Beyond Belief: The Adventure Begins by Ronald Crouch

 Get ready for a fun read full of cool adventures!

Title: Beyond Belief the Adventure Begins

Author: Ronald Crouch

Illustrations: Grigori Grigoryan

ISBN: 9798672287836 

Review:

Kenai is stuck with the Chump’s. His mom and dad left him in their care while they did a series of magic shows on the road. They were only supposed to be gone for a few weeks but over time they were missing and presumed dead. Now Kenai was really stuck going door-to-door with the Chump’s while they pedaled religion. Behind closed doors they were not as nice as they seemed especially to Kenai. He was stuck in the attic with trunks full of his parent’s keepsakes. He liked having his own space away from them. He felt connected to his parents and read the Beyond Belief books they kept about paranormal activity. He also enjoyed reading Cognitive Biases his mother read and which could teach a person some psychological tricks. 

Kenai’s life took a turn for the better when Uncle Freeman knocked on the door. He arrived with interesting gadgets and tools. He explained that he knew Kenai when he was little. The two became fast friends and shared similar interests. Soon they had a plan to debunk the Chumps. Unfortunately, it resulted in them both being kicked out of the house. Which worked out great because then they could search for Kenai’s parents because Uncle Freeman thinks they are alive. 

Traveling across the country in Uncle Freeman’s old camper gave Kenai a chance to learn, grow, and see some amazing things. With the discovery of some helpful tips from photos and magazines the duo got a few leads but also discover that Men in Black are real. With the discovery of a flash drive with insight into Kenai’s parents’ real mission of looking for creatures like big foot and unexplained phenomenon, Kenai and Uncle Freeman are more determined than ever to find them. The problem is do the MIBs have Kenai’s parents or has some more sinister thing happened to them? 

This story of family and friendship has plenty of humor and adventure. Readers will get a sense of how they can be skeptics by following the main characters lead on acquiring knowledge and learning how to separate fact from fiction. This fast read would be perfect for a read-a-loud in a classroom or at home. Parents and teachers will find this an engaging read with a relatable character. This is also a great book to discuss the unexplained and help readers learn how to research to find answers on their own.

Ronald Crouch Ph.D is a child psychologist and winner of the Harry s. Truman and Jack Kent Cook Fellowships Over the course of his career “Dr Ron,” as he is affectionately known, has worked with thousands of children and parents. Through ups and downs joys and tragedies breakthroughs and heartbreaks, he has been a wise counselor to parents and a caring friend for kids. His personal motto is “its never too late to have a happy childhood.” 

https://raisingaskepticalkid.com

I recently had one of the very best experiences I've ever had as an author. A teacher assigned the book to her 4th grade class and then asked me if I could do a zoom author visit. The kids were amazing and the questions were so much fun. I did it with my ten year old, who inspired the main character, and they had so many great questions for him. I'm sharing all this to say: if you happen to know of a teacher who would like to do something like this please pass along my information. They don't even have to buy the book. I truly enjoyed connecting with kids like this and inspiring them to read!