Revisiting The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls {A Book Review}

I may have mentioned this before – but my kids love to read. Adventure, mystery, intrigue – they really aren’t particular. Fiction and non-fiction alike, they all devour books. Their favorite stories are almost always series – books where they can travel multiple times with the same set of familiar characters. And for my fourth grader, one of his favorite happens to be a series we reviewed earlier in the year. Luckily for him, we had another chance to review two titles from WorthyKids Books again – Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Shepherd’s Stone (Book 5) and Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Lion’s Roar (Book 6).

A Familiar Crew

When I first told my son we would be reviewing The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls again he was ecstatic! He first met Peter, Mary, and Hank in books 3 and 4 of the series and read them as quickly as he could. Knowing that, I didn’t plan on reading these books with him. Instead, I knew these would be devoured by my son when they arrived. Knew that he would tear through them on his own rather than wait to read them with me.

And I was right. When The Shepherd’s Stone and The Lion’s Roar arrived, he scooped them up and disappeared excited for another adventure. He read through both of these titles in just two days, easily going from one book to another.

When he was done, he urged me to read them. Kept telling me how good they were. And reminding me that he still hasn’t read the first two titles in the series. Whoops!

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls is a 7-part book series by author M.J. Thomas and published by WorthyKids Books. M.J., looking to find a way to share biblical stories with his young son, created the series. Each title takes readers through familiar passages and retells the stories in a new and creative way while maintaining biblical accuracy. Following the conclusion of the story, readers are encouraged to check out the passages of scripture that inspired the fictitious retelling.

And even though they are part of a series, you can easily jump right into them.

The Shepherd’s Stone

After finding a new room in their Great-Uncle Solomon’s house, Peter, Mary, and Hank find themselves transported to a new world. Unlike previous times they heard the roar of the lion, they immediately noticed they were not in the desert. A short while later, they meet a young shepherd by the name of David. After helping keep the flock of sheep safe from the wolves, the two siblings are visited by Michael the angel. Michael gives the children the scroll and tells them the rules: figure out the 8 words in four days, don’t tell anyone they are from the future, and don’t change the past. If they can’t, then they stay in ancient times – but if they can, they return home.

Peter, Mary, and Hank return to David’s home and meet his family. They also decide to help David with a special request from his father: bring food to David’s brothers who are battling the Philistines. The trip is not an easy one, but David keeps reminding Peter and Mary that God will protect them. He even shares a poem he wrote about God helping him through a dark valley (Psalm 23).

The trio arrive and David finds his brothers on the battlefield, but his brothers are not happy to see David, a boy, in a location for men. When Goliath, a Philistine giant, taunts the Israelite soldiers, David wonders why no one will battle with him and announces that he is not afraid – a statement he repeats to King Saul. The king agrees to allow David to fight Goliath.

Nearly thwarted by the Soldier of Darkness, Peter and Mary work find a way to help David without changing history – but I don’t want to give away the entire book.

The Lion’s Roar

Similarly to The Shepherd’s Stone, The Lion’s Roar begins at Great-Uncle Solomon’s house. It has been four days since their last adventure and Peter is growing weary awaiting the start of another one. He doesn’t have to wait long though, as the lion is soon roaring and adventure is knocking.

This time, Peter, along with his sister Mary and their dog, Hank, find themselves in ancient Babylon. They hear a call to bow to a massive statue and try to leave, still unsure of where they are or what they need to do. The high priest catches them and gives them several chances to bow to the statue of Marduk. The kids refuse and are arrested.

Luckily, the angel Michael intervenes and helps the two escape. They race out and head towards the gardens where they meet up again with Michael and learn the details of their task. In the gardens, the two meet up with Hannah who helps them again escape the high priest.

Hannah takes the pair to her grandfather Shadrach’s Spice Shop, where they learn of Shadrach and his friends who also refused to bow to the idols of Babylon. Daniel, the local governor, stops by to share some good news – the Israelites will soon be leaving Babylon. While it all seems great, the high priest is busy hatching a plan to be rid of Daniel and trick the king into doing it.

The high priest nearly succeeds, too. Peter and Mary again find themselves helping and solving the secret of the hidden scroll – but just as with book 5, I won’t give away all of this one either.

Biblical Lessons and New Characters

While readers may understand that The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls is fiction, they are also based on Biblical tales. These two titles journey through David and Goliath as well as Daniel and the lion’s den. At the conclusion of each book, the author directs readers to the sections of scripture that contain the full accounts. And when the author adds new characters that are not part of the biblical accounts, he makes a note of them as well.

At 120-pages each, these soft-cover chapter books are perfect for younger readers to read independently. In fact, it was books 3 and 4 that showed my son he could read and enjoy chapter books! With large fonts, plenty of pictures, and short chapters, they are perfect for giving readers the confidence they need to tackle a larger or longer story. And even though my son is at the high end of the recommended reading age of 6-9, he absolutely loved them, reading them multiple times since they arrived.

Told in a fast-paced way, your child will eagerly turn from one page the next, anxious to solve the clue hidden on the scroll. Written with a younger audience in mind, readers will learn big biblical concepts in a new and appealing way. And with a fantastic mix of biblical accuracy and fictitious liberty, kids and parents alike with find truth shown in a simplistic yet honest way.

As with our first review of The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls from WorthyKids Books, both The Shepherd’s Stone and The Lion’s Den hit the marks we are looking for in our home when it comes to children’s literature. Fun, engaging, wholesome reading, and something the whole family can enjoy.

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