Do You Have a Secret?

Last year after reading Books One and Two of the Secret of the Hidden Scrolls from WorthyKids, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Colby and I began anticipating when the next two in the series would be published.  They are finally here and we are so excited to share a review with you! The Great Escape (Book #3) and Journey to Jericho (Book #4) did not disappoint.  Written by M.J. Thomas, these two paperbacks, about 120 pages each, continue the adventures of siblings Mary and Peter and their dog Hank.  While staying with their great uncle Solomon, they discover secret scrolls that, with the roar of a lion, transport them back into ancient Bible times.

The Great Escape sees the kids transported to Egypt during the times of the plagues.  There they meet a princess, Shephara, and witness the plagues first hand- rivers of blood, uncountable frogs, gnats and flies, dead animals, boils, and finally the death of the firstborn children.  In a race against time, the kids follow Moses into the desert chased by Pharaoh and the Grand Magician, trying to solve the secret of the hidden scroll before it is too late.

In Journey to Jericho Mary and Peter discover their archeologist great uncle was once a spy.  After explaining he had once discovered an artifact that could help prove the Bible was true, he told them he had since dedicated his life to that mission.  Once again, the roar of a lion sends the kids on a new adventure, this time to the city of Jericho.  There they meet Rahab and she helps them escape the city before its destruction.

Written for ages 6-9, with a reading level of 1-3rd graders, these little books are admittedly a simple read for my son who is a sixth grader.  None the less, we LOVE these stories and I highly recommend them for elementary and middle schoolers.  They also make fabulous family read alouds- if you can commandeer them from your child's room.  While they are fiction and embellished for the sake of fun, they do tell the intended Bible story well, backed with facts from the Bible.  They are exciting, well written, and encourage faithfulness and steadfastness, as exhibited in the actions of the siblings, Peter and Mary who don't give up, even when afraid of overwhelmed.

 

So how did we "use" these books?  Well, of course as soon as they arrived in our mailbox they were whisked away by my son.  We read the first two in the series out loud together, but this time he insisted that was silly and he knew how to read!  Oh, how fast they grow up!  As we do with all our our "school" books, (we are homeschoolers after all) I did require Colby to write a summary of each book after he read them.  This helps me know he understood them, as well as continues to help him improve on his writing and summarizing skills.  I typically have him write one paragraph about the book, and one paragraph on what he liked about the book.

What you probably cannot see is what he said, so let me share with you some of his thoughts-
"The most exciting part is when they have to escape the man in black.  I also like when they sneak into Jericho."  "...it is exciting and it also shows you what happened in the Bible." "I really like when they get clues to solve the puzzles."

If you are looking for a fun read for your kids, maybe even a fun Easter present, The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series is one we think you will enjoy!

Sixty fellow Crew members also had the opportunity to review The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls books, including three that have done amazing video reviews.  By clicking on the banner below, you can see them all!