Before this audio story we have never heard any of G.A. Henty's works not to mention these which are called The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty. And they certainly are extraordinary. This latest one - called Captain Bayley's Heir - is really about how Frank, a young man accused of a crime, learns of the grace of God as he flees England and travels to America right around the time of the Gold Rush. He thinks fleeing is his only option to clear his name. Frank feels all alone and thinks his entire family has turned their back on him.
But as he journeys west, across the United States, he makes true friends that help and encourage him as he works toward clearing his name and tries to make it on his own. You see that Frank grows up, but remains the same, a young man with an upstanding character. We also continue a story of those left in England wondering whether Frank is even still alive. This double story line helps bring the story that much closer to real life.
These productions are created like radio theater -- full of action, adventure, great cast members (like John Rhys-Davies, Brian Blessed (as G.A. Henty himself), and Jade Williams just to name a few) that give their ALL into making you feel the story going on around you. There is over 2 hours of adventure packed historic tales bringing Henty's works back to life. You can listen to them as you drive around town, on a long trip, or even just at home for a night of family fun.
Each track has it's own set of questions and definitions which would make it easy to use as a breakdown of what you are learning from the story. It can also be a jumping off point for your older children to do further research. It would certainly be an enhancement to your homeschooling curriculum.
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My son - he loved when Frank was in America with his new friends working at gold mining; he also thought the part where the caravans were attacked was exciting; and he also liked that Frank was always helping others like when he saw another group being attacked so he went to go save them. He thought the action and the music made the story came to life and made them better then other audio books he's listened to. Now he wants to have their whole series and listen to them all again and again.
My youngest daughter - I liked the beginning when Frank boards the ship and heads to America. And I also liked when he met the 'pirate guy' (she means the river boat captain in America) and the captain gave him like $20; oh and I like when the find gold; and when he saves the man's life! It was interesting to also have questions to go along with the story - that's different then other audio books. It was fun and exciting.
My eldest daughter - At the very beginning Frank helped a young boy out and saved something. Then he and the boy became friends. I think this is my favorite part of the story because it shows Frank's true character and we see all the main characters in the story interacting together. The funniest part was when he's talking about going back to England and is dead set against it ... until Alice walks in ... romance in the works, for sure!
My favorite part is quiet drive times when we are all together and learning deep lessons of trust, faith, and honesty. I loved the quality of this story and have already put many more on our Christmas wishlist. ;) These would be a great addition to any household. But as homeschoolers I love that we can 'escape', but also be in school all at the same time. The journey Frank traverses from him being accused of a crime in England to his time in America on a river boat to going west to join in with the Gold Rush brought me along with him. You could enter in with Frank and felt like you were right there with him and having the same life changing experiences. It was magical!
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