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Choose Your Journey
Crossroads Among the Gentiles
Imagine that you lived among the Gentiles when Jesus was preaching to the Jews. You may have heard about the wonderful things He has done. One day He comes to your hometown. You get to hear Him preach. What would you do? How would you obey His teachings? Each decision is a crossroad that leads to a different ending. As you follow this journey, you create your own story. When one story ends, go back to the crossroads and follow a different path.
152 pages, ebook
Published April 24, 2018
About the author
Elizabeth Raum
274 books37 followersAs a child, I loved writing reports. For me, doing research has always been a kind of treasure hunt. My treasures are the facts that create pictures of past worlds and faraway places. I've put those facts into nearly 100 biographies, histories, and science books for young readers. I've also written two picture books and several interactive adventures that place you, the reader, inside the story. I hope that all my books lead you to imagine yourself in some intriguing place among fascinating people. Every book should take readers on new adventures in this big, beautiful world of ours.
Happy travels!
Author website: www.elizabethraumbooks.com
Happy travels!
Author website: www.elizabethraumbooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 26, 2024
Each of the four books in the “Crossroads” series provides a unique Biblical perspective as seen through the eyes of a child. Told from separate points of view around the life of Jesus, the characters often connect. Every chapter is interactive, with multiple starting points and different endings.
Author Elizabeth Raum has done a commendable job of pulling off the impossible. She has just about written the only set of books where kids are actually encouraged to skip whole chapters on purpose! Parents and teachers will also be surprised at how willing kids will be to flip back to the beginning and start all over again to pick a different path.
Raum makes sure her young readers never get lost or overwhelmed. With helpful, straightforward directions, she points them to the next jump point. Kids get to choose how to move forward based on one of two options provided at the end of each chapter. Kids don’t just get to choose a character, they’ll also have to make some tough choices for them too.
Most books written in this style usually offer a selection of choices, only to end up in the same place anyway. But that isn't the case with master storyteller Raum. The correct path may not always be apparent at first, but that’s all part of the fun. Each path ends up somewhere different as her cast of relatable young characters encounter Jesus.
In “Crossroads in Galilee,” you’ll learn that it’s not uncommon for disciples to be boys, and you happen to be one. You’ll have the choice to be baptized by John the Baptist. If you do, you’ll be left with a difficult decision: follow Jesus or stay with John and become one of his disciples.
If you choose Jesus, you may find yourself learning the hard lesson of Luke 9:61: “No one who begins a new life and then looks back at the old one is fit for the kingdom of God.”
But that’s okay. You can go back and pick another path as a fisherman’s sister or a tax collector’s brother.
In “Christmas Crossroads,” you can be a shepherd boy who sees angels; a boy accompanying the wise men on their camel ride following the star; or you can be a young girl assisting the village midwife in Bethlehem. You’ll get to meet the baby Jesus and help Mary as she rests.
In “Crossroads in Jerusalem,” you can be a servant girl to Joanna. She’s the wife of Herod's steward and one of the women mentioned in the Gospel of Luke who financially supported Jesus and his ministry, among other needs. Together, you and Joanna will get to experience the greatest kind of servitude of all: serving Jesus himself and serving others the way Jesus would, including lepers in the night.
In “Crossroads Among the Gentiles,” Elizabeth Raum leads us into the lands of Samaria and beyond, highlighting Jesus’s ministry to not only Israel but the whole world.
As the kid brother of the disciple Bartholomew, you’ll question just why exactly you’re in the strange land of the Gentiles and not somewhere within the comfort zone of Israel. You’ll learn firsthand just how deep God’s love is for all people, Jew and Gentile alike.
A moving scene and a series best is when a younger boy hands you a toy to give to Jesus. When you deliver it, you’ll scratch your head, wondering why Jesus would want something like that. The Messiah makes it clear: the child has given his very best.
Likewise, author Elizabeth Raum has also offered her best. Her “Crossroads” series proves to be an invaluable resource. It’s an outstanding crossweave of history, hard lessons, and a love like no other. The series makes a great unity study or a companion piece to help kids delve deeper into Scripture.
It’s great for young students of the Bible, but even better for kids with short attention spans. Either way, kids will love flipping forward and then backward through the intersecting pages. This four-book series should quickly find a spot on your kids’ bookshelf. “Choose Your Journey: Crossroads” by Elizabeth Raum earns our highest recommendation.
