Problems in Plymouth

The Imagination Station #6

by Marianne Hering, Marshal Younger

The Imagination Station Adventures continue Patrick and Beth's next adventure leads them to Plymouth Plantation in 1621. There they meet William Bradford, Miles Standish, and Chief Massasoit, who are trying to establish peace between the Pilgrims and the Indians. Things are anything but peaceful, however, when a musket is stolen and the Pilgrims conclude the Indians are planning war. Only Patrick and Beth know who the real thief is--the traitor Hugh--and it's up to the cousins to find him and stop him from causing trouble. When the cousins hear a gunshot during the first Thanksgiving feast, their worst fears are realized. They rush to the "Mayflower" and try to set right history, even as Hugh desperately tries to change it.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Christian Fiction, Childrens, Adventure, Fantasy

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Marianne Hering is a prolific writer, having written hundreds of articles and a number of books for children and parents. For nine years she worked for several magazines in Focus on the Family’s periodicals department and became the editor of Clubhouse, a Focus on the Family children’s magazine with a circulation of more than 100,000.

As a book developer for Focus on the Family, she and coauthor / creative director Paul McCusker launched the Adventures in Odyssey book series The Imagination Station in 2010. Currently the series includes 19 books, with two more contracted for 2017 release. Paul bowed out of his role in 2015 to pursue other creative avenues. The combined sales are more than 450,000.

Currently Marianne is a freelance writer taking assignments. She and her husband live in Colorado with their twin sons.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good books to read to my 8 year old!

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for young readers!


Chances are that the kids in your life have heard and fallen in love with the Adventures in Odyssey audios, and the kids' many Imagination Station adventures. Well there's a whole new book series of adventures for young readers.


Patrick and Beth's adventure finds them in 1621, where they meet many historic figures and stumble into another adventure! When food and muskets go missing the Pilgrims fear that the Indians may be planning a war, but Patrick and Beth know who is really responsible. Will they be able to expose the truth and prevent a war?


This is the perfect read for children that are growing in confidence with their reading, ages 7 and up. I have many younger friends who have said that these books are simply the best. Also there are a few moms that I know who have said that they had a hard time tearing their reluctant reader from the pages of these books. So I thought I'd give 'em a whirl to see if they were something that I could recommend. And I am happy to say that they are! I loved how this book had nice big print and simple words yet still conveyed a great story with lots of actions and a great lesson for young readers. The Adventures in Odyssey franchise has found another winner. Reading it brought me back to my younger days listening to Adventures in Odyssey. Though I was a bit surprised that there were characters I didn't recognize at the forefront. I guess I'm getting old!


Overall this is a book, and series that I would heartily recommend to my younger friends, and to parents who want to get their kids reading!


No Review Required.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to other books in this series, this story seems a tad forced

Unlike most of this series, this book didn't seem to have a point - other than to wrap up the 6 book story arc that begins with book 1. The story seemed a little forced, but overall I believe going readers will love this book. It does contain a prologue to catch you up in case you missed the first 5 books in the story line, which is nice.

The larger than normal font, many illustrations, and easy to understand language make this series ideal for young elementary aged children.

[Scott Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Problems in Plymouth

Author: Marianne Hering &Marshal Younger

Awards: N/A

Summary:
This imagined story takes place within the Plymouth plantation in 1621. Historical characters include William Bradford, Miles Standish, and Chief Massasoit. The conflict is the need for peace between the settlement and the Indians. However when 2 cousins; Beth and Patrick, stumble upon a time traveling evil Englishman named Hugh the stage is set. Hugh wants to start a war and change history for his own gain. Can Beth and Patrick stop him or will history and everything they know be forever changed?

Review Application:
This story would be appropriate for 2nd graders in a story discussion of plot. Students can continue to identify the problem or goal and rising action and begin to discuss the concept of climax within the text. Problems in Plymouth is an excellent story that shows specific steps that lead to the climax and then how this relates to the stories resolution.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are all okay. They're very formulaic (like Magic Treehouse), but I like that my girl gets a little bit of history and she seems to enjoy them a lot. She's seven and can read them herself which is another bonus.

This series is like a Magic Treehouse, but from a Christian perspective (and they often go to historical times that are significant in Christian history). I'd recommend them to a child that enjoys Magic Treehouse books, and is a newer reader.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an okay book, but being a historical fiction book for kids about the Pilgrims in Massachusetts in the 1620s, it really irks me that the Indians looked like and were described as the Lakota people from the Great Plains area. The tribes that were mentioned in this book did not live in tipis, lived in a kind of roundhouse called the wetus. Not being accurate in things like this do not help kids, even when reading fiction.

[RLat1942 · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is the perfect book for young christian readers.it is perfect for helping them learn about history and trusting Jesus.

[Moriah Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was amazed how far they went into time .

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic kids series!

[GheenGirls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turtle re-read this series. She said: great! Return to library.

[Taren Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun Thanksgiving read aloud

[Ruth Aguilar]

Another amazing book that combines history and moral lessons. Can't wait to see where this story and series leads.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty I like these books and I highly recommend them!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jacob is reading for our family summer reading program..krb 8/7/17

Jacob read aloud to me so I could help him with the words and build up confidence again..krb 8/14/17

[Brenten Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cousins Beth and Patrick are back in action and still trying to track down that dastardly character Hugh who has managed to hijack the Imagination Station and continues to inflict his high jinx on history. This time (as I’m sure you can guess by the title), they end up at the Plymouth settlement, where they learn about Pilgrims, participate in the first Thanksgiving, and (of course) right a few wrongs caused by Hugh.

