Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Book 3 & 4 ~~ A New TOS Review!

Last year my family, specifically my son, was introduced to The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls written by MJ Thomas. When we heard they were on the list for the review crew again this year with two new adventures, we signed up right away. The Hidden Scrolls books are a part of WorthyKids, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, and we had the privilege of being able to review the next two books of the series. 

The next two books of The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series, MJ Thomas leads us from Genesis and the Ark of the Covenant on to some of the greatest Bible stories including The Great Escape (Book #3) and Journey to Jericho (Book #4). Your children will be enthralled as they learn these Bible stories in a new and engaging way with entertaining characters and adventurous plots.

My son started reading The Great Escape (Book #3) soon after we received it. He decided he would put a ten minute timer on and use these book as his required reading each day. Some days that ten minutes got him through a chapter and others it would take 2 days. I was very proud of his effort and reading each and every day. 

The Great Escape (Book #3) tells us the story of Moses and the Israelites leaving Egypt during the time of the plagues that we can read about in Exodus.  Peter, Mary, and their trusty dog Hank, hear the lion roar which signified it was time for another adventure! As they travel back in time they land in the Egyptian desert and find the Great Pyramids. As they explore the Pyramid they are startled by a black panther who chases them to a river and to escape they jump in!

My son then tells me each day a little summary after he reads. Here is his summary of the rest of the book. " The river begins to flow and they swim with it and when they come out they meet a princess named Shephara, who helps them. She is also kind to them by protecting them from the guards who want to capture them. They children meet Sharphara's dad, the Pharaoh, who is meeting Moses. 

Moses is trying to get his people to be released from Egypt, but Pharaoh does not agree and then the plagues come. We see blood, frogs, boils, flies, lice, and even animals dying , plus more. All through this time Peter, Mary and Hank are trying to discover the clue to unlock the secret of the scroll so they can return home." Will they be able to escape the guards and get the scroll back? You will have to read more to find out how this adventure ends. Here is a little excerpt, read by my son!

In Journey to Jericho (Book #4) of The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series we catch up with Peter, Mary, and Hank the dog headed to Jericho of the Bible.  They meet all types of characters including Caleb and Phinhas (the spies who went into Jericho), Rahab (who hid them),  and even Joshua. As we have become accustom to, we find Michael with them again trying to protect Peter, Mary, and Hank. They have just 14 days to solve the secret of the scroll or else they'll be trapped in Bible times forever. The secret they have to solve helps the children (and even the readers of the story) learn about the Lord.  The children and their dog have to make a daring escape from Jericho, hide in the mountains, and cross the river Jordan, then go back to march around the walls of Jericho -- all while trying to solve the secret of the scroll before time runs out. Will they? At least this time they have 14 days and not just 7 like they have in prior adventures.

Inside of Book 3 and a black and white drawing.

As we have discovered, The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series all contain a secret and a truth for the readers to discover.  The message of the 3rd book tells us that God is POWERFUL and will Set you Free. We learn in the 4th book that God ALWAYS Keeps His Promises is the secret we are trying to discover. These truths are at the heart of each story and as your child reads they will come to these revelations on their own just as Peter, Mary (and Hank) do in their adventure.

Seanan reading aloud to the family.

I caught my eldest daughter reading them as well. She loves all kinds of stories and since she had heard and read the first two she was intrigued to find out what happened in these two as well!

She LOVES to read!

We highly recommend these books for young readers and know that once you start your child will be hooked. Don't just take our word for it, but be sure and read the other Crew Reviews by clicking the link below. You can find WorthyKids, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.