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The Cooper Kids Adventures #2
Escape from the Island of Aquarius
A cry for help from a sinking island… A rescue mission leads Jay and Lila Cooper to a doomed South Sea island where nothing is as they expected. Instead of a primitive civilization, the Coopers encounter a busy colony with a mysterious leader claiming to be Adam MacKenzie, a missionary once presumed dead. To add to the confusion, someone seems to have pushed the island's self-destruct button. Earthquakes and erosion are tearing the island apart, and every moment is precious in the Coopers' search for the real Adam MacKenzie. Escape from the Island of Aquarius is a page-turning tale of action, stolen identity, and nail-biting cliffhangers. You will not be able to put it down.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
17 people are currently reading
939 people want to read
About the author
Frank E. Peretti
86 books3,864 followersFROM HIS WEBSITE:
With more than 12 million novels in print, Frank Peretti is nothing short of a publishing phenomenon and has been called “America’s hottest Christian novelist.”
Peretti is a natural storyteller who, as a youngster in Seattle, regularly gathered the neighborhood children for animated storytelling sessions. After graduating from high school, he began playing banjo with a local bluegrass group. He and his wife were married in 1972, and Peretti soon moved from touring with a pop band to launching a modest Christian music ministry. Peretti later spent time studying English, screen writing and film at UCLA and then assisted his father in pastoring a small Assembly of God church. In 1983, he gave up his pastoring position and began taking construction jobs to make ends meet. While working at a local ski factory, he began writing This Present Darkness, the book that would catapult him into the public eye. After numerous rejections from publishers and a slow start in sales, word-of-mouth enthusiasm finally lifted This Present Darkness onto a tidal wave of interest in spiritual warfare. The book appeared on Bookstore Journal’s bestseller list every month for more than eight years. Peretti’s two spiritual warfare novels, This Present Darkness (1998) and Piercing the Darkness (1989), captivated readers, together selling more than 3.5 million copies. The Oath was awarded the 1996 Gold Medallion Award for best fiction.
For kids, Peretti wrote The Cooper Kids Adventure Series (Crossways and Tommy Nelson), which remains a best-selling series for children with sales exceeding 1 million copies. In August 2000, Peretti released the hilarious children’s audiocassette series titled Wild and Wacky Totally True Bible Stories, reprising his role as Mr. Henry, the offbeat substitute Sunday School teacher found in two Visual Bible for Kids videos.
Peretti released his first-ever non-fiction book, The Wounded Spirit in 2000, which quickly became a best-seller. The book addresses the pain of “wounded spirits” and was written as a result of painful childhood experiences.
Frank Peretti and his wife, Barbara Jean, live in the Western U.S. In spite of sudden fame and notoriety, Frank still lives a simple, well-rounded life that includes carpentry, banjo making, sculpturing, bicycling and hiking. He is also an avid pilot.
With more than 12 million novels in print, Frank Peretti is nothing short of a publishing phenomenon and has been called “America’s hottest Christian novelist.”
Peretti is a natural storyteller who, as a youngster in Seattle, regularly gathered the neighborhood children for animated storytelling sessions. After graduating from high school, he began playing banjo with a local bluegrass group. He and his wife were married in 1972, and Peretti soon moved from touring with a pop band to launching a modest Christian music ministry. Peretti later spent time studying English, screen writing and film at UCLA and then assisted his father in pastoring a small Assembly of God church. In 1983, he gave up his pastoring position and began taking construction jobs to make ends meet. While working at a local ski factory, he began writing This Present Darkness, the book that would catapult him into the public eye. After numerous rejections from publishers and a slow start in sales, word-of-mouth enthusiasm finally lifted This Present Darkness onto a tidal wave of interest in spiritual warfare. The book appeared on Bookstore Journal’s bestseller list every month for more than eight years. Peretti’s two spiritual warfare novels, This Present Darkness (1998) and Piercing the Darkness (1989), captivated readers, together selling more than 3.5 million copies. The Oath was awarded the 1996 Gold Medallion Award for best fiction.
For kids, Peretti wrote The Cooper Kids Adventure Series (Crossways and Tommy Nelson), which remains a best-selling series for children with sales exceeding 1 million copies. In August 2000, Peretti released the hilarious children’s audiocassette series titled Wild and Wacky Totally True Bible Stories, reprising his role as Mr. Henry, the offbeat substitute Sunday School teacher found in two Visual Bible for Kids videos.
