Double Cross Down Under by Marianne Hering and Marshal Younger

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

Rating: Three point five stars as a personal rating. As a objective rating I would say four and a half to five stars as it was fully clean, with some action, with life lessons, and (as I fully enjoyed the series when I was younger) enjoyable for younger readers.

Language/Profanity: None

Faith: Praying, saying the Devil is the Father of Lies, Jesus forgiving our sins, conviction, repenting, Believers of the New Testament, Jesus teaching us to forgive our enemies.

Romance/Sex: A kiss mentioned as side characters are married.

Violence ect.: being captured, being tied up, blood and a crocodile bite, mention of chain gangs and being sold.

Other: NA

Part of a Series: Yes, book 28 I think to an ongoing series called the Imagination Station.

Synopsis:
When kids step into the Imagination Station, they travel back in time and across the world with cousins Patrick and Beth. Each book is historically accurate, and readers will grow in their faith and knowledge of big historical events as they race through each unforgettable story.

“Her knees buckled, and she started to sink. Quicksand!”

Hot on the trail of Amelia Darling, cousins Patrick and Beth are transported to Australia where they encounter Reverend George Taplin and his friend James Unaipon, two faithful men of God serving the Aboriginal people and helping them understand the good news of the Gospel. But not every person is interested in this good news.

In the dark of night, Patrick and his new friend, Jandamarra, are kidnapped by bushrangers who need an Aboriginal person to show them the way to a great treasure.

Thoughts:
Another quick read, that is focused on showing young children the important things about God. I like learning slightly more about history from stories like this, where it's not just a history book. Honestly I would suggest reading the other books first, or at least some of them as there are ongoing problems throughout each story, but it is not necessary. This is perfect for younger kids and good for older readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Focus on the Family for providing me the opportunity to review an early copy of this novel. All of the thoughts and the opinions expressed are my own.

Beth and Patrick step into the Imagination Station to travel back in time and across the world to Australia where they are trying to track down and stop Amelia Darling. In Australia they encounter the Reverend George Taplin and his friend James Unaipon (two men trying to win the Aboriginal people to the Lord). In the night, Patrick and his friend are kidnapped and Beth and her friend go on an adventure to rescue him.

This is a great children’s adventure book. It follows the wonderful tradition of the Adventures in Odyssey Imagination Station stories. We, of course, see the standard character of Mr. Whitaker, creator of the Imagination Station and we have the setting of Wit’s End. This book brought back all the memories. I remember my niece and nephew loving these characters once upon a time.

The Godly lessons were definitely there, but it was not at all didactic. If you are looking for a great, easy adventure book for your little ones that has a great message then I recommend this one. If you want something that is more in depth then maybe this book isn’t for you.

We love the Imagination Station books! My children and I have so thoroughly enjoyed following the adventures of Patrick and Beth. While this particular book was not our favorite Imagination Station book, we still enjoyed reading it and continuing the adventure. This book did not grab our attention as much as the others in that it was not centered on a specific person or event in history. But, it was, nonetheless, an enjoyable story for us all!

Let me first begin by saying I'm a mom of a reader who can read a book a day - so pre reading is basically out of the question at this point. Which means I rely heavily on reviews, recommendations from trusted sources, and clean and wholesome books from Christian authors/publishers to find books that he can read.

Double Cross Down Under falls under the last category, and I'm so grateful for authors and publishers who take the time to produce clean and wholesome content for young readers. From the bottom of my heart, thank you! Because it gives parents like me a chance to rest easy, knowing our children are enjoying reading and not getting bombarded with content that isn't Biblical.

Alright, enough with the sappy stuff, onto the review!

Double Cross Down Under was so fun! It is a fast paced adventure that kept me reading, once the adventure began it didn't really slow down. I suspect that's just how young readers like it!

I love the real life lesson at the beginning about density using a root beer float and how it came back into play later in the book. I love the wholesome adventure and the fact that the time traveling and all of the tools the adventurers use are based on science and not magic.

Plus there's themes of redemption and forgiveness, between the characters and of course the forgiveness in Christ. I particularly loved when one of the young characters identified his mistake and sin in the story and repented and asked for forgiveness- what a great lesson and reminder for a young reader - that we ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of the Lord.

Excellent book, great message, a definite must for your young readers' bookshelf! I would say this is good for 3-5th grade, maybe 2nd grade if you have an advanced reader.

Note: there is a scene with a gun and shots are fired, it does not get too violent or scary but readers who are very sensitive might not enjoy that or might need a conversation with a parent after reading

Thank you to NetGalley and Tyndale for the advance copy, all opinions are my own.