Our family really enjoys The Imagination Station series of historically based early chapter books for emerging readers.  After reading the first book (which focused on the famous Vikings Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky) we were eager to get started with the second book – Attack at the Arena.  With a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of 2.3, this was an easy read alone for my eight-year-old and an eagerly anticipated read aloud for my five-year old.

Once again cousins Patrick and Beth are sent backwards in time courtesy of the Imagination Station, where they encounter life in ancient Rome as they search for the monk’s cup.  Dressed in the clothing of a slave girl Beth is seized and taken to the palace of the emperor Honorius while Patrick – clothed in monk garments – is claimed as a fellow man of the cloth by the monk Telemachus.

In some ways, Attack at the Arena is even more exciting for me than Voyage with the Vikings in that it covers a notable event in Christian history that is little covered.  Whether actual or legendary, it is hard to say, but the story of Telemachus and his intervention in the blood-filled Roman gladiatorial games is a moving example of courage and following God’s leading nonetheless.

The only thing I would change is the historical order of the books in the series.  I would love it if the books were in chronological order as the series progresses.  Instead each book seems to be a rather random historical event though they do build on each other in terms of advancing the quest to save Mr. Whitaker’s long-ago relative Albert.

For only $5 each, these early readers are an excellent value and filled with adventurous, cliff-hanging chapters that keep children moving at a rapid clip.  Simply written with an enthralling plot line, I highly recommend this series for building interest in self-directed reading!

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT AMAZON.COM OR CHRISTIANBOOK.COM!