Showdown with the Shepherd by Marianne Hering and Brock Eastman

Showdown with the Shepherd by Marianne Hering and Brock Eastman, Book 5 in the Imagination Station Series

Genre: Juvenile Fiction/Readers/Chapter Books

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Website to Visit: The Imagination Station

Age Appeal: 7 and up

Important Information: Paperback book, ISBN 978-1-58997-631-3, Copyright 2011, 117 pages

Price: $4.99

Mr. Whittaker has sent Beth and Patrick in the Imagination Station to the time of David and Goliath to find Hugh.  They need to get the Whittaker family ring and send Hugh back to his time. 

The kids will face an angry bear and Philistines and disgruntled Israelites.  Will they succeed and finally get Hugh back to his home in 1450 England?

Authors:

Marianne Hering has written more than 12 children’s book and is the former editor of Focus on the Family magazine.  She lives in Colorado with her husband and children.

Brock Eastman is Product Marketing Manager at Focus on the Family.  He enjoys writing, but he focuses even more on his family.  They live in Colorado, but enjoy visiting the Midwest during harvest.

Illustrator:

David Hohn lives in Portland, Oregon where he works in his studio on many different projects.

Our Experience:

B and C were very excited to receive Showdown with the Shepherd. One of the favorite things the kids and I like to do together is read.  It didn’t take us too many nights to finish this book.  The kids just wanted to keep reading and then we had to read it a second time.

My Thoughts:

I am always intrigued when authors have people go back in time and associate with people in living during that time.  The authors did an excellent job of melding Beth and Patrick into David’s life and the war between the Israelites and Philistines.

Huge was a very addition to this storyline.  He sure knows how to cause a lot of trouble.  I think that the addition of Hugh along with King Saul and his army with their lack of faith helped B and C how faith in God is truly important. 

What B (boy, age seven, second grade in the fall) Liked and Disliked:

I liked Showdown with the Shepherd.  This story is in the Bible!  My favorite part was when David killed Goliath, none of the other Israelites would do it, because they had no faith in God.  The part I didn’t like was when Hugh made the catapult and sent burning tar covered rocks. 

I think this book is good for kids my age to read to themselves or to have someone read to them.

What C (girl, age five, kindergarten) Liked and Disliked:

I liked the part when Goliath, because the Israelites won. 

I didn’t like the catapult, because they threw the rocks right towards the Israelites camp.  The second time they had loaded a boulder the knots had slipped.  I also didn’t like the part with the bear, because it was rushing right at Beth and Patrick.

It is good for kids my age, except for the scary parts. 

Would I Recommend?:

I would highly recommend Showdown with the Shepherd.  I am going to tell my family, friends and librarians about this book and the rest in the series.  I hope these books will also be audio books.

Disclaimer:

I received Showdown with the Shepherd for free from Tyndale House Publishers.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.