(Youth Specialties Zondervan Publishing House

Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2001)

Reviewed by Brendon Prutzman, Youth Pastor, Spencerville SDA Church, Spencerville, Maryland

Summary: A review of a book full of games for church youth groups.

Games 3 comes through with about every game you could possible play with your youth group. The book starts off by listing the games in a table of contents and also includes an alphabetical list. Youth groups from all over the country have submitted the games, so you know that they work. I used some at our mid-week youth Bible study and they were a great success.

Another outstanding point the book offers is that it will work for any size group located anywhere. It does not matter if you are a large group looking for an outdoor game, if you are a small group looking for a game to play in the fellowship hall or you are just looking for a game to play in your living room. They are all there in a format that makes it easy to find the game, even if you are in a hurry.

Many of the games are not activities for Sabbath School. In fact, most of the games are not games I would use at church. They work really well for other occasions like Vacation Bible School or Day Camp, but many are active games that would be hard to use when kids are all dressed up for church. If you are willing to search a little or to adapt the games, then they could become acceptable during this time.

Another bit of advice I have to give is that you should be mindful of preparation time. Many of the games you find in the book require that supplies and equipment be set up. You need to plan ahead and not wait until the last minute. So if you know you need a great game, look a little ahead of time so you can have your supplies ready.

Overall I think this is an excellent book to add to your collection, especially if you already have The Ideas Library published by Youth Specialties. The collection is a great asset to have for youth ministry. No youth minister should be without the set!