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When we were given the opportunity to review The Great Escape (Book #3) and Journey to Jericho (Book #4), my youngest cheered. He remembered Books # 1 and #2 of the series, which we'd read for a prior review, well, and was excited to see where the two main characters - Mary and Peter - and their dog, Hank, would go next. My daughter was curious, too. So, as soon as the books came into the house, we began reading them together.
What Is the Premise of the Secret of the Hidden Scrolls?
In The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series, two siblings, who are staying with their Great Uncle Solomon, end up traveling back in time with their Dog, Hank, to different Biblical periods, having to solve mysteries on scrolls in order to return to present times.
While in Biblical times, the threesome meet real Biblical characters, witness key Biblical events, face evil, and solve mysteries. As they do, readers become engaged in adventure, imagination, and fun, while also learning more about Bible stories.
Why Were These Books Written?
Author M.J. Thomas went looking for engaging books that would teach kids about the Bible, but could not find any to his liking. So, he decided to write such books himself, naming the main characters after his son, Peter, niece, Mary, and dog, Hank.
He wrote the books so they could be read as independent reads for children ages 6-9 at a grades 1-3 reading level or enjoyed as read togethers.
Each 100+ page softcover book includes adventure, time travels, and Bible stories that capture children's attention while building their faith and knowledge, and the books conclude with references to encourage families to dig deeper into the actual Bible.
What is The Great Escape About?
My daughter offered to tell you about Book #3. She said:
The Great Escape is about two children named Mary and Peter who travel back in time with their dog, Hank, to the time of Moses. They land in the middle of the desert and somehow find themselves inside a pyramid, where a black panther tries to attack them.
Mary and Peter escape, swim across the Nile River, and meet a girl named Shephara. The girl invites them to her house, and they discover that Shephara is a princess.
Shephara, Mary, and Peter witness Shephara's father, the pharaoh, refuse Moses' request to let the Israelites go for the first time. The Nile River then turns to blood. The same sort of pattern goes on for all the plagues except for when the firstborn son of every family dies. For that final plague, Mary, Peter, and Hank end up with the Israelites and Peter is not killed by the Angel of Death.
Then, Peter and Mary travel across the Nile River with the Israelites before they solve the secret of the hidden scroll and return to present day.
They ask Great Uncle Solomon what happened to their friends in Egypt and reads them the Bible story.
Even with the pattern of the plagues, the book does not get boring. The author M.J. Thomas keeps it entertaining by presenting things in different ways, such as Peter's journal, Shephara dealing with the plagues because her father is so stubborn and listens to his "Great Magician" who does "magic" (tricks).
I have read the story of the plagues and Moses and his people's deliverance from Egypt in the Bible and think that this book keeps to the real story. It just adds fictional characters to help readers picture themselves back then.
The book also has a couple pages that tell you where in the Bible to find the people, places, and events from the story.
I would recommend this book to kids who like entertaining chapter books written with simple words and a few illustrations. People who like fiction, the Bible, and Bible History will like this book.
What Is Journey to Jericho About?
My youngest son offered to tell you about Book #4. He said:
I read Journey to Jericho over my mom's shoulder as she read the book to my sister and me. In this book, two kids named Mary and Peter and their dog, Hank, travel back in time to the fall of Jericho. They carry with them spy gear from their Uncle Solomon and a scroll with secret words they have to solve in order to get back to Uncle Solomon's house.
In the beginning of the story, Mary and Peter are at their Uncle Solomon's house and discover a secret room. They go in it, and Uncle Solomon finds them. He tells them about how he was a spy and gives them supplies and spy names - the Bear and the Monkey.
Then, Peter and Mary hear the lion's roar and know it is time to travel back in Bible history. They end up in the Israelites tent with the tabernacle, are caught, and are accused of being spies. They get out of that trouble and being welcome in the Israelites camp.
Later, they follow spies into Jericho, defend a young girl who is bullied, and make friends with her family. Her family helps them escape from a Man in Black and get out of Jericho.
They hide in the mountain, cross the Jordan (which was hard), witness the Israelites marching around Jericho, and sneak back into Jericho to warn the friends they made there to escape.
The Man in Black tries to catch them and steal their scrolls, but due to the angel Michael and Mary's spy skills, he fails. The walls fall and the secret of the scroll is solved just as Mary, Peter, and Hank were going to get stuck back in time.
Mary and Peter fall into the couch of Uncle Solomon and ask Uncle Solomon to read them the rest of the Bible story about Jericho. They ask if the Ark of the Covenant was ever found, and Uncle Solomon says, "No, not yet." They reply, "Maybe we can help." Uncle Solomon then says, they have more adventures to come.
I thought it was interesting to see how Mary and Peter's story joined in with the real story of the fall of Jericho, which I already knew about. It is fun to read about the kids' adventures and to kind of imagine what it would be like to be them. This book is a good way for people who know the Bible stories to see them in a new way and for people that don't to learn about them.
I would recommend this story to younger listeners and readers who want to learn about the Bible in a different way.
In these books, author M.J. Thomas brings readers on adventures back to Biblical times alongside siblings Peter and Mary and their dog, Hank.
The recommended reading age is ages 6-9, or grades 1-3, and I'd say that is right on target. I will also add that the stories, though relatively simple, are written well enough that even my 11 year old child with dyslexia remained engaged reading an occasional page to me and having me read the rest.
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I appreciate how each of the books we've read from The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series engages my children with a clever combination of Bible stories and fun characters solving a mystery as they adventure back through time to key Bible events.
If you'd like to read about the first two books in the series, read our prior review.
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| Learn about Books 1 and 2. |
Want more opinions about Books 3 and 4? Click on through to read any of the sixty Homeschool Crew Review family's thoughts about these books.
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| Read all the reviews! |
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