Excitement rang through my house as I announced we would be reviewing book four in the amazing The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series. After reviewing the first three books in this series, my sons were beyond eager to get their hands on book four. Book Four, Journey to Jericho from Worthy Publishing did not disappoint. This series is incredible in having children be enthusiastic about stories in the Bible, while also teaching them Biblical history and science.

Journey to Jericho is 13 chapters and 120 pages. It is recommended for ages 6-9 and reading level for grades 1-3. It is a wonderful book for emerging readers and contains illustrations on various pages throughout the book. As with the other books in this series, the font is easily readable and is spaced perfectly for this reading level. There are also notes in the back of the book where children can find the stories in the Bible that were referenced in the book.

Journey to Jericho is the fourth book in The Secret of the Hidden Scroll series. In the first three books, children are introduced to concepts and stories about Creation, Noah and the Ark, and Exodus. In Journey to Jericho, children are introduced to Joshua and we re-join our favorite main characters who are Peter and Mary, who are brother and sister, their Great-Uncle Solomon and their lovable and funny dog, Hank.

In just the first few chapters of this book, my sons who are seven and nine years old, asked me fascinating questions and we had to pause our reading to discuss. For example, they asked me about why the Bible was thought of as an artifact, and we talked about how many books or Bibles we have just in our house, and how it didn’t used to be that way. We researched the printing press and how it was developed through history. This led to more questions about the original Bible not being in English, and what language was spoken during this time of the story as the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land. We had a good laugh about how Mary and Jesus did not speak English.

My sons and I each took turns reading a chapter at a time. We were able to finish this book in about a week. We went on to learn about Rahab, spies, and facing fear in the sinister Man in Black in the later chapters in the book. We learned about bravery, courage, having faith in God, and the importance of speaking the truth that we learn in God’s Word.

The author, M.J. Thomas developed the idea for these books because he was looking for books to teach the Bible to his then nine-year-old son, in a fun and imaginative way. He didn’t find books that offered what he was looking for, so he began to write these books. Each of the books teaches a core aspect of God’s character.

My sons have learned many of these Bible stories since they were little. I remember teaching them about Joshua and the Walls of Jericho, and how we made so much noise and reenacted marching and stomping around a Lego city we had built. I love as they are getting older and have more knowledge, that they embrace learning more Biblical truth and I feel very comfortable with the accuracy of this truth in The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls books. I don’t know any other books that have prompted the questions my sons have asked as we read this amazing series together. We are excited because Book Five, The Shepherd’s Stone was recently released. If you are looking for a favorite series in your home, my family and I strongly recommend any of the books in The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls.

-Product review by Kelly LaFollette, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January 2019