I am always curious to see how author's weave Bible stories into fiction, and I also have children who like to read and listen to stories, so I was delighted by an opportunity to review the first two books in The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series by MJ Thomas from WorthyKids/Ideals:
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- The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Beginning (Book #1)
- The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: Race to the Ark (Book #2)
These two books - intended to be independent reads for ages 6-9 or enjoyed by the entire family as read togethers - are filled with adventure, time travels, and Bible stories, which capture children's attention while building on their faith and knowledge. Each paperback book is about 100 pages long with illustrations sprinkled throughout.
In the vein of other back-in-time book series, The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls is meant for elementary school-aged readers who enjoy short chapters filled with mystery, imagination, and fun. Unlike many other similar books, though, books in The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series focus on teaching kids about the Bible. In fact, when author M.J. Thomas went looking for engaging books that would teach kids about the Bible, he had no luck finding any, so he decided to write such books himself. He then named the main characters after his son Peter, niece Mary, and dog, Hank. I think this was a fun fact - and I just love when authors take initiative to write engaging fiction to fill a niche that is lacking.
When these books came into our home, I read the first chapters of the first book to all three of my children together and - then-surprise for me! - my reluctant reader middle child asked if she could try reading the story to me. So, we've been doing that together, taking the story quite slowly as she flusters easily when decoding.
She has also been attempting to read ahead during her read to self time. To me, this is a BIG WIN! She says:
Meanwhile, my oldest, a voracious reader and sometimes impatient child opted to take the first and second books to read on his on. Doing so took him only a few nights of bedtime reading. He said:I like how they ended up back in time when they dropped the scroll and it broke open. They went back in time to when there was nothing - the beginning.
The book follows the Bible story pretty well, but there are some parts that are different. I think it is fun to take the things from the story and o compare them to the real Bible.
I also like the poem in the book. It was cool how they changed the font.
I want to finish all of them!
They are pretty good. I like reading. These books were in the house. I was curious about them and read them.
I asked him to tell me more, and he decided we should have a short interview:
What is the premise of the books?
These two kids go to visit their Great Uncle while their parents are away. He is an archeologist who found cool scrolls, and the scrolls can transport you back in time to times in the Bible, so they go back in time.
Where do they go in Book One and what happens?
They go back to Creation and the Garden of Eden. They meet the Archangel Michael and run into an evil snake. It follows the Bible story well, but adds things, like, there were not boats during that time,so that's kind of not real.
What was your favorite part of that story?
The part where they were fighting the snake. They go tricked by the snake, and, then fought him, but I don't want to spoil the story...
Where do they go in Book Two and what happens?
They heard a lion's roar, went in the library, grabbed the scroll, and were transported back in time to the Great Flood. They got into fights with bad kids from that time period and there was an evil guy called the Dark Ruler who they got in trouble with.
What was your favorite part of that story?
I liked when they fight the Dark Ruler.
Do you think the books were put together?
I think they were easy to understand and I liked the quick chapters, but I would have liked the books to be a bit longer because I like long books. The illustrations helped me imagine what the characters looked like. I liked Peter better than Mary, because I didn't like how Mary seemed to know everything. That was kind of weird. I also liked Hank the Dog, because he as important. He did all kinds of things to help Peter and Mary.
Would you recommend these books and, if so, to whom?
Yes! I recommend them to those who want to have exciting stories about the Bible. I also think they would be good for beginning readers. I would read other books in this series. I hope the author writes ones about David and Goliath, Saint Paul, and the Judges.
My youngest child said this about the books:
He has also begun to read the books alone. (Another win!)I like how they go back in time, and I like Hank. I like when Mom reads them to me.
So, I think it is clear: MJ Thomas met his mission of weaving Bible stories into engaging fiction for children to read. All three of my children have been enjoying The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series, and we hope to read more as new books come out.
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Seventy-five Homeschool Review Crew families had a chance to read and review these books. Click through the banner to find links to what everyone thought.
