Review: Terrestria Chronicles
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The Terrestria Chronicles, by Ed Dunlop, is a Christian allegory series geared toward kids 10 and up. The stories take readers back to a medieval-like time to the realm of King Emmanuel, complete with castles, knights, ladies, dragons and giants. Young Josiah is the hero whose journey we follow, though the focus is always on King Emmanuel, in the series which begins with The Sword, the Ring, and the Parchment.
My impression of the series was of a Lord-of-the-Rings-esque quality, which I expected to make it appealing to my ten-year-old. I wanted to enjoy the books. I’d heard good things about them and I thought that the subject matter would be good for Josh, encouraging him in his faith. However, the reading level is above what Josh is able to read independently, and I could see his eyes glazing over as I read. That wasn’t terribly surprising, since he’s never really enjoyed being read aloud to, even as a preschooler.
Unfortunately, we found the first book to be rather slow and we just couldn’t get into it. Wanting to give the books a fair review — especially with regards to the target audience — I enlisted the help of a friend’s son, a voracious reader in the target age range. His sentiments were about the same as Josh’s. While he didn’t find the book tedious to read, it wasn’t a page-turner either. He wouldn’t have been opposed to plugging along and finishing the book, but it wasn’t something that he just had to finish. Another friend commented that the series seemed to include a lot of dialogue, something difficult for some kids to follow.
I will say, I know people whose kids thoroughly enjoyed these books and I love the premise of the series — Christ-honoring and encouraging kids to be strong in their faith and guard their hearts. Please be sure to read others’ reviews. I know this series will be just what some families have been looking for.
All of the books in the series are available for $7.99 each from the Terrestria Chronicles website.
I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. I received no other compensation for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary.
Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
My son (8 1/2) is reading just at grade level…but it's a struggle for him. Many of his friends are reading well above grade level, so it's hard to get book recommendations from them. What are some books that your son has enjoyed? Christian or other.
Clicking the banner above doesn't seem to go anywhere. It just takes me to the jpeg. photo. Not sure if that's because there aren't any other reviews yet – or if the link didn't take properly. Just wanted to let you know so you can check into it if you need to.
Sorry! It's just because the TOS site doesn't have a link page up yet. I should have noted that. As soon as their link to page is set up, I'll get the banner updated.
@KM — My son (10), although much improved, is still reading below grade level, so there really aren't any books that he has really enjoyed. He chooses Little Critter or Dr. Seuss books when he has to read for me. There are also some beginning reader Star Wars books that he has enjoyed.