Review “Under Drake’s Flag” audio drama

Heirloom Audio Productions has produced an incredible product that I had the opportunity to review called
Under Drake’s Flag !  

It’s an audio drama on two CDs which lasts for two hours. We listened to it as a family while we were driving on vacation last month.  It’s part of a series called “The Extraordinary Adventures of G. A. Henry.” G. A, Henty is a Christian British author from the 1800s who has written many, many historical fiction novels.  We have tried to listen to a couple of his books on CD, but never got very far. However, this adaptation of one of his books into audio theater was exactly what my kids needed to get interested!

 

What I liked:

The story of Under Drake’s Flag was exciting and fast-paced.  The main characters were teen boys who are learning to be men, so that kept my older boys’ interest.  The boys end up on Captain Drake’s ship, so they learn about him and the things that he did. The boys do heroic things like saving people from drowning and even fighting off a shark.  But the best part is how they grew in their faith, promising never to denounce Christ and the faith they believe in, even when caught by the Spanish during the Inquisition of the 1500s.

The production side of the audio drama was incredible– the script, the acting, the music was all top-notch!  The wonderful musical score was composed by John Campbell, who also worked with “Adventures in Odyssey” and “Lamplighter Theatre”!  I also loved the sound effects.  Everything worked perfectly to get you into the story!

What I didn’t like:

The only thing I didn’t like was that Sir Francis Drake is exalted to more of a hero status than I think he deserves.  I can see why the Spanish called him a pirate; he did loot and steal.

Other items reviewed:
We reviewed the physical audio CDs that comes with Study Guide and Prayer inside, as well as a longer Study Guide that is a PDF download. Let me tell you a little about the CD case Study Guide. The study guide has something for each track on the CD. There are some questions which are called Listening Well that are an opportunity to quiz the kids on what they heard. Then there are Thinking Further questions that really get the students to delve into deeper discussions about the plot, the characters, their actions, etc. Last, there are Defining Words for vocabulary study.  My favorite part of the Study Guide is the Bible Study section at the back.  There are three Bible Studies included called “Godly Character,” “True Manhood,” and “Confessing Christ.” The downloadable study guide includes all of the above, plus more. Each section simply has more questions in it.

Age Range:

This is best for ages 6-adult. Some parents may feel that the subject matter is too heavy for younger kids. You might want to listen to it first before having children as young as six listen to it.

Follow “Under Drake’s Flag” on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/UnderDrakesFlag

Read our Review of In Freedom’s Cause: The Real Story of Wallace and Bruce. 

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