Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The Redcoats are Coming {a Tyndale Blog Network Review}

I absolutely love the books in The Imagination Station series!  I believe I've told you that before on this blog.  (Let's see, here's a review of book 2, books 3 & 4, books 5 & 6, books 8 & 9, and book 11.  I've missed reviewing a couple of them!)

That brings us up to the 13th title in this series, which is itself the first of a 3-part series, The Redcoats are Coming! by Marianne Hering and Nancy I. Sanders.

The Redcoats are Coming! is another Imagination Station adventure, and this time the cousins end up in the pre-Revolutionary War period in New England.  They have the chance to meet people like Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere and the opportunity to interact with history in a way that teaches them a thing or two that they didn't learn from their textbooks.  Specifically, they learn more about how religion, and pastors, played a role in the events of the time.  There is plenty of action -- sounding the alarm in Concord, smuggling a message to Paul Revere -- and adventure along the way.

For an adult or a good reader, this is a quick book to read, and the action keeps you turning the pages.  For a struggling reader, as I've said in a few reviews before, this series is fantastic.  The chapters are short and action-packed.  The vocabulary is repetitive -- not so much that I'd notice it when reading (except I look for it now!) but when I've had my struggling readers read other books in the series aloud to me, it stands out.

Repetitive vocabulary is so important for those struggling readers, as they really do need to see a word many, many more times than "normal" in order to truly "own" the word.  The Redcoats are Coming! strikes that balance perfectly, repeating some vocabulary often enough for the struggling readers, but not so much that it stands out to the rest of us.

Various age recommendations I've seen suggest this book for ranges as low as ages 6-9.  I think that is too narrow, and I'd suggest that it is good up to age 12 at least, and it makes a nice, quick read for teens too.  My two struggling readers are now 13 and 15, and they still enjoy the series.  One told me, "I love that I can sit down and read this, on my own, and not get bogged down.  It's a book I can actually finish, and one that is worth the effort.  Patrick and Beth aren't as silly as they were in the first books in the series either, which is great.  For other older kids who have trouble reading, I'd definitely recommend this series, especially starting around book 7."

We were given a copy of this book by a friend, and as we really don't need two of them, I'd like to do a giveaway.  Because I have a soft spot in my heart for struggling readers, there is one extra entry just for them... but this is certainly open to anyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer:   I received this book for free from Tyndale House Publishers.  No other compensation was received.  The fact that I received a complimentary product does not guarantee a favorable review.  The giveaway copy is one I obtained myself, and Tyndale House Publishers is not a part of the giveaway.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am interested in this book because my 7 year old loves the American Revolution, and I think she'd really enjoy the book.

Gwen T said...

Love history - love reading - love my kids that are all bookworms! ;)

Jennifer said...

My son loves this series. We got him the ones that he didn't have last year at our home school convention, for his birthday. I'd love to add this to his collection.

AdenaF said...

I have a son that is a struggling reader and hates to read any textbooks. I have found that he would read historical comic books that I found for him. He has read a very FEW books on his own but this sounds like a series that he would like.

Michele said...

This is an easy one- my son LOVES history!

Cristi said...

I have a few books in this series. Now that I know your older boys like them, maybe I'll try to convince my son that they aren't too babyish for him.

Unknown said...

I have heard great things about this series, but have not had the chance to read them yet in our home. My kids would love these books! Always looking for good books here....we go through lots!

grtlyblesd said...

This looks good! We are currently finishing book 3 of the badge of honor series from last crew year. :)

. said...

Our kids LOVE these books and they ARE getting my struggling readers reading more, so I'm in agreement with you about doing that through good books like these! They were super excited to see your giveaway for the next in the series as we also love the Revolutionary War around here! Thanks!
Shan in CO

zekesmom10 said...

We're covering the American Revolution in school this year. AND we love AIO.

Walking Fruitfully said...

We love, love, love this series. We have books 1-7 (I think) We have a lot of catching up to do. :)