I’ve seen some complaints that this book doesn’t dive deeply into the rich historical account of the Pilgrims and paint a more thorough picture of the early settlers, but I think those complaints are off the mark. One of the best parts of this series (and other historical fiction) is the introduction, the whetting of the appetite that encourages readers (young and old) to explore the time period further and see what’s accurate or inaccurate about the writer’s portrayal of the time period. Any more depth in the context of this book would likely slow the storyline to a crawl and disengage the enthusiastic readers who are already hooked on the series.

Another quick read and enjoyable story for younger readers and fans of Magic Tree House or Secrets of Droon books who are looking for (or at least don't mind) a Christian twist.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cousins Beth and Patrick have been hopping through time on adventure after adventure on the trail of Hugh, an evil Englishman from the 1400's. They have managed to follow him to Plymouth and need to capture him before tensions rise to a boiling point between the Pilgrims and the Indians. Will the cousins be successful or will they change the course of history forever?

I've grown up loving the Adventures in Odyssey Radio Series. When I saw that the Tyndale Summer Reading Program had several of the Imagination Station books on the reading list, I happily requested some from the library.

This is book 6 in the Imagination Station books, and they don't have to be read in order. I love how the kids learn truths like how to depend on God and to share with others. I think that kids would really enjoy these books.

I enjoyed how the cousins got to experience the first Thanksgiving and meeting some of the Pilgrims. I can easily see how kids would be fascinated with the cousins' adventures.

I rented this book from the library to read as part of the Tyndale Summer Reading Program. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of Adventures in Odyssey, Magic Tree House, I Survived Series, kids ages 7-9.

Rating - 4 stars

[Tammy G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

While looking for a christian oriented book about Thanksgiving I found Problems in Plymouth. This is a fiction history book for young readers but our whole family enjoyed this book. We, though, love all things Adventures in Odyssey. I guess one could say that we are Adventure in Odyssey fans! {smile}
There was much more to that first Thanksgiving than just turkey, Indians and Pilgrims as we found out in this fast paced read. In fact, learning about William Bradford, Miles Standish and Chief Massasoit has never been more fun.
Our family read this book first and then this book was read to a class of second and third graders at Children's Church and they loved it! In fact, when I wanted to quit reading the children begged for one more chapter. It's just that good!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beth and Patrick are off again in search for a character from a previous book. There is a prologue so the reader knows what is happening. Plymouth Plantation and Pilgrims and Indians are where the kids land right in the thick of things! While some of the things in this book are silly it's still full of history. I liked how right from the start the Indians are portrayed differently to the kids and the entire book takes a different angle than what is in the history books. There was a lot more going on at this times and many parts are skipped. I really loved this story and it really makes you think about history differently. It's perfect for young adults seven and up!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Problems in Plymouth is another great book in the Imagination Station series and this time Beth and Patrick venture to 1621 at Plymouth Plantation. At Plymouth, they meet Miles Standish, William Bradford, and Indian Chief Massasoit during a time where there is unrest between the Indians and Pilgrims. The unrest is made worse when Hugh, the archenemy, steals a musket causing the Pilgrims to believe the Indians stole them with war in their minds. Beth and Patrick race against the clock to catch Hugh before he can change history and to prevent a war from occurring between the Pilgrims and Indians.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Problems in Plymouth, Beth and Patrick team up again to go back in time to the colony of Plymouth. They are in search of the troublemaker, Hugh. They wind up finding themselves in the middle of a squabble between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims. I found this story to be interesting and is a fun way to teach my children the early history of the United States. I’m really loving the Imagination Station series.
5 stars.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time with the early pilgrims in this adventure. One thing I’ve noticed in the Imagination Station books is that each time the cousins change into the appropriate costumes for their age and gender which adds to the historical element of each time depicted. In this tale they learn about the hardships the pilgrims had, the importance of the treaties and some of the foods eaten by the pilgrims. Great book!

[Mary-Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit confusing for us non-Americans who don't know all of the details about Squanto, the relationships between the settlers and the Plymouth area natives, and the first Thanksgiving. Patrick and Beth travel to this historical period and have an adventure.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, though simplistic. It had some interesting historical details of the pilgrims and their first Thanksgiving feast, entwined in a fun story for kids. Still, not as deep and engrossing as some I've read.

[Mariejkt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number 6 in the Imagination Station series if you can't tell the two main character are always in the middle of some important part of history and this time its the Plymouth Colony in 1621. This one was good one and I did enjoy it.

[Jeffrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

From a Christian standpoint, I'm not typically impressed with Focus on the Family. This was, however, a safe book to read. I wish there was more emphasis on the gospel and lessons that are more biblical.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes place right around the first Thanksgiving. It seemed disconnected from God & instead focused on a sub-plot of several books. Not my favorite Imagination Station Book.

[Joy Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book wrapped up the trouble with Hugh. It was also an interesting look at what life might have been like for the Pilgrims & Indians. Another good book in the series!

[Beth Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read aloud to Emma and Will.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for the younger ones. #6 of Imagination Station series.

[Aaron Gannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam says: I like when they sent Hugh back to England

Amelia says: I like when they said "We'll rescue Squanto or we'll die trying"