The Cooper Kids Adventure Series by Frank Peretti: My Experience

"Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self," -Cyril Connolly

Growing up in a Christian school and being an avid reader, my beloved elementary library was packed to the brim with good (and bad) Christian fiction.  From about second to fourth grade, I was obsessed with the Cooper Kids series by Frank Peretti.  If you weren't a nineties Christian kid, these books are about Jay and Lila Cooper and their dad.  The 8 books focus on their adventures and the mysteries they solve across the globe, with an appropriate dose of evangelical faith.

I remember falling in love with this series, determined to get my hands on all 8 books.  I was enthralled by the clever, descriptive writing, hooked by the intensity and action, amazed by the complexity and mystery, in awe of the characters' perseverance and faith. Little did I know, however, that these stories would shape me into the writer I am today.

The Cooper Kids series has been described as 'Indiana Jones mixed with Stephen king with a good dose of religion', which, I realize, is a good descriptor for my writing - from the mere flittings of ideas I have to my short stories to my full-length novels. Like this series, my writing is not afraid to push the envelope in terms of content.  Many Christian books don't even want to approach the invisible line between Christian fiction and secular fiction. Peretti, however, addresses the secular and the Christian, and, ultimately, has the motive to convert.  For example, my current novel is about two teenagers who get in a plane crash, and all this weird stuff starts happening.  But under that, it is a story from lost to found, of hope and redemption, of pain and strife, all via Jesus Christ.  On that note, the Coopers meet many people along their adventures, some who come to the light and some who reject it.  Realism in a realistic world - mostly.

These books tackle the paranormal in a supernatural way.  In a dark way.  The Cooper Kids Adventure Series are dark and edgy, but always contain the power and hope of Jesus Christ - which is all I aim to write about. All that I want - all that I need - to write about is the gritty realistic truth. The dark, the dirty, the hard-to-swallow, while never taking the focus off of the beaming hope of salvation.

I highly recommend the Cooper Kids series by Frank Peretti for any kid you know - or for the adventurous child inside you.

~The WordShaker

Poem: Equality Parts 1&2, and an Update on Mobile Orchestra

"Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words,"

-Edgar Allen Poe

A list of small facts about yours truly:

1. I am a bad, pathetic poet.

2. Please refer to #1.

But I was feeling inspired, so here's something I whipped up.

Equality by Olivia J

I.

Somehow, we have this idea

That we could all be the same in this area

But it's not hard to see that we're not all the same

Even though this causes much bane.

In this world,

I have been told

that equality is the answer

when our selfish desires are the romancer.

However, I am not trying to say

that malice is okay

because everyone deserves some basic human respect

but we must remember that diversity makes our world flecked.

The only point I desire to get across,

And I'll make sure not to gloss,

over the fact that human nature

is quite evil, and we should only denature

By the grace of Jesus Christ

because I know that my heart has been a heist.

II.

Equality can never be obtained

unless we are drained

of our imperfections

by the perfect one.

But what is equality, anyways?

Just a rouse to keep our insecurities at bay?

Accept and love yourself.

We shouldn't care about anyone on the lonely shelf.

If you're angry at society,

If this is a source of anxiety,

Why is it any of your business

that your peers make progress?

Even if you don't agree,

why can't we live in harmony?

Because harmony means different notes

and then, we could finally float.

And remember, that variety is the spice of life;

So, if I may ask, could we let go of the strife?

Lastly, I would like to give an update on my review of Owl City's Mobile Orchestra.  Like most of his music, it grew on me.  I like Can't Live Without You much more now.  I realize why Mobile Orchestra is so all-over-the-place, so to speak.  This quote, found on the Owl City website, explains it all.

“Mobile Orchestra is all about variety,” he asserts. “In the past, I’ve set out to make albums that were designed to be a singular listening experience, flowing from track to track. This time around, the songs are like ten rabbit holes that go off in different directions. I had never approached a record like this. I wanted to clear the slate and forget what I knew in order to create a new experience. I spent two years working on it, and it had the time to grow in between every idea. That’s why there’s so much going on.”

I understand the concept behind what Adam is saying here, I just don't know that I like it.  Again, it took me a while to get used to the blend of old and new sounds found on this album, but overall, I really do like it.

Peace, Love and Never Stop Writing,

~The WordShaker