Peretti released his first-ever non-fiction book, The Wounded Spirit in 2000, which quickly became a best-seller. The book addresses the pain of “wounded spirits” and was written as a result of painful childhood experiences.
Frank Peretti and his wife, Barbara Jean, live in the Western U.S. In spite of sudden fame and notoriety, Frank still lives a simple, well-rounded life that includes carpentry, banjo making, sculpturing, bicycling and hiking. He is also an avid pilot.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
July 2, 2023
My twelfth birthday was definitely one for the books (figuratively and literally!). I think I got five book series to read - and this was one of them!
The Cooper Kids series are the perfect thrillers for a twelve year old - or at least for me when I was twelve. I would find myself starting to get decently spooked and wanting to put the book down, but at the same time unable to tear myself away. Uh, it was agony for sure, but it was sure fun agony, if you know what I mean. (My second go around of reading these as an adult has me smirking at my young self - I scared easily I guess, ha!).
Peretti does a fabulous job of taking a couple of Bible passages, mixing them with some pretend legends/superstitions and wrapping them up in a tween’s Indiana Jones styled adventure story.
I highly recommend these!
Ages: 10+
Cleanliness: there are mentions of superstitions, false gods, pagan rituals, witchcraft, and evil spirits. A leader claiming to be a god tries to perform a human sacrifice but is thwarted. There are a couple of murders by deadly bug bites. Possible discussion point: does believing in Jesus save you from danger or bad things happening? Some incidents in the story could make a kid believe this is true; although Peretti does also mention that the mom of the main characters died in a tomb cave in.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
The Cooper Kids series are the perfect thrillers for a twelve year old - or at least for me when I was twelve. I would find myself starting to get decently spooked and wanting to put the book down, but at the same time unable to tear myself away. Uh, it was agony for sure, but it was sure fun agony, if you know what I mean. (My second go around of reading these as an adult has me smirking at my young self - I scared easily I guess, ha!).
Peretti does a fabulous job of taking a couple of Bible passages, mixing them with some pretend legends/superstitions and wrapping them up in a tween’s Indiana Jones styled adventure story.
I highly recommend these!
Ages: 10+
Cleanliness: there are mentions of superstitions, false gods, pagan rituals, witchcraft, and evil spirits. A leader claiming to be a god tries to perform a human sacrifice but is thwarted. There are a couple of murders by deadly bug bites. Possible discussion point: does believing in Jesus save you from danger or bad things happening? Some incidents in the story could make a kid believe this is true; although Peretti does also mention that the mom of the main characters died in a tomb cave in.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
August 22, 2021
I've spent a long time avoiding returning to Cooper Kids (which I read repeatedly as a child), afraid that, like so many other kinds of Christian media, they're actually pretty Cringe.
And yeah, there are parts.
But Frank Peretti knows how to tell a /story/. It's engaging and fun and the fact that he puts his characters in real peril softens the very clear declarations of faith. This was 35 years ago, people.
This particular entry does suffer some from the Othering of the initial island inhabitants--though by far the main threat throughout the story is the Westerners who arrived and took over. I have mixed feelings on the treatment of Candle, a Polynesian character who is adamantly a Good Guy, but also doesn't speak much English so can't have the depth of our white main characters.
Not exactly a Christian Media Problem as much as a general problem of 1986, but worth noting.
also, is Dr. Cooper basically Christian Indiana Jones? yeah. But honestly I do prefer Dad Indiana Jones who deeply loves his kids instead of messing with women.
And yeah, there are parts.
But Frank Peretti knows how to tell a /story/. It's engaging and fun and the fact that he puts his characters in real peril softens the very clear declarations of faith. This was 35 years ago, people.
This particular entry does suffer some from the Othering of the initial island inhabitants--though by far the main threat throughout the story is the Westerners who arrived and took over. I have mixed feelings on the treatment of Candle, a Polynesian character who is adamantly a Good Guy, but also doesn't speak much English so can't have the depth of our white main characters.
Not exactly a Christian Media Problem as much as a general problem of 1986, but worth noting.
also, is Dr. Cooper basically Christian Indiana Jones? yeah. But honestly I do prefer Dad Indiana Jones who deeply loves his kids instead of messing with women.
August 26, 2023
*whispers* who on earth designed these covers?? They're so bad... so inaccurate to the actually stories...
Anyways...
I really loved this book! It was definitely a lot better than book 1! It's still not super well-written, but the plot was really solid and complex and suspenseful, and unlike in book 1, the characters didn't constantly evade terrible danger through amazing luck. Everything felt a LOT more believable and realistic in this one, which I really appreciated. :)
Also Dr. Cooper and Lila got some (small) character depth! Yay!!
Jay's still as flat as ever... oh well 😅
Anyways...
I really loved this book! It was definitely a lot better than book 1! It's still not super well-written, but the plot was really solid and complex and suspenseful, and unlike in book 1, the characters didn't constantly evade terrible danger through amazing luck. Everything felt a LOT more believable and realistic in this one, which I really appreciated. :)
Also Dr. Cooper and Lila got some (small) character depth! Yay!!
Jay's still as flat as ever... oh well 😅
November 13, 2024
This was my favourite book when I was younger. I read it today and realized that it's a lot more juvenile and... nonsensical as I remember. However, it's still a lot of fun. The Cooper Kids will always have a place in my heart. I do think that it's dumb that they're as young as they are and risking their lives as much as they do... but I don't have kids so I don't understand how that works. Maybe all parents like to risk their kids lives.
June 17, 2022
3.5⭐️
The Cooper’s are tasked to find a missionary who’s disappeared in his mission field on an island. When they find him, evil is clearly at work…
The Cooper’s are tasked to find a missionary who’s disappeared in his mission field on an island. When they find him, evil is clearly at work…
May 17, 2023
Reread in May 2023
The drama! The action! The cheese! Is it biblical? No. Is it a classic? No. Is it the most skilled writing worthy of awards? No. But I liked it when I was a kid, and I can still appreciate it now.
Take it for what it is: Respects the reader enough to offer background, setup, and payoff. Fascinating settings with hints of complex culture. The two-dimensional characters give off a shade of something deeper. Lots of good hype in the third act. Indiana Jones-light. Good, clean fun. Glad my reread didn't destroy the nostalgia I have for the series.
This one had slightly more action, and slightly cheesier lines.
My own personal movie adaptation played in my head as I read, and the end-credits background music is this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlrQ-...
On to book three: The Tombs of Anak.
The drama! The action! The cheese! Is it biblical? No. Is it a classic? No. Is it the most skilled writing worthy of awards? No. But I liked it when I was a kid, and I can still appreciate it now.
Take it for what it is: Respects the reader enough to offer background, setup, and payoff. Fascinating settings with hints of complex culture. The two-dimensional characters give off a shade of something deeper. Lots of good hype in the third act. Indiana Jones-light. Good, clean fun. Glad my reread didn't destroy the nostalgia I have for the series.
This one had slightly more action, and slightly cheesier lines.
My own personal movie adaptation played in my head as I read, and the end-credits background music is this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlrQ-...
On to book three: The Tombs of Anak.
April 18, 2021
Weird...but fun.
November 17, 2019
I read this book about a year or so. It's a great book about faith and to never give up.
December 20, 2009
I liked this one better than the first in the series. It didn’t take as long for me to get pulled into this one. I couldn’t put this one down. It took me about five hours to read it. I had planned on just reading a little and going to bed but it is now 2:30 in the morning.
Frank Peretti is a Christian author so that is always evident in his writing. With his adult books it can be subtle with someone learning a lesson of some kind but with this series Dr. Cooper and his two children Jay and Lila travel together in archeological investigations. They use their beliefs to discount the legends that brought them there in the first place. So in this series it will plainly say where something is found in the Bible that they are talking about. I always learn something myself.
In this one they travel to an island in search for someone and end up trying to save the whole island. I love Frank’s writing because I can always picture things in my mind while I am reading it. It is very easily done and makes me wish that they would do a series of movies for these books. It is just enough description for you to imagine things and it doesn’t over do it to where you get bored. Between book 1 and this one, book 2, this one is my favorite.
Frank Peretti is a Christian author so that is always evident in his writing. With his adult books it can be subtle with someone learning a lesson of some kind but with this series Dr. Cooper and his two children Jay and Lila travel together in archeological investigations. They use their beliefs to discount the legends that brought them there in the first place. So in this series it will plainly say where something is found in the Bible that they are talking about. I always learn something myself.
In this one they travel to an island in search for someone and end up trying to save the whole island. I love Frank’s writing because I can always picture things in my mind while I am reading it. It is very easily done and makes me wish that they would do a series of movies for these books. It is just enough description for you to imagine things and it doesn’t over do it to where you get bored. Between book 1 and this one, book 2, this one is my favorite.
