The Secret of the HIdden Scrolls

Another day, another book.  Well, two books!  And yay us- we love books.  Thanks to Worthy Kids/Ideals, we have enjoyed reading and reviewing The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Beginning (Book One) and The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: Race to the Ark (Book Two).  

Written for ages 6-9, these two paperbacks are Christian Fiction with the Bible in mind.  Book One- The Beginning introduces siblings Peter and Mary.  The two are dropped off at their eccentric great-uncle’s house to stay while their parents are away.  After entering Great-Uncle Solomon’s library, which he says is filled with more treasures than just books, the siblings find a glowing pot filled with scrolls. Their uncle tells them that he discovered the scrolls during his work as an archeologist, and that he believes they are the Hidden Scrolls of the Bible and will only work for those that are chosen.

When the seal is broken on one of the scrolls, the kids are transported back in time to the beginning of time.  Their real adventure begins as they experience first hand the days of creation.  As they walk through the creation of the world, Peter and Mary have a puzzle to solve to be able to return to the library and their uncle.  In doing so, they encounter the serpent in the garden and the arch angel Michael, as well as many truths about God and the Bible.

In the second book, Race to the Ark, Peter and Mary’s adventures continue as they hear the lion roar and a second seal is broken and they are transported back to the time of Noah’s Ark.  In this book, Michael appears again to rescue the kids from being chased by two unfriendly kids and reminds them that God is always with them.  Peter and Mary meet Noah and his family and watch the flood events unfold before their eyes.  With another puzzle to solve and a Dark Ruler to avoid, Peter and Mary must once again find a way back home.

Our experience and thoughts- 

 I say it often, but it is worth repeating, I love books with Christian themes for kids.  No, they should not learn their theology from them, and yes, they should learn of God's truths from the Bible, but it is also refreshing to be able to let them read a book big on Christian themes and low on controversy and questionable topics or bad language.  And by low, I mean NONE!

Just this past week, I again read of a friend whose child was exposed to a bunch of JUNK from a book from the library.  And just like that shocked and outraged mom, I simply do not have time to read every book that my kids are reading beforehand.  I wish I did, but the reality is I do not.  

When you can find publishers like Worthy Publishers and books like The Secrets of the Hidden Scrolls, I chalk it up as a win!  No worries about content found here!

Colby, age 10, read both of these books on his own, although I did read them afterwards- on my own! ;)  He read the first in one sitting and the second he read over two days.  They are written at a 1-3rd grade level so it was a very simple read for him.  None the less, he loved the stories. 

With simple sentences and fun ink drawings every few pages, I have no doubt young readers will be able to read, enjoy, and comprehend these books.

He said the puzzle part of the story was "fun" and he wished he could go back in time like Peter and Mary did.  When asked what his favorite part from the first book was he said, "I like when Peter threatened to release his karate on the serpent and the serpent said he did not know what karate was. Peter said 'you are about to find out' and then Mary kicked the snake.  It was hysterical!"

Would I recommend these books?  You bet!  And we hope more are coming in the series. Although the author, M.J. Thomas, very much uses creative license in telling the stories of Creation and Noah's Ark, both of these books are worthy of your bookshelf in my opinion.  They are fun adventures with a beautiful overarching theme of God's care and love for you! The lesson in the first book was God Created Everything.  The lesson in the second book was Trust God and He Will Rescue You.  Not bad themes to teach your kids, huh?!