The Beginning (Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Series #1)

by M. J. Thomas

Overview

A mysterious scroll transports a brother and sister back in time to God's creation of the world in the first installment of this action-packed chapter book series for emerging readers.

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series follows siblings Peter and Mary and their dog, Hank, as they discover ancient scrolls that transport them back to key moments in biblical history.

In the first adventure in the series, Peter and Mary find themselves witnesses to the creation of the world just as God is speaking it into existence. Can they unlock the mystery of the scrolls before they get trapped in history forever? Children will discover the answer as the two characters ride rhinos, meet the angel Michael, and talk to a certain snake in the Garden of Eden. Riveting text and engaging illustrations bring this beloved Bible story to riotous life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780824956844
Publisher:	Worthy
Publication date:	08/08/2017
Series:	The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls , #1
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	149,266
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Mike Thomas grew up in Florida playing sports and riding his bike to the library and an arcade named the Cosmic Cowboy. He graduated from Liberty University, earning a bachelor's degree in Bible Studies. When his son Peter was nine years old, Mike went searching for books that would teach Peter about the Bible in a fun, imaginative way. Finding none, he decided to write his own series. Mike Thomas lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, with his wife, Lori; sons Payton and Peter; and their dog, Hank.

Editorial Reviews

07/17/2017
Thomas’s first book in the Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series sends siblings Peter, nine, and Mary, 10, traveling through time to witness the creation of all things, as described in the book of Genesis, after they find a powerful scroll. “It is good!” God’s voice booms after each step of creation, and the archangel Michael swoops in to help the children when they’re caught swimming in a sea without end. “You are the only people right now, so I don’t have much going on yet,” he tells them. While faithfully reflecting biblical accounts, Thomas injects magic and humor into the story, which continues in Race to the Ark, available simultaneously. Ages 6–9. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

2017-06-05
An ancient scroll transports two modern children and a dog back to witness the biblical Creation.Great-Uncle Solomon says he has a jarful of scrolls that "prove the Bible is true." A midnight venture into his library leaves white Peter, 9, his adopted, Chinese 10-year-old sister, Mary, and their unusually smart dog, Hank, floating in a dark but not airless void until a big voice calls out "LET THERE BE LIGHT." As similar all-cap commands bring day, night, water, and the rest, white-robed Michael arrives in a boat, warns that Satan lurks nearby ("I have a feeling that he is going to try to mess things up here"), and tells them that they have seven days to guess the meaning of the scroll's secret Hebrew message or they'll be stuck. When the great serpent shows up he gets a karate kick to the face from Mary, after which the children watch the "first man" (white, in the drawing) rise and name the animals (Hank gets to be "dog"). Peter translates the scroll's message ("GOD CREATED EVERYTHING") just in time and brings the travelers back to hear from their great-uncle how God kicked the first man and woman out of Eden but will "fix everything someday." How? Repeated oblique mention of a lion (the only remotely subtle thing about the tale) might furnish a hint. Book 2, Race to the Ark, publishes simultaneously. Howells' cartoon illustrations (many not seen) are as straightforward and artless as the text. First of what promises to be a highly selective but at least not humorless set of introductions to biblical events. (Religion/fantasy. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews