Journey to Impossible Places: 3 Book Bundle

by Ted Dekker, H.R. Hutzel

Some say that entering alternate dimensions is the impossible stuff of children’s imaginations. But what if you really could pass through a wardrobe and find Narnia? What if you really could enter a portal and find yourself in a totally different world? And what if you could go on a breath-taking adventure in that world that would save you from terrible trouble in this world? Join Charlie, a most unlikely hero, as he journeys into a world called Lumina which is held in darkness without a sun. There he will be challenged to find three keys hidden away in three powerful strongholds. Without the keys, the world will be forever lost in darkness. Even worse, that darkness will enter this world and destroy all that is good. In this allegory of the life we all live on Earth, readers of all ages will find themselves on every page, struggling to find acceptance and belonging in a world that demands they be and look a certain way to fit in. Journey to Impossible Places is far more than just an exciting adventure. It’s a story about the choices we all make every day, following either the darkness that blinds us to who we really are, or the light that shows us how precious we have always been. Enter a wild adventure full of light and hope for ages 9 - 16.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Fantasy, Christian Fiction, Middle Grade

200 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2023

About the author

Ted Dekker is known for novels that combine adrenaline-laced stories with unexpected plot twists, unforgettable characters, and incredible confrontations between good and evil. Ted lives in Austin with his wife LeeAnn and their four children.

Reviews

[Melanie Pierce · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m no longer a fan of Ted Dekker. I was obsessed with him a couple of decades ago. His Circle Trilogy/Series was my absolute favorite. I got such wonderful allegorical imagery that illuminated Truths from God’s Word from those books. So I thought I’d read these with my son. I’m through the first two books and working on the last and not only am I really not impressed with the quality of writing but He seems to be peddling a new kind of mystic theology that blends God and man and relies on a lot of light and love rather than truth and redemption. I also bought the first three of the They Found Dragons kids series and now I wished I hadn’t. After these, I really think I’m done with Dekker. Try Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga instead. It’s much better written and far more theologically sound.

[Ashley Soderquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these to talk about it with my son, as he’s been raving about the books. I love the adventure of having to fight your own demons in the strongholds to get through it, and I enjoyed the back and forth internal struggle and external consequences when Charlie gave into temptation, or any other character in the story. I found myself skipping along certain pages to hurry through, I’m not sure if it was Dekker’s writing or my age! There were more mystical ideas of self love and light than I expected, but I think it gives more if a talking point for me than a reason to not let my kids read it.
All in all, this series was adventurous, and easy read, and good character development. I can see the draw for kids to want to eat this series up. As a parent, it was a quick read, but truthfully I wasn’t as caught up into the story as I wish I could’ve been.

[Adam Syswerda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reads- my 8 year old is loving them and they do a great job of painting the picture of how valuable forgiveness is. I love to see the biblical character lessons woven through the 3 books.

[Piper Cops · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing!!!!! This is the order of favorite to least favorite.Millie Maven , This, And they found dragons, and dream travelers quest.

[Anniston · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very good series I liked how there was a lot of action during the book.

[Keven Baxter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Journey to Impossible Places is a quest story for middle schoolers. It's a fun adventure with a group of kids and includes strange worlds where the kids have to think their way through a series of challenges. Ted Dekker is a gifted storyteller and keeps the action flowing throughout. There is a spiritual theme woven into the story that explores light and darkness and how we can change the world through casting light in dark places. It contains some biblical content but it also strays into a more ambiguous new age sensibility that may confuse young readers. The story itself does have some violence that some parents may not be too keen on for their youngsters, so beware if that is a concern. Overall, a fun and enlightening read for your kids that will make them think.

[Abigail Ames · Rating 5 out of 5]

I set out to “proof read” this series to see if it would be appropriate for my 10-year-old son. I was concerned that the elements may be too mature for him, even though it states it was for ages 9-16…

While the books do contain elements of extreme hate, and even attempted murder between teenagers, the story is laid out in a way where you can see the battle between good and evil—darkness and light—fighting it out to the death. As a reader, you’re taken on this incredible journey to discover how dangerous your thoughts can be and how our perception of things that are true changes by what we are influenced. I was pulled through the story, willing the light to win, learning the lessons right along with the characters, and allowing my heart to change as the characters hearts changed.

