Customer Reviews

The Door in the Dragon's Throat/Escape from the Island of Aquarius/The Tombs of Anak/Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea (The Cooper Kids Adventure Series 1-4)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Combine the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew with Indian Jones, make them Christians in search of Biblical artifacts, and you'll get the gist of these novels. They are nothing more or less than what they claim to be: enteraining reads for young readers, intertwining spiritual lessons with fast-paced action. Adults may be bored by the simplicity or stretched realism of these stories, but pre-teen and early teens will enjoy these works as much as older readers enjoy Peretti's The Oath or This Present Darkness.

This edition matches the ISBN and photo for CBD's slipcase set, which features books #1-4 in the set of 8: Door in the Dragon's Throat, Escape From the Island of Aquarius, The Tombs of Anak, and Trapped At The Bottom Of The Sea. This set includes the collector's box and four (newer release/cover design) paperbacks. As far as I know, books #5-8 are unavailable in a boxed set (the newer paperbacks), but they are available separately.

I bought this book so my 7 year old son could start recreational reading on his own, however much of the vocabulary in it is beyond him at this point, so I started reading it out loud to him, explaining some of the words as we go. The story is very suspenseful, and he loves it! He is hooked on the story line, no surprise with Peretti's writing. I am hoping as the school year continues, he'll be reading the rest of the stories on his own. I think it's a great series for young readers, and the Christian slant in it is very strong and confirms our own personal faith.

These books are exciting with very good Christian values brought to the attention of the reader. Great Adventure Books.

I've been a fan of Frank Peretti since almost before I could read. For as long as I can remember, my brother and I have enjoyed his books and audio messages (we used to love listening to a recording of him making fun of the New Age Movement). The first Frank Peretti book we ever read was from "The Cooper Kids Adventure Series".

As a child, I can remember reading "The Door in the Dragon's Throat" which described a wild adventure that took the Cooper kids and their father Dr. Cooper to the very door of the bottomless pit of Revelation. It was a scary story, but not hopeless. All of Frank Peretti's adventure books feature God as the ultimate Sovereign and Victor.

I just recently read "Escape from the Island of Aquarius" for the first time (Yes, I still love these books!). Near the end there is a great scene where the island is disappearing into the ocean before their very eyes:

They looked behind them at the boiling ocean now closing over the island that no longer was.
"It'll be just like it was never there," said Lila.
"And so suddenly!" said Jay.
"Just like the whole world," said Dr. Cooper.
"Ready or not, the Bible says it's going to end someday."

As I read this, Dr. Cooper's statement caught me off guard. I was really into the story and then all of a sudden, there's this practical application that crashes into my world. Yes, just like the island in the story, the world is going to end someday. Will I be ready?

I highly recommend all of the books in "The Cooper Kids Adventures Series" for anybody, but youth in particular. I can't wait for my kids to get old enough to begin reading these books for themselves!

Here are the titles of each book in the series:

The Door in the Dragon's Throat
Escape from the Island of Aquarius
The Tombs of Anak
Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea
The Secret of the Desert Stone
The Deadly Curse of Toco-Rey
The Legend of Annie Murphy
Mayday at Two Thousand Five Hundred

So much reading material bores kids... but NOT THIS. I even enjoyed reading some of it myself as well as my daughter. I recommend this book!

I purchased books 1-4 as a birthday gift for our ten year-old granddaughter.
Today I decided to print out a blurb of each book to give out daughter.....
and discovered that, while Editorial review of the set says it's a Raiders of the Lost Ark with sound
values, the review of book 1 is more thorough, and critical.

Then I went to consumer reviews of book #1 and found that the same notions that are causing problems today...
good vs. evil = my faith trumps your faith; and Armageddon??? for children??? are intermingled in the story line.
This misrepresentation of John's message in Revelations is not accepted by our faith as well as
many others.
When we teach Christian principles we use Christ's behaviors and teachings as examples, and this
certainly doesn't include a Crusader mentality. "Loving people to Christ" is our congregation's
motto. It would be a different country, and world, if we who call ourselves Christians did our
best to follow Christ's teachings and actions.

Books will be returned, and I wish that Amazon had used the same Editorial review for the set, or
at least referred us to it.

I purchased this product for my 13 year old sister. For a review on the quality of this product, it was great. The books came packaged in a nice box that fits all four books snuggly. The box has a great design and color. The books themselves are sturdy paper-back books with great updated cover designs. The delivery was speedy and the product fit the description.

For a review on the actual books... I myself, a wife and mother, enjoyed reading them. They are a great alternative to the world's suspense/thrillers that offer nightmares and gory images as a result. The books always seem to have a good bit of history or 'fun-facts' tied into the storyline. They are all page-tuners and never have 'dead' spots. My sister is NOT a reader. It took her awhile to finally open the first book, but after she did she could not put it down! All four books (and those not included in this box set) are appropriate for all ages, and are safe to hand to your young reader.

The first four books in Frank Peretti's "Cooper Kids" series. We were given the set by a friend and were extremely thankful as we have also recently purchased the next 3 books in the series. Whether battling demonic forces, OT-inspired giants, a band of cultists, or communist forces, the action is always intense with some of that "Indiana Jones" feel. I felt that the fourth book was easily the best written with a much stronger Christian message, while the first book is somewhat light on meaty dialogue and character progression - something you'd expect from an introductory book in a long series. One note, the third book - The Tomb Of Anak - is not really appropriate for younger kids as we felt that the action surrounding the central "Goliath" villain was somewhat scary at times.

