TO THE NEW WORLD AND BACK
Blake and the Mysterious Coins, Book One
DNA Chronicles
MVP Kids Media
Middle Grade Adventure
224 pages
ages 8 to 12
Blake discovers the truth about his ancestors and their quest for freedom in a wild and dangerous land. Travel with him as he wakes up on the Mayflower and struggles to find his new identity not as Blake but as his ancestor Henry Samson. Experience first hand the riveting life and death struggles on the voyage across the Atlantic, surviving the bitter winter and the celebration of the first Thanksgiving. Will he ever find his way home again?
Stepping back through generations of time, our MVP Kids experience the history and culture of their ancestors. What happened in their lives? How did their great-great-great grandparents participate in the progress and development of their ancestral countries, their communities? Each new adventure brings new clarity to the DNA of our MVP Kids, weaving the past with the present, reliving actual historical events and firsthand accounts of real people. The past may belong to the past, but our DNA Chronicles will allow readers to realize that the past also belongs to them. Readers learn about the desire and fortitude it takes to commit to life's most important values, life skills and accomplishments.
MY TIDBITS
History takes on life in this exciting tale of a jaunt back to the Mayflower and getting an impressions of what those pilgrims experienced.
Blake loves video games and absolutely hates history, since it's so boring. Thanks to his imitation of a turkey, he's now in trouble too. Hoping to give him new thoughts, his parents send him to the attic where one of his relatives' possessions has been stored away after her death. Blake hopes to discover a few treasures, but instead, finds himself whipped back in time. He awakes in the body of one of his ancestors and now, gets to experience the voyage of the Mayflower first hand. But living history isn't as easy as he thought it might be.
This is a fun little adventure and a lovely way to learn about history. Blake comes across as a very normal boy and tends to find himself in a bit of self-made trouble every now and then. But he's likable and never carries mean intent. Before hopping back through time, the reader is given a chance to get to know Blake and his family in a setting, which will be very familiar to many. So, when he sweeps back onto the Mayflower, it's easy to understand his decisions, fears, and to cheer him on.
The idea behind this series is to teach kids more about historical events, while letting them sink in through modern day reality. And it does this fairly well. The historical aspects are researched, and the places to find more information are listed in the back of the book. Blake not only sinks into a person on the Mayflower but meets more and lesser known true historical figures along the way in a 'true to life' manner. The idea that these were real people and not just tales comes across pretty well, while an exciting adventure unfolds. The details and information of the time period are brought across but in a way, which doesn't bore. Rather, the tale pulls the plot along and lets the pilgrims appear as they truly might have.
It's a lovely way to open up the Mayflower adventure in a way which kids won't find boring...and still, learn quite a bit as well.
About DNA Chronicles from MVP Kids Media...
Each new adventure brings new clarity to the DNA of our MVP Kids, weaving the past with the present, reliving actual historical events and firsthand accounts of real people. The past may belong to the past, but our DNA Chronicles will allow readers to realize that the past also belongs to them. Readers learn about the desire and fortitude it takes to commit to life’s most important values, life skills, and accomplishments.
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