Tangle

Quest for Truth #4

by Brock D. Eastman

The Wikk kids have been separated on their quest to find humanity's home planet. Reunited with his parents, Mason makes new friends and clashes with old enemies on board the sinister Übel ship, the Black Ranger . Meanwhile, Oliver, Tiffany, and Austin race to rescue their friend Ashley from a toxic moon—and find themselves in more trouble than they'd bargained for.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Science Fiction, Middle Grade, Adventure

480 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2015

About the author

Brock Eastman has a degree in Marketing and works for David C. Cook leading digital product and content development. Previously he was a producer and podcast host for Adventures in Odyssey. He is the author of The Quest for Truth series, Bedtime on Noah’s Ark, Daddy’s Favorite Sound, Mommy’s Favorite Smell, Imagination Station series; Showdown with the Shepherd, Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop, and Edge of the Galaxy. He writes feature stories and the Dr. Fizzlebop recurring column for Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. magazines. He loves playing games and cooking with his wife and reading stories to his four kids each night, who have also been co-authors on several of his projects.

Bibliography
Taken (P&R Publishing & Focus on the Family 2011)
HowlSage (Destiny Image 2011, Crimson Pulse Media 2020)
Imagination Station: Showdown with the Shepherd (Tyndale & Focus on the Family 2011)
Risk (P&R Publishing & Focus on the Family 2012)
Coming Storm (Crimson Pulse Media 2012)
Unleash (P&R Publishing & Focus on the Family 2013)
Tangle (P&R Publishing & Focus on the Family 2015)
Rainbow Hippo (Crimson Pulse Media 2015)
Count, Hippo Hippo (Crimson Pulse Media 2015)
Happy Hippo (Crimson Pulse Media 2015)
Alpha Hippo (Crimson Pulse Media 2016)
Wasted Wood (Crimson Pulse Media 2017)
Waste Deep (Crimson Pulse Media 2017)
Truthful Test (Crimson Pulse Media 2017)
Davey and the Mech (Crimson Pulse Media 2017)
Hope (P&R Publishing & Focus on the Family 2019)
Daddy’s Favorite Sound (Harvest House Kids 2019)
Mommy’s Favorite Smell (Harvest House Kids 2019)
Bedtime on Noah’s Ark (Harvest House Kids 2020)
Afraid of the Light (Crimson Pulse Media 2021)
Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop (Tyndale Kids 2021)
Welcome to Hippopolis (Crimson Pulse Media 2022)
Obby the Obot (Crimson Pulse Media 2022)
Edge of the Galaxy (Tyndale & Focus on the Family 2023)
St. Nicking at Night (Crimson Pulse Media 2023)

Reviews

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a middle school kid who isn't too fond of reading, or one that enjoys high action and adventure on a distant planet, I highly recommend this series. The Wikk family are wonderful characters that intrigue and capture your heart with each passing page. Reminds of what C. S. Lewis did for fantasy is what Mr. Eastman has done for sci-fi.

I really enjoyed this book. Though I would encourage you to read the first three before tackling this one, I however did not. It took a few chapters to become familiar with the character (Mason was my favorite) and several more to settle into the story itself. The plot and adventure are very well organized and I had no problems imagining the planets such as the gassy moon they crash land on in the beginning.

I loved the family element in this story as well. It's hard pressed to find good books that follow families. Now most are from broken homes or single ones, and though I have no problem with those, it was refreshing to read a whole family even if separated by a few light years.

Over all, I must say this is a great series and one I will have my son read soon. Definitely a great starter for middle shool age.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another step on the Wikk's journey to discover Ursprung and the answer to eternal life. Its been a pretty good journey so far. Lots have happened. Lots has happened in this book. The characters are almost to the end and secrets are coming out as the danger rises. I like how the faith element has deepened in this book, going farther than the last and becoming more realistic with challenges and the characters second guessing how someone will respond to what they say. I also liked how they pushed for the Truth to be told and not hidden and were disappointed that it was. Lots of fun action too. A few criticisms would be I hoped the writing would be stronger. Something about it just seems like it could be better but I'm not sure I can point out what I mean without looking at specific passages in the story. Also, POTENTIAL SPOILER I thought it strange that the Christian group in the series had a bird with a chip implant in it to understand human speech. While the tech is cool, it kind of seems inhumane. END SPOILER Lastly, I find it awkward that they somehow lost the name God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit in the future but use Creator, Rescuer, and Helper. It is just odd, especially since the term Bible was still used. The names did come up but they are not the dominate ones. Still, I will like to see how this ends and how it will wrap up with its message of God, eternal life, and salvation.

[Paula Dyches · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, my kids and I have been listening to this series and are really enjoying them. This book was better in many ways than the previous books but it does get more religious in the plot and details of the quest that they are on... totally doesn't bother me, in fact, I like it. Simple truths and explanations are great for young Christian readers. I will say that this book leaves off on a horrible cliffhanger that left my kids and I searching for the release date on the 5th book, which by the way comes out June 19th, 2019 and is titled, Hope. We're just hoping the book is released on Audible at the same time. :) The narration was great, LC Kane does a fabulous job with the voices and acting. I did notice a few minor sound editing issues- there were only 2-3 spots in the whole book where sentences were repeated. This really has been a fun series to listen with my kids (14yr, 12yr, 9yr) and I would definitely recommend it as a family friendly Christian fantasy sci-fi.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Luke Simons]

Excellent, as are his other books in this series. I highly highly highly recommend these books for any young adult/teenager, or for parents of children of such age. I am actually reading these books to my 6 year old son, and while there are some concepts above him, he is able to follow along on the basic storyline. It is refreshing to be able to read him a story where I don't have to worry about the underlying values.

[Karen Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery

It’s interesting, funny, cool, unnatural, mysterious, holy and excellent. I enjoyed the saga and panning out of events. Cannot wait to read the next book. Thank you, Mr Author.

[Daniel Stegeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book I have read !

So exciting . There's always something happening. I love this book. The wilks are such a exciting family. I want to read the next book.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it it was one of my favorites. I can't wait to read the last book.

[Carson Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

possibly my favorite so far. recommend this series

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tangle is a book about four siblings and their friend on a quest to rescue their kidnapped parents. Along the way we learn that their quest not only involves this adventure, but is also a quest for truth- truth about some of the biggest questions that we will encounter in life. This book is marketed towards teens but sufficient to entertain younger children and inspire adults just as well.

I read the first several chapters to my children (ages 14,11,9,7,5,4,&2) before our evenings got so busy that I realized I would need to read the rest by myself if I had any hopes of writing a review before the end of the year. I am hoping to pick up where we left off but to do so at a more leisurely pace. My only complaint is that we started with book four so we had to establish a little context before we understood what was happening. However, Eastman did a god job filling in the blanks and this wasn't too difficult to do. Once we caught on we were all delighted when we read the book together.

Reading the book to my children was intentional because, as a book primarily marketed towards children, I was curious to see how they responded to the story. My older children really enjoyed the plot, character development, and big "life questions" posed by Eastman. My younger children (ages 4 and down) enjoyed the story line but by and large missed the spiritual dimensions of the book. This answered the second most important question: Is the book enjoyable for its intended audience. The answer from my children was a resounding "Yes"!

Now on to the single most important question that I ask myself when reviewing a book for my children: Does this book teach a biblical worldview through its story,character development, and scenarios?

This is where Eastman really shines in my opinion. Tangle is a book that I can confidently hand to my children knowing that they will not only be reading a high quality story, but will also have a solidly christian worldview passed on to them through the pages of the book. Spiritual truths are foreshadowed in the beginning chapters of the book and are reinforced throughout as key biblical concepts unfold as the story progresses. This is an invaluable resource for us as parents who want our discipleship of our children reinforced through the books they read. Parents who are in tune with this will be happy with how Eastman responsibly weaves a Christian worldview through his books.

This book has turned me into a Brock Eastman fan and I will definitely get the first three books in this series for my children as well.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from P&R Publishing in exchange for an online review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Angie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

And the action and intensity just keeps rising! This book moves at just about lightning speed, and things are less predictable than ever! Chases, escapes--or is it near-escapes?, discoveries, revelations, separations, reunitings, and the list goes on...

Take my word, you cannot skip around in this book! Who will end up where with which allies, which enemies, and which pieces of the puzzle is up in the air more than a ping-pong ball. We're drawing close to the end of the quest, but there's still so much to happen, and with plot twists thrown in left and right, the path is never as easy as originally planned. Was there actually an original plan? Because the action is so non-stop that there's barely time to study any of the clues. But I love the fact that they wind back around and pop up in random places after you'd all but forgotten them.

The spiritual theme has definitely come to the forefront, and in this book, it does get tied solidly to a name for the all-important book (the Bible) and a name for the person the kids know as Rescuer (Jesus). There are strong messages of sharing your faith and of loving and sacrificing for your enemies. And speaking of enemies, I actually found myself having compassion and even hope for a few people who had previously only been rotten adversaries and tormentors. I don't know how far those cracks will be developed in the final book, but it's interesting to see how my attitude has changed in just this volume.

I love the addition of Ashley and some of Obbin's siblings to the team. Obbin himself has gotten a little reckless for his own good, but it's great to see the way Austin's settled down and become a valued and trusted asset to the mission. The guy/warrior thing with Austin and Oliver near the end--so cute and perfectly boyish at the same time! (As in, boys would kill me for calling it cute. :D) And is that just the barest tiny hint at a possible future romantic attachment between Oliver and Ashley? <3

Now I'm back to waiting for the release of Hope--sometime this year, I think? It can't get here fast enough for me!!!

[Tom Burkholder · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book Tangle, author Brock Eastman continues the Quest for Truth young teen book series. My 12-year-old son read and reviewed this book. He has read the whole series and this is one of his favorite books in the series. He did not like the cliff-hanging ending because he has to wait until the next book comes out to find out what happens. But he is looking forward to the next book in the series!
He said he really liked the development of the story, especially the explanation as to why they were in space.
My son would highly recommend this book and the series for any reader 10 and up. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mrs. Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Quest for Truth

Love this series. When I reach the abrupt end of each book, I have to buy the next! Action packed, clean reading. I would recommend this series to everyone!!!

[Kenneth Hurtt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

This book is so good. It should be read more often. He needs to make a lot more like them.