April 11, 2025
This book kept me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning! It is so good!
December 16, 2017
Intense and fast paced. Probably not for younger kids. My sons & I enjoyed listening to the audio book while driving in the car. I liked it better than the first.
A book published by Crossway.
A book published by Crossway.
October 2, 2017
I have to say I liked this one better than the first. This one had a lot more action to me, particularly with the I liked the reappearance of and also the Once again, the Christian aspect played a large part.
July 29, 2022
Split decision. Half of us liked this one more than the first, and half liked the first best. I found the end to be drug out quite a bit, I just think it could have wrapped up faster because the end got repetitive. But overall good book. Interesting with a great spiritual message.
September 5, 2024
It took me a bit to get into this. I never quite got why they were on this island until a ways in so that was frustrating. But once I did, I really enjoyed it. I started reading this a a physical book, but then switched to audiobook. Frank Peretti himself is the narrator and when things get emotional he does a good job at getting the reader to empathize.
A good adventure with just the right amount on intensity for a young reader! You know what is going to happen before the characters but we don't know the truth of the island until it is a bit late...
A good adventure with just the right amount on intensity for a young reader! You know what is going to happen before the characters but we don't know the truth of the island until it is a bit late...
Read
April 27, 2022Read this one a long time ago and loved it.
October 9, 2022
This was my favorite book as a child before I discovered Agatha Christie and, later, Michael Crichton. It became the foundation for the books I prefer now.
January 1, 2023
This one was decent. I liked the mystery of it overall, but the third act just felt very drawn out. It could have been shorter, I guess.
May 31, 2025
Well-written, dark, and scary.
October 14, 2009
Jay and Lila Cooper join their father on a trip to the Island of Aquarius to rescue a missing missionary, Adam MacKenzie. When they arrive, they discover a man claiming to be Adam who has declared himself the leader of a bizarre colony. The man claims his people want to live in peace away from the modern world. But people keep dying. And when Jay, Lila, and their father start investigating, they become the next targets of the mysterious Moro-Kunda. And to make matters worse, the island is in big trouble. Earthquakes and erosion are tearing the island apart. Will the Coopers have enough time to find the real Adam MacKenzie before the island destroys itself?
I enjoyed this Cooper Kids book almost more than the first. This one didn't have the political issues that the first had, which was the hardest part for my son to sit through. Peretti is such a creative author. The things he comes up with and the way he pulls them off amaze me. He has the mind of a movie director. I loved the action and the mystery in this one. It was exciting and the Cooper kids showed true courage and faith as they experienced the Island of Aquarius. Highly recommended for readers of all ages.
I enjoyed this Cooper Kids book almost more than the first. This one didn't have the political issues that the first had, which was the hardest part for my son to sit through. Peretti is such a creative author. The things he comes up with and the way he pulls them off amaze me. He has the mind of a movie director. I loved the action and the mystery in this one. It was exciting and the Cooper kids showed true courage and faith as they experienced the Island of Aquarius. Highly recommended for readers of all ages.
February 20, 2018
5-6 stars!
This book is definitely better than the first book in The cooper kids adventure series! I absolutely loved this book it was a great Godly book! The story was fantastic as was the adventure! The book was filled with suspense and I loved it! I loved the ending it was fast paced and great!
The part where they throw Jay and Dr. Cooper off the bridge I for a second thought that they were dead. Well I guess I was not correct at all! A few times in the book I could literally not pull myself away from this book! The very last 70 or so words had me in tears.
I love Candle he is a great character and he was so good to Lila. I have nothing against this book it is a very enjoyable book! I love Peretti's works they are fantastic and Godly!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
This book is definitely better than the first book in The cooper kids adventure series! I absolutely loved this book it was a great Godly book! The story was fantastic as was the adventure! The book was filled with suspense and I loved it! I loved the ending it was fast paced and great!
The part where they throw Jay and Dr. Cooper off the bridge I for a second thought that they were dead. Well I guess I was not correct at all! A few times in the book I could literally not pull myself away from this book! The very last 70 or so words had me in tears.
I love Candle he is a great character and he was so good to Lila. I have nothing against this book it is a very enjoyable book! I love Peretti's works they are fantastic and Godly!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
August 10, 2012
great series for kids.
October 30, 2013
I gave it a three star because the plot was interesting. It could have been so much better if it had better character development though.
November 10, 2022
Cooper Kids series by Frank Peretti
Recommend with some notes below.
I loved these as a kid! I don't remember how old I was when I read them, but the suggestion range on the cover is 10-14. Some of these are intense as kids books go so depending on the child some may ok earlier, but I think the stated range is probably accurate for most.
As an adult who just reread them, they aren't top tier literature. That's ok. They're still good reads & their aimed at kids. Not everything needs to be top tier.
One of my favorite things about the series is that it is solidly Christian. Not "oh we threw a prayer in over the meal so it's Christian" but scared: pray, thankful: pray, confused: pray for guidance, running for your life: pray as you run. But it's not hokey. It feels very real as a kid reading the books & is faith building!
The series is a mix of genres and this is where my age caution really comes from. If I had to categorize all of the books with one label is would be "Spiritual Thrillers (for kids)" though the adventure label definitely applies to all of them also. Breaking it out:
Book 1: Door in the Dragons Throat - spiritual thriller
Book 2: Escape from the Island of Aquarius - adventure/maybe a bit of science fiction ala Journey to the Center of the Earth
Book 3: Tombs of Anak - spiritual thriller
Book 4: Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea - adventure/"real life (unrealistic)" peril- this is the one book where you don't see the 3 Coopers getting along harmoniously & you see tensions and hurt feelings.
Book 5: Secret of the Desert Stone - adventure, definitely supernatural aspects but it's not a thriller
Book 6: Deadly Curse of Toco-Rey - thriller but not a spiritual thriller
Book 7: Legend of Annie Murphy - science fiction
Book 8: Flying Blind - adventure/realistic peril
As a kid the ones that stood out to me the most & were the scariest are books 1, 3, and 6. Book 7 was odd in a different way because of the time travel, but it wasn't scary. Book 8 was my least favorite as a kid - I almost (but not really) found it boring. That's just because they're not traveling anywhere this time. As an adult it's the only one of the books that brought tears to my eyes - it's much easier to create separation when you're looking at extremes and improbable situations like running for your life in an underground booby trapped tomb than something that feels more familiar like the possibility of an air plane crash.
If you're not familiar with Peretti please preread these books. They're pretty unique in Juevenile Fiction from my experience. If you are familiar with Peretti don't worry, he writes to kids just fine and while there are those spiritual thriller aspects theyre quite tame compared to his adult novels!
The Cooper Kids (age 13 & 14) are the only kids in the series, which I actually like & kids will too I think because they're given adult sized tasks and are responsible with them. The kids as well as thei father & various other adults pray & reference the Bible with regulararity.
The theme of the books is God is bigger, stronger, more powerful than any other religion or curse. He controls the earth. He convicts. He reveals. He works things for our good. Few kids books give that awe-some perspective in my opinion and I'm glad that these books tackle that.
Recommend with some notes below.
I loved these as a kid! I don't remember how old I was when I read them, but the suggestion range on the cover is 10-14. Some of these are intense as kids books go so depending on the child some may ok earlier, but I think the stated range is probably accurate for most.
As an adult who just reread them, they aren't top tier literature. That's ok. They're still good reads & their aimed at kids. Not everything needs to be top tier.
One of my favorite things about the series is that it is solidly Christian. Not "oh we threw a prayer in over the meal so it's Christian" but scared: pray, thankful: pray, confused: pray for guidance, running for your life: pray as you run. But it's not hokey. It feels very real as a kid reading the books & is faith building!
The series is a mix of genres and this is where my age caution really comes from. If I had to categorize all of the books with one label is would be "Spiritual Thrillers (for kids)" though the adventure label definitely applies to all of them also. Breaking it out:
Book 1: Door in the Dragons Throat - spiritual thriller
Book 2: Escape from the Island of Aquarius - adventure/maybe a bit of science fiction ala Journey to the Center of the Earth
Book 3: Tombs of Anak - spiritual thriller
Book 4: Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea - adventure/"real life (unrealistic)" peril- this is the one book where you don't see the 3 Coopers getting along harmoniously & you see tensions and hurt feelings.
