I have an extremely logical child who demands honest answers, so I was thrilled to get a chance to review Forensic Faith for Kids from David C Cook and Case Makers Academy.
What is Forensic Faith for Kids?
WHAT MAKES THIS UNIQUE?
The author has a real-life job history of being a cold case detective. He actually used his crime-solving skills to change from atheism to Christianity based upon the factual evidence he discovered when he approached the Bible with the same note-taking, clue-collecting, forensic approach. Among additional features on crime-related TV shows, he has actually been featured on Dateline and Fox News.
THE BOOK
The first obvious aspect of this is that it is a paperback book, 8 chapters and about 134 pages. The book I received is a mystery written for kids/early teens and is the story of a lost dog that intertwines itself with a parallel story of a teen who is struggling to accept Jesus as truth. As the story unfolds, you not only get to the bottom of the mystery of how a little Corgi named Bailey suddenly appears out of nowhere during a car wash fund raiser, but you also follow the process of investigating the Bible to arrive at whether or not a boy, Marco, will accept his faith. The final chapter may surprise you, or if you're a really good detective as you read the book, the clues you collect and the evidence presented may lead to the cracking of the case before you conclude the story.
THE ACADEMY
The other part of this book is an online academy called Case Makers Academy. It is a free resource packed with and rich in supplemental activities sheets, fill-in-the-blank notebook pages, parent/leader guide sheets, and short videos that correlate with each chapter in the book.
How Did We Use It?
I first presented the book to my soon-to-be 12 year old daughter, and she read some of it out loud, and I read some myself to get an overview of the story. The story in and of itself is fun and engaging. Along the way, it provides text boxes of CSI Assignments (fill-in-the-blank Scripture references), Detective Definitions (Introduces and defines words related to detective/forensic work), and Detective Bag! (tips about digging deeper to discover the truth about your faith as these tips correspond to real-life detective work).
GRADUATION CERTIFICATE
The end of the book provides you with a graduation certificate 5X7" that you can even frame, or if you prefer an 8X10", the online Case Makers Academy provides you with one you can print out upon completion of the course.
BADGE
There is even a badge you can print out and create.
Some of the sheets I printed, and others I chose to do onscreen just to save toner:
GRADUATION CERTIFICATE
The end of the book provides you with a graduation certificate 5X7" that you can even frame, or if you prefer an 8X10", the online Case Makers Academy provides you with one you can print out upon completion of the course.
BADGE
There is even a badge you can print out and create.
Some of the sheets I printed, and others I chose to do onscreen just to save toner:
What Did We Think?
The book itself provides a nice little hands-on, interactive story that parallels lessons of faith building based upon hard, cold facts and clue gathering, but I was not surprised at all to discover that my daughter had the most fun with the online academy printout activity sheets. Regardless of which aspect of the book/academy appeals to your child the most, this is a great way to dig deeper into why your child might choose to believe the Scriptures and build a relationship of his or her own with Christ.
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Thank you so much for your review. I am excited about this book :) :)
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