Mealtime Moments

I know I haven't posted any news in, like, forever, and I used to post every little thing that ever happened in the Odyssey blogosphere, but I thought this was pretty newsworthy, particularly because I just saw it a couple of minutes ago. ;)

Apparently Odyssey is releasing another devotional, right on the heels of the first one they ever released. This one is called "Mealtime Moments," and will be written from the sole perspective of Whit, rather than various Odyssey characters, as in the first devotional. However, I was especially interested by the artwork for this new devotional. Rather than the typical Wooton-Connie-Eugene-Whit picture, this one features Whit, but also the entire Jones family!

I really like how everyone looks in this picture. Mr. and Mrs. Jones look perfect, Barrett looks great as well (he needed a nice haircut), and even though Emily looks starkly different than she ever has previously, I like the change, for the most part. Her face is more kiddish, and while it doesn't necessarily fit her voice, it fits her character and her supposed age better. Plus, there's no longer any makeup, which I always had a problem with. :P

What do you think of the picture? Please comment and tell me!

--Christian

The Official Guide, Second Edition

The official cover for the second edition of the AIO Official Guide is revealed!

Looks like those of us who guessed that the previously-released "mystery art" was the cover to this book were correct. I don't think it looks as great as the first edition, but it still looks good. It'd be nice if the art covered more of the cover, but I guess it is what it is.

I have to admit, I'm not nearly as excited about this as I was when the first edition was out, but it is still pretty cool. I don't know if I'm going to buy it or not.... I really do want the new information about Albums 51-56, but I'm not convinced that it's worth it, when I'll just be getting another copy of the information about Albums 1-50.

What's your opinion about the artwork? Will you buy the book? Please comment!

EDIT: I just saw this story that features a real-life guy named Barrett Jones. And he's a Christian! And he's even got reddish hair!

Check it out here.

I Laughed Out Loud!

Lately, I haven't been posting much Odyssey news, but when I saw this picture just like two minutes ago, I knew I had to post it:

Isn't that like the best art from Gary Locke ever?! I love it! It makes me want to get the book, just so I can hold it in my hands! Oh, it's so cool!!

Now, I have been somewhat disappointed at the emphasis in recent artwork on these four main characters, but I think the action in the picture is so good that it makes up for the use of the usual characters yet again.

What are your thoughts?

Am I in a Passages Book?!

No, actually, I'm not. But that would be cool! :P

About a year ago, either in late spring or early fall, I don't remember, the AIO team created an opportunity for fans of the Passages series to endorse the books. I think it even included receiving some of the books if your entry was used in any of the republished books. Gooey98/Will has brought it back to my attention that it would appear that I am one of the people who ended up getting on the final cut of the endorsements page. Brock's blog posted a picture of the page that I believe he is referring to around the time that the contest was announced. Here it is:

The paragraph in question is the third one right in the middle which, as you can see, is signed, "Christian A., age 14 Martin Tennessee." Well, though I'd like to get credit for writing that endorsement, I can't. There are two problems with it. First of all, when this picture was released, I was only thirteen. I didn't turn fourteen until September. Secondly, if you scroll down this page and look on the left side of the blog, you will see an "About Me" paragraph. And if you click on to my Blogger Profile, you will see that I live in Ohio, not Tennessee.

So, sorry to disappoint those of you who thought you knew someone whose name was in a book. ;) Although, there is another way that could be true. If you haven't noticed before, on the "Acknowledgements" page of the Official Guide (First Edition, 2008), there are some people you may know listed. Jacob Isom, the webmaster of The Odyssey Scoop is there; along with Chris and Sarah from The Unofficial Adventures in Odyssey Podcast, and Corey/Shadowpaw, the creator of The Soda Fountain, AIO Wiki, and The Town of Odyssey. So if you've ever communicated with any of those people, you do know someone whose name is in a book after all. (And their ministry is probably way better than mine would have been had I been the one to write that endorsement for Passages.)

Books

Remember that picture I posted a couple months ago from the AIO Wiki?



As posted today at the same place, this is the cover for the upcoming October release of The Fight for Kidsboro, a large compilation of the first four Kidsboro books. Here is the summary the Wiki gave:

Kidsboro is a small town in the woods behind Whit’s End in Odyssey. It’s a nice little place. It has a church, a store, a police station, a bakery, a weekly newspaper . . . and a total of zero citizens over the age of 14. It’s a town run by kids. Ryan Cummings, the mayor, helps enforce the laws, create new job opportunities, and in general, keep the peace in a town where he seems to have lots of friends and only a few enemies. The Kidsboro series teaches not only moral and biblical principles, but also concepts of government, politics, economic principles, the judicial system, United States history, and Bible stories. The Fight for Kidsboro is a compilation of the 4 books from this popular series.

I have the Kidsboro books, and I really like them. Marshal Younger is nearly as good a writer as Paul McCusker is for the Passages books. They all have great storylines, and I hope some day they get transferred over into the audio series. You can check this book out here.

There's also been a release of the description for the fifth Imagination Station book, Showdown with the Shepherd, which is also coming out in October of this year:

The key to adventure lies within your imagination! Cousins Patrick and Beth go to the Holy Land in the tenth century BC. Their goal is to get back the ring Hugh stole and return him to 1450s England where he belongs. But troubles await them as soon as they step out of the Imagination Station. First they meet an angry bear and later an angry giant. Set against the backdrop of the David and Goliath story, the cousins learn that having a giant faith is more important than having a giant on your side.

I've never read the Imagination Station books, because they seem to be directed more toward younger children, but if you're interested, you can go here for more information.

There's also one more book that was announced with a description today--the sixth Imagination Station book, Problems in Plymouth:

The Imagination Station Adventures continue! Patrick and Beth’s next adventure leads them to Plymouth Plantation in 1621. There they meet William Bradford, Miles Standish, and Chief Massasoit, who are trying to establish peace between the Pilgrims and the Indians. Things are anything but peaceful, however, when a musket is stolen and the Pilgrims conclude the Indians are planning war. Only Patrick and Beth know who the real thief is—the traitor Hugh—and it’s up to the cousins to find him and stop him from causing trouble. When the cousins hear a gunshot during the first Thanksgiving feast, their worst fears are realized. They rush to the Mayflower and try to set right history, even as Hugh desperately tries to change it.

This book is also due to come out in October of this year.

Finally, while I was at the Wiki, I decided to take a look at the Album 54 page, and when I got there, I saw this mockup cover of the album, and I thought I'd share it with you:

In my opinion, it looks much better with the border around it, and I can definitely see this looking good on the front of an album now.

Thanks for reading! Please comment!