A glossary, a short study guide, and a list of verses the stories are based on are included at the back of each book.
Author Elizabeth Raum has done a commendable job of pulling off the impossible. She has just about written the only set of books where kids are actually encouraged to skip whole chapters on purpose! Parents and teachers will also be surprised at how willing kids will be to flip back to the beginning and start all over again to pick a different path.
Raum makes sure her young readers never get lost or overwhelmed. With helpful, straightforward directions, she points them to the next jump point. Kids get to choose how to move forward based on one of two options provided at the end of each chapter. Kids don’t just get to choose a character, they’ll also have to make some tough choices for them too.
Most books written in this style usually offer a selection of choices, only to end up in the same place anyway. But that isn't the case with master storyteller Raum. The correct path may not always be apparent at first, but that’s all part of the fun. Each path ends up somewhere different as her cast of relatable young characters encounter Jesus.
In “Crossroads in Galilee,” you’ll learn that it’s not uncommon for disciples to be boys, and you happen to be one. You’ll have the choice to be baptized by John the Baptist. If you do, you’ll be left with a difficult decision: follow Jesus or stay with John and become one of his disciples.
If you choose Jesus, you may find yourself learning the hard lesson of Luke 9:61: “No one who begins a new life and then looks back at the old one is fit for the kingdom of God.”
But that’s okay. You can go back and pick another path as a fisherman’s sister or a tax collector’s brother.
In “Christmas Crossroads,” you can be a shepherd boy who sees angels; a boy accompanying the wise men on their camel ride following the star; or you can be a young girl assisting the village midwife in Bethlehem. You’ll get to meet the baby Jesus and help Mary as she rests.
In “Crossroads in Jerusalem,” you can be a servant girl to Joanna. She’s the wife of Herod's steward and one of the women mentioned in the Gospel of Luke who financially supported Jesus and his ministry, among other needs. Together, you and Joanna will get to experience the greatest kind of servitude of all: serving Jesus himself and serving others the way Jesus would, including lepers in the night.
In “Crossroads Among the Gentiles,” Elizabeth Raum leads us into the lands of Samaria and beyond, highlighting Jesus’s ministry to not only Israel but the whole world.
As the kid brother of the disciple Bartholomew, you’ll question just why exactly you’re in the strange land of the Gentiles and not somewhere within the comfort zone of Israel. You’ll learn firsthand just how deep God’s love is for all people, Jew and Gentile alike.
A moving scene and a series best is when a younger boy hands you a toy to give to Jesus. When you deliver it, you’ll scratch your head, wondering why Jesus would want something like that. The Messiah makes it clear: the child has given his very best.
Likewise, author Elizabeth Raum has also offered her best. Her “Crossroads” series proves to be an invaluable resource. It’s an outstanding crossweave of history, hard lessons, and a love like no other. The series makes a great unity study or a companion piece to help kids delve deeper into Scripture.
It’s great for young students of the Bible, but even better for kids with short attention spans. Either way, kids will love flipping forward and then backward through the intersecting pages. This four-book series should quickly find a spot on your kids’ bookshelf. “Choose Your Journey: Crossroads” by Elizabeth Raum earns our highest recommendation.
A glossary, a short study guide, and a list of verses the stories are based on are included at the back of each book.
May 1, 2018
First sentence:
Journey 1
A Child of Samaria
Your little sister never walks; she runs. She collects pebbles and makes tiny houses for stick people. And she chatters constantly. No wonder Mama is tired.
Premise/plot: Crossroads Among the Gentiles is essentially a Christian choose-your-own adventure novel. It features three interactive stories: "A Child of Samaria," "Bartholomew's Younger Brother," and "Susanna's Daughter." All three stories are set in Bible times during the ministry of Jesus Christ.
Each story has multiple opportunities for little readers to make a decision and determine the course of the story.
My thoughts: I love the premise of this one. I do. I enjoyed reading choose your own adventure stories as a kid. I'd have loved to read ones set in Biblical times as a kid. So I'm happy to recommend these now for Christian families. (I believe this is the THIRD book in their series.)
I am pleased with the back matter as well. I appreciate the fact that the author provides a list of bible stories she used as sources--as inspiration--for each of the three stories. Readers can go straight to the source and read these verses and stories themselves.
