Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am a parent, a homeschooler, a conservative, and a committed Christian. I say all this up front so that my criticism of this series will be understood. I believe in presenting the truth to my children to the best of my ability. This means the truth of the Bible -- not the opinion of an extreme minority. This means the truth of Church History -- warts and all. This means the truth of Secular History. This means the truth of what comprises good literature vs. poor literature -- and this series does not represent the quality of material I want my children to handle. Truth is frequently painful and sometimes scary. HOWEVER, I do NOT believe in deliberately frightening children into accepting or rejecting a particular opinion or viewpoint. It appears to this parent that such religious "scare tactics" are precisely what is being engaged in with these books. My children know about heaven and hell. They know what it requires to end up in either of those destinations. They understand that hell is a pretty scary place. But I choose to teach them in a positive, rather than in a negative vein. Being "scared straight" is imperfect contrition. Granted, it beats no contrition at all -- but it results in fear rather than love. This is what this series appears to accomplish: salvation through fear, rather than salvation through acceptance of the love of the God of Love. Parents, pay attention to what your children read. Teach them about the love of God, not only through your words but through the example of your life. But don't try to frighten them into the Kingdom. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."