Book 5: Secret of the Desert Stone - adventure, definitely supernatural aspects but it's not a thriller
Book 6: Deadly Curse of Toco-Rey - thriller but not a spiritual thriller
Book 7: Legend of Annie Murphy - science fiction
Book 8: Flying Blind - adventure/realistic peril
As a kid the ones that stood out to me the most & were the scariest are books 1, 3, and 6. Book 7 was odd in a different way because of the time travel, but it wasn't scary. Book 8 was my least favorite as a kid - I almost (but not really) found it boring. That's just because they're not traveling anywhere this time. As an adult it's the only one of the books that brought tears to my eyes - it's much easier to create separation when you're looking at extremes and improbable situations like running for your life in an underground booby trapped tomb than something that feels more familiar like the possibility of an air plane crash.
If you're not familiar with Peretti please preread these books. They're pretty unique in Juevenile Fiction from my experience. If you are familiar with Peretti don't worry, he writes to kids just fine and while there are those spiritual thriller aspects theyre quite tame compared to his adult novels!
The Cooper Kids (age 13 & 14) are the only kids in the series, which I actually like & kids will too I think because they're given adult sized tasks and are responsible with them. The kids as well as thei father & various other adults pray & reference the Bible with regulararity.
The theme of the books is God is bigger, stronger, more powerful than any other religion or curse. He controls the earth. He convicts. He reveals. He works things for our good. Few kids books give that awe-some perspective in my opinion and I'm glad that these books tackle that.
January 10, 2026
Frank Peretti has written some very good adult books such as This present Darkness.
I almost feel like this one needs a label targeting the age of kids who would be reading it. A lot is assumed about the faith journeys of the readers.
Peretti remains a good storyteller. I mostly enjoyed reading this, and completed it in half a day. He can tell a story.
his stories assume a person would be acquainted with spiritual warfare. As a retired anavy Chaplain and Pastor, I understood the point of view and what was going on.
But I don't think I'd put this out in our little home library that people in the neighborhood come by and take books for their reading.
My own kids were confused by stories like this when they were younger, the ideas of standing against Satan and how to pray. I do believe in the power of Jesus and having faith that the Lord will protect us. I was once saved in the middle of the Kern River when I was off of an inner tube and the group I was with had "lost" me when they turned into a cove and didn't help me realize how to do that. I was saved by a tree in the middle of the Kern, not a large tree, mostly submerged, and the only tree I saw in any direction. I didn't see the tree as much as grabbed at some branches and had it hold so I could pull myself to it.
So I believe the Lord can intervene in truly dire circumstances.
I just think the book might be confusing for kids who haven't had some training in the ongoing battle between dark or Satanic forces and those of us who put our faith in Jesus. It's the kind of book a parent would want to read first, and be prepared if their kids read it to talk about some of its prayers and answers to prayer, rather than just to come away afraid of the Satan like snake and also the witch doctor aspects.
We all write from our church experiences, and each church emphasizes different things. I just think it's a pretty dangerous thing for kids to "take on Satan" without awareness of deceptive ways or of ways a cult can form around charismatic leaders like the guy who pretends to be the missing missionary in the story...
I also knew some kids at my Christian college who got in over their heads in a couple of situations labelled as spiritual warfare, and who actually lived in fear of what they found when they were ",calling on" some spirits in a room where many years earlier someone had been murdered.
Simply put, we don't want to mess with areas like this unless the Lord shows very specifically that we have God's call and leading.
I'm sure that all sounds pretty dark for someone reading this just looking for good spiritual fiction. Hopefully most kids read this as a cool spiritual adventure book that isn't preachy.
I just felt the need to say, "proceed with caution".
.
I almost feel like this one needs a label targeting the age of kids who would be reading it. A lot is assumed about the faith journeys of the readers.
Peretti remains a good storyteller. I mostly enjoyed reading this, and completed it in half a day. He can tell a story.
his stories assume a person would be acquainted with spiritual warfare. As a retired anavy Chaplain and Pastor, I understood the point of view and what was going on.
But I don't think I'd put this out in our little home library that people in the neighborhood come by and take books for their reading.
My own kids were confused by stories like this when they were younger, the ideas of standing against Satan and how to pray. I do believe in the power of Jesus and having faith that the Lord will protect us. I was once saved in the middle of the Kern River when I was off of an inner tube and the group I was with had "lost" me when they turned into a cove and didn't help me realize how to do that. I was saved by a tree in the middle of the Kern, not a large tree, mostly submerged, and the only tree I saw in any direction. I didn't see the tree as much as grabbed at some branches and had it hold so I could pull myself to it.
So I believe the Lord can intervene in truly dire circumstances.
