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Don’t Miss the Boat!
Summertime. It's the time of year most children love. They leave classes behind and do what they love--have fun! Sometimes the fun includes a family vacation.
In author Deborah Vallez's Don't Miss the Boat!, The Adventures at Arrowhead Island the Benson family wastes no time in enjoying their summer vacation and head out for adventures on Lake Wateree. Join this energetic military family--Joe, Tom, Debbie, and, of course, Anna, their fearless pup--as they explore an island full of history and treasures from the time Wateree Indians lived there long ago. Share the fun and excitement as they test their skills at boating, waterskiing, fishing, and camping on a deserted island they call Arrowhead Island!
Lose yourself in the excitement of Don't Miss the Boat!, The Adventures at Arrowhead Island. Let your imagination take you on a summer adventure.
In author Deborah Vallez's Don't Miss the Boat!, The Adventures at Arrowhead Island the Benson family wastes no time in enjoying their summer vacation and head out for adventures on Lake Wateree. Join this energetic military family--Joe, Tom, Debbie, and, of course, Anna, their fearless pup--as they explore an island full of history and treasures from the time Wateree Indians lived there long ago. Share the fun and excitement as they test their skills at boating, waterskiing, fishing, and camping on a deserted island they call Arrowhead Island!
Lose yourself in the excitement of Don't Miss the Boat!, The Adventures at Arrowhead Island. Let your imagination take you on a summer adventure.
84 pages, Paperback
Published July 28, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 31, 2017
The author via Booktasters provided a copy of the ePub in exchange for an honest review.
Deborah Vallez’s story Don’t Miss the Boat: the Adventures at Arrowhead Island is a touching chapter book for young readers. Vallez revisits the late 1960s. The Benson family is off for a weekend camping trip—a tradition they enjoy at the beginning of summer vacation. It is a simple and important reminder of the importance of spending quality time together. This is a family that does not have to be plugged into technology to communicate with each other. The dynamics are positive and uplifting. The series will appeal to a wide audience. Looking forward to the next instalment in this well-written page-turner.
Deborah Vallez’s story Don’t Miss the Boat: the Adventures at Arrowhead Island is a touching chapter book for young readers. Vallez revisits the late 1960s. The Benson family is off for a weekend camping trip—a tradition they enjoy at the beginning of summer vacation. It is a simple and important reminder of the importance of spending quality time together. This is a family that does not have to be plugged into technology to communicate with each other. The dynamics are positive and uplifting. The series will appeal to a wide audience. Looking forward to the next instalment in this well-written page-turner.
November 5, 2016
What a lovely surprise this book turned out to be! I learned of it through BookTasters. The author sent an electronic copy for review consideration. I started reading it by myself when, after a few chapters, I realized how awesome this would be for the family. So after gathering up everyone we read. Everyone loved it.
The book tells of a camping adventure The Benson family has. There are Mom, Dad, (a US Marine), brothers Tom and Joe, sister Debbie and well loved dog, Anna. The adventure is set in the Vietnam Era. Reading the story you can feel the love this family has. You are witness to what makes a family strong. Every person in the family was needed and valued. Sadly, it is something that is missing for many children today. There were no cell phones then. Nobody was worried about checking in on social media or capturing a video with hopes of going viral. It was strictly about the family working as one unit to have a fun filled camping adventure. It is a much needed reminder that family interaction is more important than electronic interaction.
The book is a fast read. We took turns with reading out loud the chapters. The 9 year old in the group had no problem getting through his chapters. We did look up a word or two for the children's benefit. The 3 year old had a bit of a scare with the last part of the book but a happy ending made it better. There is no sex, violence or adult language to worry about. I would and do recommend this book to everyone who wishes things could slow down just a bit, to anyone who wants to remember when, to those who want to know what the past was like, to those who want to know how to raise a strong family, to anyone who wants a book they can share with the family. In short, I recommend it to everyone. It is my understanding more adventures are planned. We can't wait for them!
The book tells of a camping adventure The Benson family has. There are Mom, Dad, (a US Marine), brothers Tom and Joe, sister Debbie and well loved dog, Anna. The adventure is set in the Vietnam Era. Reading the story you can feel the love this family has. You are witness to what makes a family strong. Every person in the family was needed and valued. Sadly, it is something that is missing for many children today. There were no cell phones then. Nobody was worried about checking in on social media or capturing a video with hopes of going viral. It was strictly about the family working as one unit to have a fun filled camping adventure. It is a much needed reminder that family interaction is more important than electronic interaction.
The book is a fast read. We took turns with reading out loud the chapters. The 9 year old in the group had no problem getting through his chapters. We did look up a word or two for the children's benefit. The 3 year old had a bit of a scare with the last part of the book but a happy ending made it better. There is no sex, violence or adult language to worry about. I would and do recommend this book to everyone who wishes things could slow down just a bit, to anyone who wants to remember when, to those who want to know what the past was like, to those who want to know how to raise a strong family, to anyone who wants a book they can share with the family. In short, I recommend it to everyone. It is my understanding more adventures are planned. We can't wait for them!
