Entertaining Biblical Fiction

Homeschool Review Crew

Last fall we reviewed books one and two of a fun new entertaining Biblical fiction series.  It’s with great excitement that we bring you our review for books three and four of the series now!  The series is called The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls by M. J. Thomas.  Published by WorthyKids, an Imprint of Hachette Book Group.  These two books, The Great Escape (Book #3) and Journey to Jericho (Book #4), are next in the series.  

The fun news is that the series keeps growing!  Book five is out for purchase and book six will be coming in March.  In fact, I already ordered five and pre-ordered book six.  My kids can’t wait to get their hands on book six and ask me several times a week if it’s out yet!

My kids greatly enjoy these books.  They’re geared towards ages 6-9 and are 128 pages long. I don’t agree with the age range though as my two year old stays spellbound by the read aloud of them.  Plus my fourteen year old was one of the first to snag the book and run off to read it!  Definitely one that spans all ages instead of just the age written for. 

The Series

This series appeals to all ages as I’ve stated above.  It’s well written and really sucks you into the story.  My kids read them so fast and beg for the next one.  We have always loved the Chronicles of Narnia and this strikes me as a book comparable to the great works of Lewis.

Within a library the two children and their trusty dog Hank go back in time simply by breaking the seal on a scroll.  Before the seal is broken a lion roars, the library doors open, by grabbing the lion book and pulling a hidden compartment is opened.  

To get back home the mission must be accomplished.  The mission is what they find on the scroll.  They have a certain amount of time to finish the mission, if not finished in time they will be stuck forever!  Gabriel(yes that Angel Gabriel) swoops in to help them fight Satan within the books with his flaming sword.

Book Three

In book three our trio of characters go back to the time of Pharaoh and find out first hand about Moses.  Not just any bit of Moses but the fight for the Israelites freedom and the plagues.  Lots of fun here!

My girls enjoyed meeting an Egyptian princess.  The fighting is the favorite aspect for the boys(of course).  When chatting with my children I’m told of how they always fight Satan in the series.  Sometimes he’s  a snake, or a magician, or adviser.  In this book he was an adviser to the Pharoah named The Great Magician.  He wears a purple robe and oozes charm and evil to those around him.  Sometimes he uses his black panther to do his bidding.  In this book the black panther attacks them inside a pyramid and traps them in a tree.

Book Four

The promised land at last!  Our trio gets to travel back to the entering of the promised land.  There they meet Rahab, do some sneaking and spying, and race against the crumbling walls!

While within the Israelite camp in the beginning of the book our characters almost get captured as spies.  To escape this fate they write the Hebrew name for God in the sand with a stick.  Their Uncle Solomon can be thanked for them knowing this piece of knowledge.  

An important mission they take on is finding Rahab’s younger sister, but that’s not why they came.  While in Jericho they meet the two spies and hide with them on a roof and within a cave.  Talk about hair raising excitement!  It’s not just in crime novels.

This puzzle ends with God Always Keeps His Promises. 

Satan finds his way into our story as The Man in Black.  He’s within the city of Jericho telling them lies of course.  

Learn More

Learn more about the series of entertaining Biblical fiction by reading all of the fun crew reviews over on the main blog post.  Members of the Homeschool Review Crew each got both books to review but as we all have different ages and tastes I’m sure you’ll find something new in their reviews.  You can also find out more on facebook, twitter, and instagram.

You can now also read our review of books five and six HERE!