The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Beginning, Book 1 (The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls, 1)

I loved using Magic Tree House books with my oldest son because they were fun, easy to read and had a sprinkling of pictures to make it interesting. Now that I have found this series, I am thrilled to have a similar Christian version for my second son! Easy to read, exciting, and based on the Bible. Love it!

“The Beginning,” the first book in “The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls” series is a juggernaut; and though it rockets along at warp speed, it is full of action, cliff-hangers, concepts that will stretch the reader’s imagination, life lessons, and humor. As this reviewer read the book through in one sitting, he realized that he was so absorbed in the story that he had become unaware that he was physically participating in the act of reading.Instead of outlining the plot, I would like to point out a few surprises in the book that make it singular when compared to other books in its category.Peter, his sister Mary, and Hank, the world’s smartest dog, can’t choose, as time travelers, what time and place they will travel to. The Biblical narrative of creation describes the destination of their first trip: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and the darkness was upon the face of the deep.” That haunting description could wear out the most imaginative minds, but author M. J. Thomas fearlessly dumps our heroes right into that situation and describes it with such masterly ingenuity that it could be considered a literary coup. This section alone is worth the price of the book, but you’ll have to read it yourself to appreciate its fullness.Another surprise is how well and thoughtfully the book is written. The characterizations are well-observed and pointed. For example, Mary “never cried…or laughed much [because] she was too smart and serious for that sort of thing.” Additionally, Mary was smart but a little prideful and misguided as to the reason for her intellect. When asked by Uncle Solomon if she knew what and archaeologist was, she responded, “Of course I do…I’m ten years old.” Finally, “She was always right.”The book abounds in clever expressions and bits of humor. The soup that Uncle Solomon prepared and proudly served “…tasted like soggy cardboard and warm pond water.” Peter “…froze like a popsicle.” The snake in the garden was “beautifully scary” and had fangs that were “…sharper than steak knives.” The snake also amuses because of his difficulty in pronouncing words that begin with the letter “s.” Instead of saying “scroll,” he hisses “sssssssscroll.” The snake also has a sense of humor. After a monkey snatched the scroll from Peter, he tells Peter and Mary that he saw a monkey up in the tree with a sssssssscroll. Mary asks him if he will go up into the tree and get the scroll for them. He agrees, goes up the tree, and comes back down with the scroll. Peter asks him, “Where’s the monkey?” The snake gives a reply that is a step removed from the whole truth: “You don’t need to worry about the monkey anymore.” Perhaps Peter and Mary were so happy to get the scroll back that they did not realize the snake had eaten the monkey. The snake, though, knew, and I’m sure he was pleased with his clever answer.Finally, the book has many lessons from the Bible. At one point, for example, Mary asks Michael, the head of God’s angel army, why he waited so long to come and help them. Michael answered, “I was waiting for you to ask.” John Porter

This book is a quick, easy read that kids will find enjoyable. I especially like that it can bring up conversations about the Bible!

I've been using this as a read aloud for my boys, they're 8 and 7. This book is so well written, we have all been left captivated and are always anxious for what's to come. The author remains true to biblical truth and does such a fantastic job of weaving in the children's story. We will definitely continue reading the remainder of the series!

I have two rambunctious boys. 6 years and 3 years. Both struggle with sitting and listening. I decided to give this book a try, thought we may read a chapter every morning. WRONG. We read the entire book in two days. They were on the edge of their seats. So was I!!! I absolutely love the symbolism. I love the Bible concepts and the excitement when my son connected some of the concepts to the Bible. Ordered the rest of the set immediately.

My child really enjoyed this book. It is a short read, but great for emerging readers

My five year old loves this book. The grammar doesn’t flow off the tongue as easy but the story is really fun to read. We will have to get the next book. It’s good to have Christian story books. We read through it quickly bc my kids love me reading to them

I teach at a catholic school and have been looking for an appropriate book series and I found it with these. My students enjoy them too.

My son is loving this book . I'm so happy he found a book he likes to read!!

We bought this book as a read-a-long and it's a wonder read. Keeps the children interested and they can hear a beautiful Bible message at the same time.Children aged 2-12 years have all loved this book.

My 6 and 4 year olds, enjoy these ad read aloud!

This book was great to read at bedtime with my three kids 4, 6 and 7. The story was a but too simplistic. I found the imagination station books to be better in terms of easy to understand but having stories with a bit more depth.