David C Cook ~ Case Makers Academy ~ Forensic Faith ~ A Crew Review

When I was somewhere around the ages of nine and twelve, my grandmother introduced me to the treasure that was the Trixie Belden mystery series. That wonderful, innocent mystery collection sparked a love of reading for me. (I wish that I had kept those books too, because they go for a premium price these days, but I digress.) The only downside to those mysteries that I spent so much of my leisure time consuming, is that the experience was passive, and once I turned that last page, it was over, and I was left hanging until the next book became available. Now, there is nothing wrong with that. While reading can be a somewhat interactive experience, it is typically a solo activity, and that is okay. However, not everyone shares the love of reading that I have, so resources that can make the experience fun, and engaging are fantastic.

My twelve year old daughter (she'll be thirteen tomorrow, actually), have been reading and reviewing the book, Forensic Faith For Kids , which is a part of the Case Makers Academy by David C Cook . As you can guess from the title, this is a detective story. What sets this apart from other mysteries though, is that it serves to strengthen kids in their faith with Jesus, and teach them the tools necessary to own their faith, that is, to understand what they believe, and why. This will help them to be able to not only witness to others in their lives, but to provide the reasons for our faith in Christ. As a Christian, doesn't that sound like a valuable tool to include in your belt, so to speak?
I enjoy biographies, and learning the stories of people and their backgrounds, and so I found the author's history interesting. Husband and wife J. Warner Wallace, and Susie Wallace have ten plus years of experience in working and teaching kids within the church. J. Warner, a former atheist, is a cold case homicide detective, and has been interviewed on quite a few prominent news channels. He has a Master's degree in Theology, as well as a few more impressive accomplishments that can be found at their website.  Susie, who holds a degree in Speech Pathology, is the co-writer and editor of this kids series. 
Written for ages ranging from eight years old, to about twelve years, old, this book will help parents equip their children with the tools needed to really understand, and then share their faith. The book begins with a  foreword from J. Wallace, and a little bit of his testimony. The story then opens with a small group of kids, Daniel, Jason, and you! Or, me, as it were. That is ,the story is written in a manner that involves you, the reader, and includes you in the storyline. Back to the story, Daniel and Jason (and you) are raising money for their baseball team by providing car washes to the community, when they come upon a Corgi puppy. Looking at its tag, they see the name, "Bailey". After asking other baseball team members, they determine that the dog is lost. 

The kids happen to be a part of a Junior Detective Academy, and Daniel's mom suggests that they ask the leader, Detective Jeffries, how to go about finding Bailey's owner. As a side plot, a girl named Hannah, who is another member of the Junior Detective Academy, is struggling with how to convince a boy from her school, named Marco, that Jesus is who He said He is, the Son of God. Marco has been looking downcast lately, but doesn't believe that Jesus is God. For that matter, he doesn't believe that there is a God at all. So, with the help of Detective Jeffries, the group begins to learn how to investigate, collect evidence, and prove their case for the truth of God's Word. I really like the way that the author's conclude this story, with a sweet twist regarding who Bailey's owners turn out to be. At the same time, the ending is not the typical, predictable, "every puzzle piece finds its space" one that is often found in a kids story. Instead, the lesson is, learn your faith, own your faith, go out and share your faith, and leave the results up to God. I don't mean to say that this book concludes with a sad note, no, it is very uplifting. I'm very happy to say that it leaves out the cheesy aspect that so many books incorporate.


Throughout the book, there are little pop up boxes that give assignments for Scriptures to read, interesting facts, and other information. See photos:

But hang on, we're not done yet! There's more to this book than the book itself. Remember that I mentioned that this offers other tools to provide an engaging, interactive experience? The website for this series features short videos (maybe four to seven minutes) for each chapter that give a glimpse into the upcoming happenings in the story. For each video, there are downloadable, printable worksheets and adult guides that may be used to stretch the story, and help young readers retain the information being taught. You could certainly read only the book if you prefer, but these sheets are great for really digging in, and at the end of the book, you can put it all together as a booklet. There is even a certificate of completion that may be printed out. I'm thinking this would be fantastic for Family night activities, youth groups, Sunday school, or a neighborhood Bible study for middle-schoolers. 

I read the book, as well as my almost thirteen year old daughter. She grabbed it the day that it arrived in the mail, and devoured it! She loved it. She enjoyed the plot line, the characters, and the detective aspects of it. I've been trying to think of some creative ways to get the local neighborhood kids together ~ homeschooled and public schooled alike, and I'm seriously considering using this book as the subject. I love it. Even better, there are adult versions of this series for parents. This is a wonderful resource, and I hope you'll do some investigating on your own, and see if you agree!

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