March 5, 2017
Don't Miss the Boat is a short book, suitable for primary age children. It comes across as a memoir of the authors childhood holiday adventures with her family. It's quite easy to read and the sentences are short: it's a bit of an introduction to the Benson family and their holiday island hideaway. There was quite a lot of description of the camping activities and particularly the waterskiing. There are also a couple of mentions that this is a military family: the Vietnam war is looming, so there is a sense of appreciation of this idyllic holiday before reality sets in. I thought the looming storm at the end of the book was a nice touch to illustrate this. It's an interesting start to a series: the sequel sounds like it will be a bit more action packed. I think some illustrations would really add to the book and would make it an attractive story for younger kids.
I received a copy of the book from the author via Booktasters in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of the book from the author via Booktasters in exchange for an honest review.
December 16, 2016
Today We Did
Don’t Miss the Boat! is based on the author’s childhood memories of spending family time at Lake Wateree. I was expecting a work of fiction, but this is more of a memoir, a re-telling of summer family fun during the 60s. This is to be the first in a series about the Benson’s adventures on Arrowhead Island.
The story is told quite simply, often with short sentences, which suits a chapter book. It was an easy read which I knocked over quickly. Quite a lot of the book was about the family water-skiing, which I found slightly overwhelming, having no experience or interest in water-skiing. However, I felt like I learnt a little bit about the sport whilst reading, and I didn’t feel excluded by my lack of knowledge in that area. I liked the depth to which each activity was described; it made me feel I was part of the trip to Arrowhead Island.
The Bensons seem like an interesting and likeable family, which I hope will have plenty more adventures in the future. I really liked Anna, the Benson’s long-haired dachshund, such a cute addition to the family. Debbie obviously adores her big brothers, which made them seem rather angelic. This image was sadly shattered when they played a prank on their father! The Bensons are a military family, and there are a number of references to this throughout the book. The kids call their father “Sir”, which is novel these days, but was probably much more common back then. I think being a military family during the 1960s has the potential to add a unique slant to the series.
Don’t Miss the Boat! will suit lower primary school children. It would be particularly good for children interested in the outdoors, camping and fishing.
*I received this book from the author as a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.
Don’t Miss the Boat! is based on the author’s childhood memories of spending family time at Lake Wateree. I was expecting a work of fiction, but this is more of a memoir, a re-telling of summer family fun during the 60s. This is to be the first in a series about the Benson’s adventures on Arrowhead Island.
The story is told quite simply, often with short sentences, which suits a chapter book. It was an easy read which I knocked over quickly. Quite a lot of the book was about the family water-skiing, which I found slightly overwhelming, having no experience or interest in water-skiing. However, I felt like I learnt a little bit about the sport whilst reading, and I didn’t feel excluded by my lack of knowledge in that area. I liked the depth to which each activity was described; it made me feel I was part of the trip to Arrowhead Island.
The Bensons seem like an interesting and likeable family, which I hope will have plenty more adventures in the future. I really liked Anna, the Benson’s long-haired dachshund, such a cute addition to the family. Debbie obviously adores her big brothers, which made them seem rather angelic. This image was sadly shattered when they played a prank on their father! The Bensons are a military family, and there are a number of references to this throughout the book. The kids call their father “Sir”, which is novel these days, but was probably much more common back then. I think being a military family during the 1960s has the potential to add a unique slant to the series.
Don’t Miss the Boat! will suit lower primary school children. It would be particularly good for children interested in the outdoors, camping and fishing.
*I received this book from the author as a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.
April 27, 2017
First book in Deborah Vallez series of Arrowhead Island books.
This upper primary school aged children’s book is centered around the holiday adventures of a military family just prior to the outset of the Vietnam War.
The story itself is about wholesome, quality, family time in a bygone era with the undercurrent threat of something that is on the brink of upsetting the family idyll.
It’s easy reading, in a first chapter book format. We enjoyed the simply narrative of happy family life, the adventure loving dog Anna and the appropriate additional descriptive details of things that may be new or unknown to the reader – water ski-ing, water safety, fishing and digging a latrine. This made the story and the characters adventures very accessible to young readers.
We found it an enjoyable story to read together with my 8 & 9 year old.
Parents should be warned that this book contains the phrase “bloody murder”. It is in the context of the two Benson boys playing a trick on their Dad and they are described as “screaming bloody murder”. I felt I should mention this as it may be of concern or need explaining or putting in to context for some children, particularly young children at whom the book is aimed.
This upper primary school aged children’s book is centered around the holiday adventures of a military family just prior to the outset of the Vietnam War.
The story itself is about wholesome, quality, family time in a bygone era with the undercurrent threat of something that is on the brink of upsetting the family idyll.
It’s easy reading, in a first chapter book format. We enjoyed the simply narrative of happy family life, the adventure loving dog Anna and the appropriate additional descriptive details of things that may be new or unknown to the reader – water ski-ing, water safety, fishing and digging a latrine. This made the story and the characters adventures very accessible to young readers.
We found it an enjoyable story to read together with my 8 & 9 year old.
Parents should be warned that this book contains the phrase “bloody murder”. It is in the context of the two Benson boys playing a trick on their Dad and they are described as “screaming bloody murder”. I felt I should mention this as it may be of concern or need explaining or putting in to context for some children, particularly young children at whom the book is aimed.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews