While visiting Mr. Whittaker at Whit’s Soda Shoppe, Beth and Patrick find a mysterious letter in the Imagination Station requesting a Viking sunstone. The letter is old and says that someone named Albert will be imprisoned if the sunstone isn’t found.

Mr. Whittaker sends cousins Patrick and Beth to Greenland circa 1000. On their quest for the sunstone, the cousins meet Vikings Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson―and find the sunstone as they join Leif on his first voyage to North America.

But the adventure is just beginning, for when they return to Mr. Whittaker’s workshop with the sunstone, there is another note waiting for them, requesting a silver goblet.

Join Patrick and Beth as they travel to various lands and times in the Imagination Station book series!

VOYAGE WITH VIKINGS is the first book in The Imagination Station series from Focus on The Family!

Your children will sail with Vikings! Meet a Roman explorer! Be an American Revolutionary! And take a thrilling train ride through the Wild West!

With each book, kids are whisked away with cousins Patrick and Beth to embark on a new journey around the world and back in time. Kids experience unforgettable, action-packed adventures when they travel through the Imagination Station series.

You know those tests kids take in the first grade? It’s the first time they have to fill in a sheet of paper covered in little dots. Well, when one of her twins took that test, author Marianne Hering found out that her son Lewis couldn’t read.

So along with a fellow parent and coworker—Paul McCusker—she dove into the world of historical fiction for kids. She wanted to create some stories that had action and adventure but were easy to read. And one last thing—they needed lasting value. So they put in Christian history and some good role models.

Since she had been a professional writer and editor at Focus on the Family for more than a decade, she had a good idea how to start The Imagination Station book series. Paul McCusker was a producer and scriptwriter for Adventures in Odyssey, so he had a pretty good idea about how the Imagination Station should work.

Marianne Hering lives in Colorado, a place where the natural beauty makes it difficult for her to stay indoors. But she stays inside to write books for kids and their families.

And her son Lewis? Well, he’s in college now learning to be a chemical engineer! He still likes numbers better than letters. But . . . he can read!

Learn more about the Imagination Station book series at MarianneHering.com

Please share StoryJumpers with a friend if you enjoyed this episode. StoryJumpers is still growing, and your positive review and 5-star rating would help.

The Bridge Podcast Network is made possible by generous support from The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel and Victoria’s Restaurant on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware - Open 7 days a week, year-round - Learn more at https://boardwalkplaza.com

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Before Jake’s grandfather died, he was on the trail of a centuries-old mystery. And he has entrusted that mystery to Jake, leaving behind a set of hidden codes, riddles, maps, and other clues that lead Jake and his friends on a scavenger hunt into the heart of Colorado’s wild and rugged Rocky Mountain National Park.

Through twists and turns, the mystery unfolds while Jake, Amber, and Wes learn about survival skills, natural history, integrity, character, and friendship.

While camping in Rocky Mountain National Park, they discover they are not the only ones on this quest. An elusive shadow group is close on their heels.

Illustrated by the author, this page-turning adventure is designed to capture the imagination of even the most reluctant of young readers. Parents looking for a delightful read-aloud adventure will find it hard to put down. (Word of Caution: readers frequently note that this is a “Please read just one more chapter” book).

If your family loves the enchanted lands of our national parks, this series will take you to hidden places and into breathtaking landscapes. If you enjoy movies like National Treasure and Uncharted or mystery adventures like the Hardy Boys and Gary Paulsen’s survival story, Hatchet, you’ll love this first installment of the National Park Mystery Series.

Aaron Johnson grew up on a farm in Ohio where he'd jump the fence to hike into the swamps, gullies, ravines, and gorges in a place they called The Deep Fields. He wrote his first book in second grade, and continued to write as a teenager.

Then he became a high school and middle school teacher, and went on to work for twenty years in education. He's so grateful to bring his many passions together in this new life-chapter as an author: the outdoors, writing, the national parks, illustration, and his interest in fields of history, conservation, and the natural sciences. And he gets to squeeze my terrible dad- jokes into my stories.

Their family lives in Colorado where Aaron spent over six months exploring and leading backpacking trips into Rocky Mountain National Park. That's why the adventure begins in RMNP, in the heart of a place that he thinks of as home.

Aaron hopes your family not only enjoys these stories, but also develops a deeper affection for our national parks and the other wild places near you.

Learn more about her books when you visit her website at https://nationalparkmysteryseries.com

Please share StoryJumpers with a friend if you enjoyed this episode. StoryJumpers is still growing, and your positive review and 5-star rating would help.

The Bridge Podcast Network is made possible by generous support from The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel and Victoria’s Restaurant on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware - Open 7 days a week, year-round - Learn more at https://boardwalkplaza.com

Feedback, or Show Ideas? Send an email to podcast@wearethebridge.org

Download The Bridge Mobile App to get the latest podcast episodes as soon as they are published!

In the first book of the Tree Street Kids series, 10-year-old Jack is shocked to discover his parents are moving from their rural homestead to the boring suburbs of Chicago.

Full of energy and determination, Jack devises a plan to get himself back to his beloved farmhouse forever.

Only three things stand in his way: a neighbor in need, a shocking discovery, and tornado season.

Will Jack find a solution? Or is God up to something bigger than Jack can possibly imagine?

The Tree Street Kids live on Cherry, Oak, Maple, and Pine ... but their 1990s suburban neighborhood isn’t all quiet, tree-lined streets. Jack, Ellison, Roger, Ruthie (and Midge!) find adventure in every creek and cul-de-sac — and God’s big love in one small neighborhood.

The first two books in this four-book middle-grade series, ages 8-10, released from Moody Publishers in April 2021.

Amanda Cleary Eastep is not related to Beverly Cleary but wishes she were. She is, however, a children’s writer, and the Tree Street Kids is her debut series. Amanda knows kids because she’s still one at heart. When she is forced to act like an adult, she edits nonfiction books by grown-up authors.

Amanda’s children’s writing has been published in Ladybug, The Friend, Sunday school curriculum, and Story Warren. As a longtime writer, she’s contributed to Christianity Today, Think Christian, and many other print and online publications. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and she leads writing workshops at her local teen center.

Learn more about her books at treestreetkids.com

Please share StoryJumpers with a friend if you enjoyed this episode. StoryJumpers is still growing, and your positive review and 5-star rating would help.

The Bridge Podcast Network is made possible by generous support from The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel and Victoria’s Restaurant on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware - Open 7 days a week, year-round - Learn more at https://boardwalkplaza.com

Feedback, or Show Ideas? Send an email to podcast@wearethebridge.org

Download The Bridge Mobile App to get the latest podcast episodes as soon as they are published!