Journey 1
A Child of Samaria
Your little sister never walks; she runs. She collects pebbles and makes tiny houses for stick people. And she chatters constantly. No wonder Mama is tired.
Premise/plot: Crossroads Among the Gentiles is essentially a Christian choose-your-own adventure novel. It features three interactive stories: "A Child of Samaria," "Bartholomew's Younger Brother," and "Susanna's Daughter." All three stories are set in Bible times during the ministry of Jesus Christ.
Each story has multiple opportunities for little readers to make a decision and determine the course of the story.
My thoughts: I love the premise of this one. I do. I enjoyed reading choose your own adventure stories as a kid. I'd have loved to read ones set in Biblical times as a kid. So I'm happy to recommend these now for Christian families. (I believe this is the THIRD book in their series.)
I am pleased with the back matter as well. I appreciate the fact that the author provides a list of bible stories she used as sources--as inspiration--for each of the three stories. Readers can go straight to the source and read these verses and stories themselves.
October 5, 2018
This book brings back fond memories of choose your own adventure books, this time, Biblical adventures! I enjoyed all three adventure threads, and of course I went back through several times to make all the different choices. The Crossroads theme makes it a great tool for learning choices and consequences. Some choices were simply "what's next" while others were definitely "right or wrong" or "obedience VS my own way" so getting to see how these Crossroads impact each character's future I think will be a good thing for kids to observe. The fun of seeing life in Jesus's time, from kids, was great! A different perspective than what I usually read, so I was impressed. This was well written and makes you think. *please note that I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, and have chosen to review it here.
June 26, 2018
I found this book to be an accurate, very interesting retelling of many stories from the Gospels. I would have enjoyed it very much as a child, and I know my children would enjoy following the paths to see how the adventure changes.
August 2, 2018
I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. My heartfelt thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this opportunity. It is very much appreciated.
The main thing which intrigued me about this novel right from the get-go, was the fact that it was a choose-your own-adventure type of novel which I always found fascinating when I was a child.
This is a well written book for Christian families and I am confident that this would be a wonderful family story to read with your children. Children will enjoy picking their own paths throughout the story, and will become immersed n the world as it was during Biblical times.
I would definitely recommend this book to families with children who like to read quality stories with core Christian values throughout.
The main thing which intrigued me about this novel right from the get-go, was the fact that it was a choose-your own-adventure type of novel which I always found fascinating when I was a child.
This is a well written book for Christian families and I am confident that this would be a wonderful family story to read with your children. Children will enjoy picking their own paths throughout the story, and will become immersed n the world as it was during Biblical times.
I would definitely recommend this book to families with children who like to read quality stories with core Christian values throughout.
January 10, 2019
I LOVE CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURES! I found this book to be an accurate, very interesting retelling of many stories from the Gospels and I enjoyed all 3! I cant wait to share with kids.
February 7, 2019
Crossroads Among Gentiles is such a fun book. The premise is that you, the reader, are Gentile in the days when Jesus is doing his ministry. The reader is essentially a fly on the wall to the Bible stories and get to experience what Jesus was doing and hear what He was saying during his time on earth.
This book is unlike any I have ever read in that the story is ever changing. You start reading a section and at the end of that section, there is a decision to be made. For example, you are at Jacob's Well with your little sister while Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman (John 4). After Jesus talks with the woman, your sister gets tired and you have a decision to make, do you stay and listen to Jesus or do you go back home. The book tells you which section to jump to based on your decision and the story continues seamlessly from there.
My children (ages 3 & 5) loved this book because they felt like they were in control of the story. They really enjoyed getting to decide what to do next. I really loved this book because it is scripturally accurate and engaging for both adults and children alike.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This book is unlike any I have ever read in that the story is ever changing. You start reading a section and at the end of that section, there is a decision to be made. For example, you are at Jacob's Well with your little sister while Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman (John 4). After Jesus talks with the woman, your sister gets tired and you have a decision to make, do you stay and listen to Jesus or do you go back home. The book tells you which section to jump to based on your decision and the story continues seamlessly from there.
My children (ages 3 & 5) loved this book because they felt like they were in control of the story. They really enjoyed getting to decide what to do next. I really loved this book because it is scripturally accurate and engaging for both adults and children alike.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews