Book Club: The Door in the Dragon's Throat

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Our younger son loves to read! When asked to pick out potential gifts, he circled quite a number of books which made us quite happy. While I love gifting him things like Lego, reading is one hobby that I really want to foster in our son. My husband enjoys books by Frank E. Peretti, so we selected the first in The Cooper Kids Adventures series for him – The Door in the Dragon's Throat. It is a fast-paced Christian adventure book for pre-teens and teens. 

The Story 

"A mystery as old as the desert sands..." 

The Door in the Dragon's Throat starts with a conversation between President Al-Dallam and Gozan discussing the arrival of the archaeologist, Dr. Jake Cooper, his two children, and his small team. Dr. Cooper is there to uncover the truth behind an ancient legend involving a mysterious door hidden in a dark cavern called the Dragon's Throat. 

Danger quickly rears its ugly head in the eyes of a cobra and then a rumbling of the earth a short time later. Dr. Jake Cooper's children, Jay and Lila, explore the mysteries right alongside their father as they take faith in the knowledge that God will protect them. 

Including The Door in the Dragon's Throat Into Your Homeschool Day 

This book offers so many ways you can incorporate it into your homeschool day. From vocabulary to literature lessons, you can also spend time learning about earthquakes, characterization, and the Bible. What activities will you fit into your homeschool lessons? 

Vocabulary 

Define the following words with your homeschooler: 

• Primitive 
• Rampant
• Magnificent
• Conveyances
• Seismometer 
• Observant 
• Surrender
• Undulating 
• Discernible  
• Passageways 
• Reversible 
• Perilous  
• Expedition 
• Inscription 

Study History 

While reading The Door in the Dragon's Throat, there are a number of geographical places for your child to study. You can research the ancient civilizations of Babylon and Chaldea, as well as study Nimrod. In addition to studying the civilizations, your child can label a map of the Middle East from the past as well as today.

Science 

During the course of the novel, there are a few natural occurrences and locations that you can study with your child. For example, earthquakes play a prominent role in the story. Dr. Cooper and this team bring a Geiger counter to take measurements and they do a visual check for any geophysical indications, cracks, or fissures that the area was different or unsafe. 

What about the animals that show up in the book? Take the time to study cobras, scorpions, and vipers. 

Cobras 

• Venomous snake 
• Lives 20 to 30 years 
• Lays 12 to 60 eggs, depending on the specific breed of cobra 
• Cobras live in Africa and Asia

Scorpions 

• A variety of species lives in Africa 
• Member of the arachnid class 

Vipers 

• A variety of vipers lives in Africa, including the largest one – the Gaboon viper 
• Most vipers eat small to medium-sized animals 

Language Arts Lessons 

There are many wonderful characters in The Door in the Dragon's Throat. There are a number of activities your child can do to help them describe the characters in Peretti's book. They can create trading cards, a photo album, and more to demonstrate what they know about the characters. 

Characters include: 

• Jay Cooper 
• Lila Cooper
• Dr. Jake Cooper 
• The Shaman of the Desert 
• Gozan 
• President Al-Dellam 
• Jeff 
• Bill 
• Tom 

Questions to Discuss 

1. How would you retell the Gospel to someone who has not heard it before and who has no background knowledge of the Bible? 
2. What Bible verses would you read or recite to calm your fears? 
3. How is the Door described? 
4. What was the scariest moment in the story for you? 

Books give us the opportunity to learn more about the world around us. They can be wonderful forms of entertainment and education. Our children can enjoy mysteries, adventure stories, and nonfiction. We only have to find out what they like and the world can be open to them through books. If you are looking for more exciting books for your pre-teen and teen, read my review of Britfield & The Lost Crown.