Though there are some deep and violent elements, almost all is made right again. It’s a powerful story of redemption and valuable lessons learned. I do highly recommend it, but ONLY if the reader sticks it all the way through to reading all three books.

[Josh Poulin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you ever wonder If there's another world somewhere in the universe? If so, what would it be like? What would you find? In the book “Journey to Impossible Places,” Charley is faced with lots of conflict and hardships but ends up finding a new world hidden where he never thought possible.
This book is about Charley, an orphan boy who was transferred to Saint Francis Boys and Girls Home. But when his class gets the opportunity to take a trip to the Caribbean the worst happens, their plane ends up crashing and they all end up stranded on an island. Tensions grew on the island because of the little food to eat and the conflict between Charlie and another boy named Michael. Micheal’s hatred for Charlie only grew while being stranded. One night Charlie followed a glowing butterfly into the woods out of curiosity, not knowing that Micheal had secretly followed him. Charley trailed the butterfly for a while until he then found an unusual door in a cliff side. Micheal continued to gain on Charlie with an awful plan to kill him. Inside the door the boys got split up and ended up in another world called Lumina. Here Charlie finds out who he truly is inside and begins on an amazing journey to save the world of Lumina.
This book would appeal to people who may relate to Charlie. Who struggles to find belonging and acceptance in this demanding world but still manages to find hope and a light at the end of the tunnel. This book has a very strong hook and keeps the reader engaged the whole time. The author did a great job setting up the characters and their feelings so readers are drawn in and emotionally attached to them. He also did a great job switching perspectives very clearly. The writing was captivating and had so many twists and turns which kept me curious.
Overall this book is highly recommended and a must read for people who enjoy fantasy fiction, adventure fiction and religious fiction. Who knows, maybe there is a world out there just waiting to be saved.

[Jessica Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great series for young readers looking for adventure and a great clean read with nothing parents should worry about.

This three-book series takes readers on an adventure the likes of Narnia. Charlie has been an orphan all his life and when he is invited to live with a man that takes in orphan children and gives them a loving home. Some of the other kids make life hard but when they are sent on a vacation and their plane crashes on an island with just him and his new siblings and no adults. The island has a magical portal that transports Charlie to a new world called Lumina where he will be challenged to bring light to a world full of darkness. Charlie, along with his siblings will be challenged to the brink both on the island and this new world to save all those they love and care about.

This three-book series is a fantastic way for young readers wanting a fun and clean read that is full of adventure and impossible things. Charlie and his friends are in for an adventure the likes of which none of them could have ever imagined. Everything that Charlie does in the new world affects the island that the others are left on, this is very typical of previous books written by Ted Dekker, he takes his readers to a different world and what they encounter has a correlation to the real world. These books are great because they are clean without any of the “agenda” the publishing world tries to put into books these days. There is a great message of redemption and faith that is a great starting place for readers to build a foundation for even better books with faith elements.

[Carls୨ৎ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tbh I just want to forget about these books. I'll highlight a few points here.
-The world building was very underwhelming, I was having such a hard time picturing the world and countries.
-The character arcs were forced and rushed, especially the "redemption arc." Since I was reading these books at the same time as I was rewatching Avatar the Last Airbender, I compared the character arcs in the show to the ones in these books, which made me realize what makes a good character arc, and how Journey to Impossible Places just did not execute it well.
-The kids in these books attempt murder on one another several times, which really disturbed me. I know that technically that is the plot of the Hunger Games, but in those books they are forced to do that and were raised to believe that you do whatever you have to do to survive. For Journey to Impossible Places, it seems out of place while also being very dark for a middle grade series meant for 9 year olds.
-The Christian messages in this book felt like they were being shoved in my face while also being very cheesy.
So basically, I do not recommend this series at all. If you want a middle grade fantasy with Christian subtlety, read the Wing feather Saga instead.

