Forensic Faith for Kids from David C Cook {Book Review}

For the past few weeks, two of the kids and I have been learning how to be detectives with Forensic Faith for Kids from David C Cook and Case Makers Academy. This was a review that I really wish we had made more time for, as we didn’t get as far into the book as I would have liked. Chaos has been the name of the game here lately, but we did put a great dent in both the book and the online academy, both of which I am really excited to tell you about today!

Putting On Our Detective Caps

When this book arrived I knew I had two kids who were in the recommended age range of 8-12… and neither of them knew that I had signed them up for this book. I scanned the cover and inside, reading through the first chapter of the book while making dinner still a little unsure of how we were supposed to use the book or online program. This was completely new to me, but I was intrigued.

When it was time to introduce the kids they weren’t quite sure what to think. I didn’t give them a lot to go on because I still didn’t understand it myself. However, I did know that the book was a mystery, literally, and that the kids needed to read it to both solve the mystery and learn how to strengthen their own faith. I wasn’t sure how the authors, J. Warner Wallace and Susie Wallace, were going to do that but I knew that together we could figure it out.

As you can see, this book is designed to help you share the truth about Jesus. Yet, it doesn’t just tell you to believe because the Bible tells you, or because your parents do as well. Rather, it’s set up to get kids thinking about faith, the Bible, and what it all means to them. Contained throughout the book is a faith-based problem as well as scripture references to get your kids digging into the Scriptures.

While they are learning about faith, they are also working on another mystery as well. Your child is actually written into this book as a character and along with three other cadets from the Junior Detective Academy, they are trying to solve the mystery of a puppy who appeared seemingly out of thin air.

Reading, Learning, and the Academy

My older daughter, 12, read through most of the book independently. As this is a busy season for her, working through the book on her own simply worked best for her. She would check in with me as far as progress, to chat about what was happening, and even to ask me if I knew the answer to the big faith question in the book. Sadly, because she read ahead of me, I think I gave away the answer.

My son, 8, and I did read through parts of the book together. While the first couple of chapters were a little long for him we kept at it. He really enjoyed the Bailey storyline. Bailey is a Welsh Pembroke Corgi who appears early on in the book while the characters are at a car wash. It is unknown where this dog came from and that is one of the cases the cadets and readers are trying to solve.

The other case, of course, is the faith-based one. Introduced in chapter 1, you meet a teen who is struggling with whether or not Jesus is actually God. His doubt causes others to doubt as well. Yet the cadets from the Junior Detective Academy take this case on, as well as Bailey’s, to solve both mysteries.

By chapter 2 my son announced that he thought the two cases were tied together. In his mind, Marco (the boy doubting who Jesus really was) must just be sad because his dog was missing. Through my son’s eyes, if Bailey could be returned to him, then Marco would see that Jesus was God.

To have the faith of a child, right?

Case Makers Academy

Case Makers Academy is a digital addition to the Forensic Faith book, and while not necessary to complete the book and solve the two cases it is fantastic! Contained within the Academy are videos explaining the storyline of each chapter and helping ensure the readers fully understood the vital parts of the book. There are also downloadable and printable training activity sheets, notebook sheets, and adult leader guides.

While my daughter did not watch the videos with us she did work on some of the worksheets. These are great to check for comprehension and to encourage your children to really pay attention and think critically about the book and their own faith.

My son enjoyed these videos immensly though and he was actually able to get a lot out of them. These quick videos, typically 5-8 minutes, do a great job summarizing each chapter. We would read one chapter at a time and follow up with the video. The next time we sat down to read, we would review what had happened in the previous chapters.

Solving The Mystery With Forensic Faith

Since we have yet to finish this book, I can’t actually tell what the ending is to either Bailey’s owners or if Marco is given the proof he needs to see that Jesus really is God. Nor can I even tell you if the authors were able to take readers through the case in a way that made sense.

What I can tell you though, is that the authors of this book are laying a great foundation. First, with an intriguing storyline that is both relatable and understandable. Who wouldn’t want to reunite a lost dog with their owners? And what child, or adult, hasn’t had to answer a question that was a challenge to their own faith?

The second thing I can tell you is that the authors of this book do a great job encouraging readers to look for clues both in the story and in their Bibles. Detective Jeffries, the character in the story leading the cadets, offers great tips, methods, and insights that the characters use in the story and that your children can use in their own lives.

The third thing I can say is that this book was a great read for all of us and we will be finishing out the story. We may even check out the first two books that came out prior to Forensic Faith for Kids from David C Cook when we are done. Written by the same authors, and a part of Case Makers Academy they are sure to be great reads!