exciting devotions will inspire boys’ hearts toward godly characteristics such as integrity, generosity and kindness. Parents will appreciate watching Christ-like traits emerge as each dare is undertaken. It is a manual that will deepen boys’ friendships with Jesus as they look forward to spending time with Him every day. So if you know a boy who is up for the challenge, triple dog dare him!




Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Reading level: Ages 9 and up
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook (October 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0781404576
ISBN-13: 978-0781404570

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER (Click on images to enlarge):

My Thoughts:

Devotionals for tweens (9-12 years) is difficult to find, but try finding one for boys, and it gets even harder. When my son was growing up, we couldn't find anything that interested him. How I wish this had been available then.

Triple Dog Dare is an eye catching and totally boyish devotional that tweens will love (and use). The inside design layout has a textured and brushed quality to it. It is done in black and off-white with pictures of tools, screws, metal, and a tv in the bottom corner. When you flip the pages quickly - the tv has a moving picture (this is really neat!)

My son was back from college over the weekend and he had a look at this devotional. He said he wished he would have had something like this. He really though it was neat and suggested that it would work great to for devos at Christian summer camp.

This devotional gets two thumbs up from our family!