I just think the book might be confusing for kids who haven't had some training in the ongoing battle between dark or Satanic forces and those of us who put our faith in Jesus. It's the kind of book a parent would want to read first, and be prepared if their kids read it to talk about some of its prayers and answers to prayer, rather than just to come away afraid of the Satan like snake and also the witch doctor aspects.
We all write from our church experiences, and each church emphasizes different things. I just think it's a pretty dangerous thing for kids to "take on Satan" without awareness of deceptive ways or of ways a cult can form around charismatic leaders like the guy who pretends to be the missing missionary in the story...
I also knew some kids at my Christian college who got in over their heads in a couple of situations labelled as spiritual warfare, and who actually lived in fear of what they found when they were ",calling on" some spirits in a room where many years earlier someone had been murdered.
Simply put, we don't want to mess with areas like this unless the Lord shows very specifically that we have God's call and leading.
I'm sure that all sounds pretty dark for someone reading this just looking for good spiritual fiction. Hopefully most kids read this as a cool spiritual adventure book that isn't preachy.
I just felt the need to say, "proceed with caution".
.
June 28, 2024
I was given a pile of books, which included these Christian fantasy adventure stories by Frank Peretti (there is no middle initial 'E' in the copies I read). I'd never read any Christian fiction before, and the stories looked interesting - I enjoy archaeological adventures - so I gave them a go.
I enjoyed this sequel more than the first book, mostly I think because there was less cliched racial stereotyping. Although the story is set on an imaginary Pacific island, it has been taken over by a group of European people from around the world, so there was little opportunity for cliched racial characterisation (although it was certainly there, namely in the form of Candle).
Also, this story was more of an adventure than a fantasy. I had expected in the last novel that superstition would be overcome with rational science, but that wasn't the case with the Dragon's Throat. Here, however, geological change, real insects, and a large lizard which could have been scientifically real were at the root of the issues (along with a megalomaniac).
God again protects his own, which I found interesting, as in the brief backstory of the first novel we discovered that the children's mother had died in a cave in. There is no likelihood of that happening in the action in this series, and Lila's loss of faith when she thinks her brother and father dead wasn't very convincing to me considering she'd already lost a parent and still kept her faith in God.
A fun read.
I enjoyed this sequel more than the first book, mostly I think because there was less cliched racial stereotyping. Although the story is set on an imaginary Pacific island, it has been taken over by a group of European people from around the world, so there was little opportunity for cliched racial characterisation (although it was certainly there, namely in the form of Candle).
Also, this story was more of an adventure than a fantasy. I had expected in the last novel that superstition would be overcome with rational science, but that wasn't the case with the Dragon's Throat. Here, however, geological change, real insects, and a large lizard which could have been scientifically real were at the root of the issues (along with a megalomaniac).
God again protects his own, which I found interesting, as in the brief backstory of the first novel we discovered that the children's mother had died in a cave in. There is no likelihood of that happening in the action in this series, and Lila's loss of faith when she thinks her brother and father dead wasn't very convincing to me considering she'd already lost a parent and still kept her faith in God.
A fun read.
July 13, 2017
The second book in Peretti’s Cooper Kids Adventures series is a vast improvement on the first. This one, like the first, has a great premise. A dead man turns up on the open ocean on a makeshift raft; items on the raft tie him to a Christian missionary currently on the field on a tropical island. The Coopers are sent to investigate and they find everything working as it should be, except this missionary has developed some strange & unorthodox ideas; there are, he says, ancient forces and an ancient curse at work on the island that not even God can control. This book is very fast paced and it has some genuinely creepy moments. There’s a body count in this book; there wasn’t in the first. The last couple of chapters in particular are very well-written in a stripped down, visceral style. There are some great sequences as well. The Cooper family finds themselves locked in a dark room and left to die after they’ve been targeted by the curse; there’s a standoff on a suspension bridge & a creepy exploration of a series of tunnels under the island. This one is a full-on adventure and a quick (you can knock it out in about an hour) and fun read.
May 20, 2024
When a missionary goes missing and his name shows up on a paper found in the pocket of a dead man tied to a raft, the Cooper family is called to help discover his whereabouts. They find him in a thriving community on the Island of Aquarius, but nothing he says makes sense, and there's something very wrong with the isle. As the Cooper family begins to pry into his secrets, they make horrifying discoveries that turn this from a rescue mission into something more deadly.
