There's never a dull moment when the Reel Kids media club takes on swollen rivers, dense jungles, and rugged mountains to film the fascinating faces and places that need the gospel. Jeff, Mindy, and K.J. experience the heart of cultures around the world as they meet intriguing new friends on their action-packed global adventures.

Jeff Caldwell never dreamed the "Reel Kids" trip to Cuba would create such a gigantic problem. He knew the globetrotting club had experienced troubles before, but not like this. It seemed like trouble from start to finish. Would God be able to pull Jeff and the others out of this international nightmare? With only a desire to help a new friend, Jeff and the team find a spine-tingling adventure at every turn. Why does the dark eyed stranger show such anger and hatred for them? How would this relentless pursuer continue to hinder Jeff's plan to help the Cuban people? Will the footage on the video tape prove to be dangerous? Was God in this media-mission?

Each well-researched, exciting story in the Reel Kids Adventures series is set in a different country, so children not only experience a page-turning adventure but also learn about the people, culture, or history of the nation in which the story takes place. It's a meaningful series of missionary challenge for young readers who enjoy action! Recommended for ages 9 to 14.

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Customer Reviews for Reel Kids Adventures #1: The Missing Video

Review 1 for Reel Kids Adventures #1: The Missing Video

Overall Rating:

3 out of 5

The Missing Video

Date:April 24, 2011

Christine M. Irvin

Top 50 Contributor

Location:Columbus, OH

Age:45-54

Gender:female

Quality:

4 out of 5

Value:

4 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

3 out of 5

The Missing Video, written by Dave Gustaveson, is Book 1 in the Reel Kids Adventures series. In this opening episode, Jeff and Mindy (who are brother and sister), their friend K.J., and their adult friend and mentor, Warren, are headed to Cuba as part of the Reel Kids Adventure Club.

Warren started the Reel Kids Adventure Club as a way to take high school students on short trips to different countries. The idea was to have students learn about different cultures, focusing on the country’s religion, sharing their faith with kids in other countries, and recording the trips so they could make presentations to other youth when they returned home.

Jeff and Warren had been on several trips together, but this is the first trip that Mindy and K.J. have taken. Jeff is a bit apprehensive about taking his sister because she tends to break down into tears at the drop of a hat, and he is also a bit leery of taking his friend K.J., as K.J. tends to do his own thing without really following the rules. Of course, given those parameters, there are troubles with the trip.

And, the troubles start before the group even leaves the country. First, K.J. has to come up with the rest of the money he needs to pay for his share of the expenses. He manages to do so at the last minute. Then, everyone needs to get visas so they have permission to be in Cuba. There are many glitches in that process before they all are finally cleared to go.

Then, once they get to Cuba they have to deal with the secret police following them everywhere. The Cuban government won’t allow them to share their testimonies outside of a church, and even then, they are supposed to have their “speeches” pre-approved. They have to hide the video they’ve made of their trip so it won’t be confiscated; then, they have trouble retrieving it before the trip home. Even with all their trails and troubles, the group manages to make it safely back home.

What I Like: I liked reading a book set in a foreign country. I learned a bit about Cuba’s history and culture while reading this story.

What I Dislike: Although the story was interesting because it was set in a foreign country, there were some things in the storyline that didn’t ring true and left me questioning: The author says Jeff, Mindy and K.J. had all been excused from their first-period study hall at school. That made me wonder how they all three ended up in the same first-period study hall when they weren’t all in the same grade at school? At one point the author said Jeff felt “doubly lucky” and that Mindy “crossed her fingers.” The term “doubly lucky” and the phrase “crossed her fingers” doesn’t fit well with the description of either Josh’s or Mindy’s personality or Christian beliefs. He wouldn’t believe in “luck” and she wouldn’t cross her fingers for good luck, so why use those terms? It was inconsistencies like these throughout the book that marred the message of the story. And, near the end of the book, Jeff is put in jail. He’s just a teenager. Would they really put a teenager in jail?

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Review 2 for Reel Kids Adventures #1: The Missing Video

Overall Rating:

5 out of 5

Date:December 10, 2009

Lynn Johnson

This was a good book and well worth trying for the first time. We look forward to purchasing the next one right away. The book keeps you wondering how it end and I love the way the gospel is shared through these many trying situations. A good book but not for young kids but teens for sure.

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