Little Homeschool on the Prairie: The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Review

Are you looking for some wholesome books for your kids? At the beginning of the year I reviewed some books in a series from WorthyKids Books. The last few weeks the family was able to read more books in this series. The newest books in the series: Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Shepherd's Stone (Book 5) and Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Lion's Roar (Book 6) has a lot of adventure in these fast paced stories.

If you haven’t read any of the other books in the series don’t worry as the books can stand-alone. The books are paperback chapter books and are written for ages 6-9/grades 1-3. The reading age is appropriate for the books in words and context. Both books are 120 pages. The books have a few black and white illustrations throughout.

The author M.J. Thomas wrote this series for his son, Peter. He wanted books from a Biblical perspective that would be fun and would capture his son’s imagination. After searching he decided to write his own series of books. The characters are named after his son, niece, and his dog Hank.

It's so hard to find wholesome books that are fun to read today. This series is wholesome and from a Biblical Worldview!

The series are centered on siblings Mary, Peter, and their faithful & protective dog Hank. The siblings are spending the summer with their Great- Uncle. Great- Uncle Solomon was an archeologist and has some amazing finds in his house. One of those amazing discoveries is that he has a unique set of secret scrolls which have the power to transport you back to events from the Bible. All you do is break the wax seal and you will find yourself back in the days of the Bible. With the help of Michael the Angel the siblings need to solve the words on the scrolls in a certain time. If they can’t figure out the words they will be stuck in that time period forever. Peter, Mary, and Hank have many challenges and dangers to discover the secret words in the scrolls.

At the end of each book you have the scripture references so you can look up and read the portion of the Bible yourself that centers on the story.

Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Shepherd's Stone (Book 5)

Just two days after returning from their last adventure from Jericho Peter is bored and restless. He can’t wait to hear the lion roar for their next adventure. As he is throwing the ball for Hank he hits a suit or armor and inside the fallen glove they find a blueprint to more rooms in Great- Uncle Solomon’s house. One room that catches their eyes is the “The Royal Room.” The kids quickly make their way to it. Inside they find a throne and several crowns, and an ancient harp. Before they can discover who the harp belongs to they hear the lions roar and waste no time as Mary breaks the wax seal with the crown on the scroll.

The siblings end up on a hill with sheep eating grass. Hank quickly rounds up the sheep. Trouble starts quickly as they see wolves sneaking up upon them. The lambs scatter and Mary and Peter make their way up into a tree. Hank is ready to defend the sheep. A young teenager boy shows up with a sling and flings rocks at the wolves and scares them off. The boy is David son of Jesse. Peter ends up facing his fear of heights to help rescue a lost sheep with David.

Peter learns how to use the sling and Mary notices the same harp David plays from the Royal Room. They are invited back to meet David’s family in Bethlehem and go on an errand with David to get his brothers some food on the battlefield. Along the way they encounter trouble in the Dark Valley of Death. With God’s help the kids overcome the trouble.

They arrive at the battlefield and find David’s brothers. They witness the army of Israel petrified in fear of the Philistines’ champion Goliath. David isn’t scared but angry. The trio is ushered into King Saul’s tent. They encounter a soldier in black that they think is a spy and do some spying themselves.

The kids find themselves watching as their brave friend David faces the giant. Peter, Mary, and Hank find their hands full with the mysterious solider in black.

Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Lion's Roar (Book 6)

Our next story starts four days later after they returned from their previous adventure. The kids are playing hiding seek in Great-Uncle Solomon’s house. Peter finds a compass that he puts in his pocket because who knows it might come in handy on their next adventure. The guys hear Mary scream and find her in a dark room with a lion. To Mary’s relief the lion is made of stone. Their Uncle discovered the lion in Ancient Babylon. Peter is given a map with the location of the lion find circled. Mary puts together some blue tiles to find out its missing several pieces. They hear a roar and know it’s time to get to the library for their next adventure.

When they break the seal with the lion’s head they find themselves in a large room overlooking the city. They realize they are actually in a ziggurat. Peter pulls out the map that their uncle gave him and discovers that they are in Babylon. They quickly find themselves in trouble when a raven tells them to bow! They come face to face with the High Priest of Babylon. They are ordered to bow before the great Marduk statue. The kids refuse to bow to an idol and Peter says, “They worship the one true God.”

The kids are trapped and surrounded by the guards and call out for help. Michael the angel helps out and the kids are on the run. The kids are told to go to the garden. Luckily Peter has a compass and map on him to navigate the city.

The kids make their way to one of The Seven Wonders of the World; The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The next morning meet a new friend, Hannah who is an Israelite.

The trio quickly find themselves running from the evil High Priest. They discover the mystery of the missing blue tiles from their uncle’s house. They escape in a chariot with the High Priest in pursuit. You will find out how they elude the High Priest as they make their way to Hannah’s home to “Shadrach’s Spice Shop.” They met Shadrach from the Bible and his friend Daniel.

They met up with Daniel the next day and he protects them from being arrested. Later they find their new friend Daniel being arrested and thrown into the lion’s den. The High Priest pushes Peter, Mary, and Hank put into the lion pit and witness God’s protection.

Do the books sound intriguing to you? Book 7 will be available soon and you can enter to win books 1-7 in the series. Click on the graphic below to win your own set.

https://www.sharethesebooks.com/scrollssweepstakes

How Did I use WorthyKids Books in my Homeschool?

My kids are actually older than the age for these books. My son is 13 and enjoys all kinds of books. He doesn’t mind reading books that I ask him to read regardless of the age range. My son read both books in two days. It took him less than an hour to read each book.

The stories in both books are fast paced and keep your attention!

I asked my son which book he liked best he told me it was, Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Shepherd's Stone (Book 5). He said,” He likes David in the Bible as it’s one of his favorite people in the Bible.” He could image a young teen trying on the king’s armor as David probably had an expression on his face like, “really.” I know I would have with the armor being too big for me.” “Facing Goliath with a sling and rocks would be a sight to see. “I imagine the soldiers probably thought he was going to get himself killed.” “I like seeing how God does things His way and can use someone like David that has a heart for God.”

Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Lion's Roar (Book 6) he said, “I liked the chariot chase the best and how they get away from the High Priest.”

I love the story and can't wait to read the next book!

My daughter is 16 and has special needs. Due to other things going on with her she is still reading the Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Shepherd's Stone (Book 5). She likes the books but they will take her a few more weeks to finish.

Mom’s thoughts:

I read both books right away. As with many stories based off of Biblical fiction there is some creative liberty with the stories and characters. I expect to see this with any Biblical fiction books based off events of the Bible to fill in the unknown for the readers. As long as the Bible events that we know aren’t missing the original context and nothing to crazy is added. When I look at the books I have read so far the main Biblical story is intact within the books. There are a lot of creative liberties with an angel and Satan in the story. Every good story has a villain and a hero or two or more and so I get the liberties with the angel and Satan.

I don’t worry about the content in the books. The things that we disagree with any book we have discussions on those topics. The stories are good and creative. They are clean and come from a Biblical Worldview!

You can read more reviews from the other reviewers for WorthyKids Books and the Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Shepherd's Stone (Book 5) and Secret ofthe Hidden Scrolls: The Lion's Roar (Book 6) by clicking on the graphic below.