Book Review - Lost Island Smugglers

The boys and I just finished reading a great book: Lost Island Smugglers

I became acquainted with Max Elliot Anderson this year, and am so glad I did. Max has written a number of books that target the boy who is uninterested in reading.

I was encouraged several years ago, that one of the best ways to help your kids love reading and improve their language skills was to read to them from books far above their reading level. My kids do read on their own, but we're usually going through a book as a family too. I can't read to them every night in this way. But when I say, "Mom wants to read to you tonight," there is a mad dash for coloring books and markers. The boys spread out all over the floor and color and listen.

We've read books from the Little House on the Prairie Series, the Young Buffalo Bill Series, Chronicles of Narnia, Summer of the Monkeys..........

My boys LOVED Lost Island Smugglers. Sometimes when boys are coloring and whispering about what color Hulk's shorts are, I'm not sure they're really taking in the story content. But they were. They laughed when we got to funny parts. They got wide-eyed when we got to scary parts. They interacted and asked questions.

The best part of Max's books? They are faith based. The main character is from a solid family that goes to church. He has rules and expectations. He respects his parents, and thoroughly contemplates his choices. This book shows him making a bad choice, the natural consequences of his actions, and the regrets he has. It shows a boy that takes leadership when he realizes his peers have led him astray.

You can order Lost Island Smugglers from Amazon.com. ...and follow its re-release with a new cover on the Lost Island Smugglers Blog.