Throughout the books, Peretti treats the devout Christian lives of the Coopers as just another normal part of the story and, contrary to some Christian books, movies, or audio tapes that I've had, this aspect of their lives does not seem false or forced into the storyline in order to turn out a "Christian" product - when the Coopers stop to pray before making a tough decision it is an appropriate action that only helps to further the action. Reading some of the reviews for this set or the individual books in the series, I think it's pretty funny when some obviously atheist parent tags the book as a "stealth Christian product" when anyone who knows Peretti's works or spends more than 5 min reading the book realizes it isn't a stealth Christian book - it's an OVERT Christian book and proud of it.

Just as all the Cooper Kids books, the real message throughout the story is not the fantastic locales/enemies or gripping action and story telling, but the Christian values (faith, love, and perserverence immediately leap to mind) of the central characters. Always wonderful stories to be either read alone by your "tween" child (my 8 yr old could easly read the book alone), out loud at night as a bedtime story, or as part of a Bible curriculum for homeschoolers.

The Cooper Kids Adventure series, Volumes 1-4, by Frank E. Peretti, Crossway Books, 2004, Ages 9-12, ISBN: 13:9781581346916, $23.96

Join teenagers, Jay and Lila, and their father, archaeologist Dr. Jake Cooper, in this four volume tween thriller set-- The Cooper Kids. The teen's excavations and travels take them to foreign lands where they uncover ancient legends, expose evil superstitions, rescue a hijacked aircraft, and battle angry terrorists.

The series contains elements of the popular Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries, with edge-of-your-seat reading, in the style of "Indiana Jones." Peretti's skilled plotting, age appropriate characterizations, and true-to-life dialogue spill across the pages to keep children glued to their seats and eager to learn what happens next.

His work is endorsed by Jenkins, author of The Left Behind series, who wrote that Christian authors owed Peretti a debt of gratitude for opening the doors to Christian novelists.

Peretti's ability to weave spiritual warfare and prayer into imaginative story form for adults made me an avid fan of his writing in This Present Darkness. When I discovered The Cooper Kids Adventure Series, with that same quality of skilled writing, I wanted to endorse the series and encourage parents and grandparents to purchase these books for children. A brief synopsis of each book follows:

Book 1--The Door in the Dragon's Throat, by Frank E. Peretti, Crossway Books, 2004, 125 Pages, ISBN: 13:978-1-58134-618-3, $5.99

Book one, The Door in the Dragon's Throat, takes the Cooper family and their three-person team to Nepur, a tiny Middle Eastern nation of great wealth and uninviting deserts. President Al-Dullam rules this land of strange customs and renowned superstitions. As Chief Magistrate and bearer of the Royal Scepter, he hired the Coopers to enter the Dragon's Throat cavern to find and open the legendary, forbidden door hidden in its depths. He had hired many other teams, but they all disappeared. Al-Dullam thought it was because of ridiculous rumors and superstitions. When the president learned the Coopers served a powerful and fearless God, he knew he had found a team that could succeed.

Armed with faith and their knowledge of God, the Coopers plunge down the Dragon's Throat to learn if an incredible treasure lies behind the forbidden door, or does something sinister and dangerous await them.

Book 2--Escape From the Island of Aquarius, by Frank E. Peretti, Crossway Books, 2004, 160 Pages, ISBN-13:978-158134-619-0, $5.99

In book two, Jay, Lila, and Dr. Cooper travel to the South Seas to rescue a sinking South Sea Island. This page-turning, action adventure involves stolen identities, impersonations, a mystery missionary thought long-dead, and earthquakes that threaten to tear the island apart. The Coopers must quickly learn who or what is making the island self-destruct. Or is it really just nature gone wild, as pseudo missionary, Adam Mackenzie claims. With more questions than answers, the race is on to rescue the ill-fated island and its inhabitants before it is doomed. Chapters end with nail-biting tension that will keep the lights on long after tweens are told "lights out."

Book 3--The Tombs of Anak, by Frank E. Peretti, Crossway Books, 2004, 143 Pages, ISBN-13: 978-1-58134-620-6, $5.99

Book three takes the Coopers to the recent excavation site of the ancient Philistine Temple of Dagon, just outside Jerusalem. The crew methodically works the site to discover Dagon's treasures. When an impatient treasure-seeker is lowered into the pit by winch, the rope suddenly breaks and only horrifying screams can be heard from the darkness below. No one knows about Ha-Raphah, the dangerous and greedy, man-eating creature that lurks at the bottom of the dark pit, except for superstitious locals who worship him. Join Jay, Lila and Dr. Cooper in their dangerous search to find out who Ha-Raphah really is and why islanders fear him.

Book 4--Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea, by Frank E. Peretti, Crossway Books, 2004,144 Pages, ISBN-13:978-1-58134-621-3

In book four, Lila Cooper boards a plan to the United States, still angry over a recent disagreement with her father. Shortly after becoming airborne, her fretting is interrupted by an announcement that the airplane has been taken over by hijackers. A sudden brilliant explosion blinds passengers and forces the plane into a steep nosedive that takes the plane and passengers into a mysterious chamber in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Lila tries to contain her feelings of fear and being trapped. She believes her father will mount a rescue operation for her and the planes passengers and prays for the Lord's help. But Lila can't know about the angry terrorists Jay and her father must fight to be first to reach the doomed plane.

This set would be a great series for teens or older children who are mature enough to handle it. There is minor violence throughout the books and some difficult situations faced by the main characters that may not be appropriate for younger audiences. When my children are older I will be happy to read through these with them. The themes are exciting and obviously centered on the Gospel of Jesus. It's hard to find good literature themed on Christian theology for children and this set of books is perfect for that.