Rating of my enjoyment: 1.5 stars
Rating of Quality: 1.5 stars
Overall Rating: 1.5 stars

[Hayden Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon reading Journey To Impossible Places, it starts off with some kids flying in an airplane and they suffer from a plane crash. In the middle of the story, Charlie and his brother Michael both go to the place of Lumnia. Upon entering this mysterious world, they have to save this world from darkness or the island they were on would die, too. At the end of the book, the two brothers save both worlds. They were rescued by Mr. Abbott, who had adopted all of the children.

There are beautiful creatures in this book, just like in reality. This book is an adventurous one which I really connect to because I enjoy adventuring and seeing new places. This book shows different varieties of places. In many other books, they are full of action and adventure. These books are similar in this way.

Something I liked a lot about this book is the different locations that took place. The characters are well written and detailed in designs. I like how it had some biblical meanings in it. Although, some of the story was pretty predictable. I think maybe the writer of this story could add more personality to the characters.

[Rachel J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book to preview it for my 9 year old son as I wasn’t sure if it would be too dark for him or not. While I was pleasantly surprised it wasn’t dark (knowing about Dekker’s reputation) I was disappointed in the first 40% of the book which was mostly about two boys, one “good” boy and one bully. It went back and forth about how the bully was doing this or that, & how much the two boys hated each other. Finally after over 40% of the book, things got interesting & the focus wasn’t so much on all the mean things the bully was doing to the good kid and more about the redemption aspect of the story. I hope the next two books redeem the series for me, we’ll see!

[Ken Knecht · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of Ted Dekker. Started with his Circle series, although Green was a bit of a stretch, the Martyrs Song and Showdown series, etc; truly am appreciative of his allegory and enlightening storylines that speak God’s truth.
I realized this series is for children when I bought it. It has the same fantasy elements but is lacking. Not nearly as good as the CIRCLE series for the same age group. I don’t know if he’s drifting new ways or it is when he uses co-authors.
Still recommend but he has better out there.

[Peyton Forsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books were fantastic. I really felt for the characters and enjoyed the fast pace Dekker always provides. I had no problems getting into this Christian based series as I have with other books like Hinds feet on high places. If you liked this series, PLEASE go read the Wingfeather Saga books, you will love them!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great trilogy of young reader fiction. The characters relationships are so spot on. The story of the redemption of the darkness inside of all of us is so relatable. Ted Dekker brings us into his world again with another different angle and I look forward to more.

[Brittany Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great trilogy for kids. The age range on the back of the book says 9-16 and I would say that’s pretty accurate. Good depiction of light vs. dark. I enjoyed the character development of Michael and Charlie.

[Kelly Honea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short trilogy was much emotionally darker than I was expecting for a kids’ series aimed at 9-16, with a LOT of emphasis on characters wanting to kill each other. Even so, it did have some great allegories and diversity in character.

[Crystal Tenney · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son and I enjoyed some of the previous series by Ted Dekker but this one I’m glad I read first before my son. This series has shifted to more towards mysticism and less about love and redemption. My son will be skipping this series.

[Lynda Beers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminds me a bit of Lord of the Flies and the color books by Ted Decker. I was only able to borrow the first two. They were good and suspenseful, but almost predictable. I'm considering buying the series.

[Tom Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of 2023. My wife is reading next.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

my son couldn't put them down

[Kylin Swearingen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad series! I really appreciate the Christian aspects. However, there are many slow part of just traveling. I wouldn’t recommend, but I wouldn’t discourage reading it either.

[Tee Minn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought all three for Stella and read them all.
A bit of a spiritual path if you think of them like Lion, Witch and Wardrobe.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still don't know ow how I feel about Ted dekker

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This trilogy was pretty good! I really liked the two dimensions, the island (the drama between the children on the island was interesting), and the relationship between Michael and Charlie, and how each of them evolved and changed for the better. I definitely wasn't expecting them to be brothers!!! I could clearly see the parallels to Christianity.