Fun History with Heirloom Audio

My son is a HUGE audiobook fan and adding Christian audio drama to his listening time has been great and so I was thrilled to receive the 2-CD set of For The Temple from Heirloom Audio.

For The Temple, the newest production from Heirloom Audio has been a wonderful addition to our audiobook library. By G.A. Henty one of our favorites, this audio drama was such fun to listen to.. Though all 3 kids listened to it, my son listened to it 4 times in the last 2 weeks. (I think he liked it!)

What’s Included?

In addition to the 2 CD set that was included, like most of the audio drama that Heirloom Audio publishes, there is a wonderful study guide to accompany the story.

Facts:

2 1/2 Hours of Audio Adventure
Recommended For Ages 6 to Adult
27 Chapters
Study Guide available
Biblical Worldview
Optional Online Audio Listening And Bonus Content

Study Guide Reference:

Designed to provide discussion question suggestions.
Three components to each section: Listening Well, Thinking Further, Defining Words
Listening Well– helps children to recall what they have learned or remembered.
Thinking Further– helps children to think about the story, explore further, and formulate conclusions.
Defining Words– enhances vocabulary.
Recommended reading list at the end of the guide for additional historical learning.

The Story

So what is For The Temple about? Well, here is how Heirloom Audiodescribes the story:

“The first duty of any Jew is to protect the Temple. I will fight that battle.” John, the son of a vintner living on the shores of The Sea of Galilee, wants nothing more than to live in peace and grow the finest grapes in Israel. Roman occupation has made that difficult, and the Zealots who oppose them have made it impossible. As the factions battle each other, the hand of Rome tightens its grip and John must decide who, and what he must fight for. On one of the darkest days in the history of Israel he will make a decision that could save the temple… or destroy it.

What We Thought

My son loved For The Temple. I enjoyed very much listening with him. Here is what he had to say about the audio drama:

Great story and so interesting! I love the sound effects and all the action. Learning about history with the stories is so great I wish all the historic events had a CD like this. –Leyton, age 9

The Study Guide was a nice addition. It really helped work through the topics. Question were divided by the sections of the story. For instance, in the section entitled “The Storm,” question such as:

What personal problem does Nero have as the scene opens?
What’s happening with the weather?
What happens to their boat as the storm comes up?

Additionally, the section includes the Thinking Further section with ideas on how to take the study further. Some of the ideas in “The Storm” section were:

Find a map of the Roman Empire. How far did it reach during the 1st century? What lands did it include?
John says their behavior “isn’t proper” and is “unseemly.” What does he mean, and why does he say this?
Does the Bible teach that a man should only marry a woman that he’s fallen in love with? What does
the Bible say about marriage and love? See, for example, Ephesians 5:25-33; Titus 2:4. Which is more important: marrying the one we love, or loving the one we marry?

Lastly, the study guide provides a section of keywords to define and understand. Each section has a word list. “The Storm” section has a word list included 11 words including:

pacification
unseemly
patriarchs

In Conclusion

Overall we loved For The Temple, just like we have loved all the audio drama CD sets we have used from Heirloom Audio. Check out what we thought of other G.A. Henty recordings including In the Reign of Terror, The Cat of Bubastes, and Under Drake’s Flag.

And be sure to check out Heirloom Audio online as well as what the rest of the Review Crew thought of Heirloom Audio and For The Temple by clicking the banner below