This is another one I still own from my childhood and plunged into reading it. I love the adventure, the high stakes, the way the family engages with the enemy but even more, how the daughter is terrified but is ready to fight for her life. This one was a little over-the-top preachy though still thankfully more focused on the escape. It's perspective of what civilized means feels dated though I suppose human sacrifice is bad no matter what culture/religion it stems from.
This was an enjoyable, light read for me. I would recommend it for young adventurers or for older ones who are just looking for a quick, fun book. Plan on continuing with the series.
This is another one I still own from my childhood and plunged into reading it. I love the adventure, the high stakes, the way the family engages with the enemy but even more, how the daughter is terrified but is ready to fight for her life. This one was a little over-the-top preachy though still thankfully more focused on the escape. It's perspective of what civilized means feels dated though I suppose human sacrifice is bad no matter what culture/religion it stems from.
This was an enjoyable, light read for me. I would recommend it for young adventurers or for older ones who are just looking for a quick, fun book. Plan on continuing with the series.
July 2, 2024
Excellent take on the power of a cult and its ability to mislead even the most educated people. A high IQ is not necessarily congruent with a strong mind. A educated person can sometimes easily be persuaded to appealing (not necessarily factual) ideas when presented in a way that suggest enlightenment, thus stroking their ego for accepting the idea.
The children's story "The Emperor's New Clothes" also teaches the lesson of being careful of accepting lies just because someone attached it to your pride. "If you can't see the fabric your 'stupid' or 'unworthy'".
In this book, if you didn't accept their "truth" then you weren't accepted in their society, you weren't enlightened. And once you were in their society there was no leaving it, alive. Once in, people were manipulated by fear and false promises. Many believed that there was no way out and others believed that the only way was to go further in. Neither were correct.
Peretti's book warns the reader to beware of lies wrapped in pretty packaging. Only THE TRUTH can set a person free not human's "truth". Human's truth is subjective and flawed.
The children's story "The Emperor's New Clothes" also teaches the lesson of being careful of accepting lies just because someone attached it to your pride. "If you can't see the fabric your 'stupid' or 'unworthy'".
In this book, if you didn't accept their "truth" then you weren't accepted in their society, you weren't enlightened. And once you were in their society there was no leaving it, alive. Once in, people were manipulated by fear and false promises. Many believed that there was no way out and others believed that the only way was to go further in. Neither were correct.
Peretti's book warns the reader to beware of lies wrapped in pretty packaging. Only THE TRUTH can set a person free not human's "truth". Human's truth is subjective and flawed.
November 25, 2023
This is number two in The Cooper Kids Adventures series by Frank E. Peretti. I have read it several times finding them in thrift stores. I was going to give it a quick read just to remind me of the story - but lingered because I had forgotten how well Peretti wrote and ended up reading everything word by word.
Very fast pasted adventure story -- but is dark in places with pagan rituals and human sacrifice and better for a more mature reader.
It is filled with Christian beliefs that blend in with the story -- page 26
"But surely a man of God like yourself would know that there are only two sources of such things: supernatural occurrences are either from God or from Satan. There's really nothing very mysterious about it."
p.54
"Listen to me, MacKenzie, and listen well. I don't know what this Moro-Kunda of yours is, but I assure you, you are now tampering with a God who is more than a match for any curses or powers you can dream up."
Very fast pasted adventure story -- but is dark in places with pagan rituals and human sacrifice and better for a more mature reader.
It is filled with Christian beliefs that blend in with the story -- page 26
"But surely a man of God like yourself would know that there are only two sources of such things: supernatural occurrences are either from God or from Satan. There's really nothing very mysterious about it."
p.54
"Listen to me, MacKenzie, and listen well. I don't know what this Moro-Kunda of yours is, but I assure you, you are now tampering with a God who is more than a match for any curses or powers you can dream up."
February 22, 2018
I'm re-reading a bunch of books I remembered loving in my youth and to be frank...this one has not aged well. Don't get me wrong, Peretti's writing is still as exciting and engaging as ever, but this suffers from some unfortunately racist stereotypes about Polynesian peoples ("primitive" is a word that comes up often, along with sideways glances into childlike behavior. Yikes.) that mar the whole experience. Disappointing, but also unsurprising, both for the time in which it was written and the culture (Christianity has had a long and unfortunate tendency to look down on "uncivilized" peoples as being less intelligent, and that rings out loudly in this book.).
Still an adventurous, Christianized Indiana Jones type read, but one I don't think I'll revisit again.
Still an adventurous, Christianized Indiana Jones type read, but one I don't think I'll revisit again.
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