The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Final Scroll, Book 9

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In the thrilling series finale, Peter and Mary return to Jerusalem, where they witness Jesus' crucifixion and Resurrection.

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 their ninth and final adventure, the trio travels back to Jerusalem during the height of Jesus' popularity. But as they follow Jesus and his disciples, they quickly learn that Jesus' popularity makes him a target. Soon the religious leaders — led by a familiar enemy — have hatched a plan that causes one of Jesus' disciples to betray him, and Jesus is killed. With Jesus dead and time running out, will Peter and Mary be able to solve the secret of the scroll before they get stuck in the past forever? Join Peter, Mary, and Hank as they attend the Last Supper, witness Jesus' crucifixion, discover an empty tomb, and face the Enemy for the last time. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls hurtles to a close.

ONE LAST ADVENTURE

Peter placed the gold medallions side-by-side on the top of the dresser in his bedroom at Great-Uncle Solomon’s house. The eight medallions sparkled in the sunlight streaming in from the window over his unmade bed.

Peter ran his finger across the imprints on the large gold coins. He felt the outline of a tree, Noah’s ark, a pyramid, the Ark of the Covenant, a crown, a lion, a star, and a heart. He thought about each of the adventures.

The bedroom door swung open, and his big sister Mary rushed in with Hank. She pointed to the empty suitcase on his bed.

“You haven’t started packing?” said Mary. “Mom and Dad will be back any minute.”

Hank nudged Peter’s leg. Peter bent over to pet the dog’s head.

“I guess I better hurry,” said Peter, tossing some jeans and socks into his suitcase.

“Aren’t you excited to see Mom and Dad?” said Mary.

Peter plopped down on the edge of the bed. “I am. But I’m going to miss Great-Uncle Solomon and our adventures back in time.”

“Me too,” said Mary.

Peter snapped his fingers. “Maybe we have time for one more adventure!”

“Woof!” Hank spun around and wagged his tail.

Mary looked at the suitcase and twisted her hair. “I don’t know. Mom and Dad will be back soon, and you need to finish.”

Peter grabbed the rest of his shorts, shirts, socks, and underwear in one big armful and tossed them in the suitcase. “There, I’m packed! Let’s go on an adventure!”

“We can’t,” said Mary. “We have to wait to hear the lion’s roar.”

“That’s true,” said Peter. “But we can at least explore Great-Uncle Solomon’s house.”

“I think we’ve already seen everything,” said Mary.

“No,” said Peter. “We haven’t been in the tower in the back corner of the house.”

“That’s right,” said Mary. “You asked Great-Uncle Solomon about the tower when we were walking to the barn.”

Peter raised his eyebrows. “I wonder what’s up there?”

Mary’s eyes twinkled. He knew she couldn’t resist a mystery.

“Come on,” said Peter. “Let’s find out!”

“Okay, but we have to hurry!” said Mary.

“We will,” said Peter, grabbing the brown leather adventure bag. “Now, let’s go!”

“Woof!” Hank barked and ran out through the bedroom door.

Peter led the way down the long hallway, past the tall wooden library doors, and into the living room in the center of Great-Uncle Solomon’s huge house.

He stopped. “Which way?”

Mary pointed to a hallway in the back corner of the room. “I think it’s that way.”

“You’re probably right,” said Peter. She was always right.

Peter walked across the living room, past Great-Uncle Solomon’s big, comfy reading chair.

“Woof!”

Peter turned around. Hank was barking at the shiny suit of armor that stood perfectly still in the hallway leading to the library.

“Come on, Hank,” said Peter. “I’ve told you before that it’s not alive.” He walked over and tapped on the hollow armor.

Hank didn’t move. He just stared at the armor.

“Look!” said Mary. “The sword is gone.”

“That’s odd,” said Peter. “Wait! He’s holding something else.” Peter pried open the fingers of the metal glove and found an old iron key shaped like a cross. “What do you think this is for?”

“I don’t know,” said Mary. “But we should probably take it with us.”

Peter nodded and put the key in the adventure bag. He headed to the hallway in the corner of the living room.

At the end of the hallway stood a tall wooden door. It wasn’t like the other doors in the house. It was painted red and had an old, rusty doorknob.

“I can’t believe we never noticed this door before,” said Mary.

“Maybe we weren’t ready,” said Peter.

Mary raised her eyebrows. “Ready for what?”

Peter reached for the doorknob. “Let’s find out.” He turned it as hard as he could, but it wouldn’t open. “Maybe we aren’t ready after all.”

“Try the key,” said Mary.

“Oh yeah,” said Peter. He reached in the adventure bag and pulled out the key. He stuck it in the keyhole and turned.

Click!

Peter swung the door wide open. A spiral staircase led up the stone walls of the tower.

Peter led the way up the stairs—round and round, higher and higher.

At the top, they entered a circular room surrounded by windows. An old wooden box sat on a table in the middle of the room.

“There’s not much up here,” Peter said. “I thought there would be something more exciting than just one little box.”

“Woof!”

Peter heard footsteps coming up the stairs and turned to see Great-Uncle Solomon walking into the room.

Great-Uncle Solomon adjusted his round glasses. “I see you found my greatest archaeological discovery!” He walked over and carefully picked up the small box.

Mary’s eyes got as big as church bells. “Why, what’s in the box?”

“A cup!” said Great-Uncle Solomon.

“A cup? Why is a cup such a big deal?” said Peter.

“It’s not just any cup,” said Great-Uncle Solomon. “I believe it might have been the last cup that Jesus used before …”

Roar!

The lion’s roar echoed through the tower.

Great-Uncle Solomon set the box back on the table. “I’ll show you later. Hurry! You don’t want to keep the lion waiting.” He looked at his pocket watch. “And your parents will be back any minute.”

“Let’s go!” said Peter.

Hank ran down the stairs. Peter raced after him with Mary close behind. Peter reached the bottom of the spiral stairs and rushed past the suit of armor. He slid to a stop in front of the tall library doors. He reached for the lion’s-head handle and turned.

Click!

He swung the door open, and they all ran in.

Roar! The sound came from the bookshelves on the right. Mary quickly found the red book with the lion’s head painted in gold on the cover. She pulled it off the shelf.

The bookshelf slid open to reveal the hidden room. It was dark, except for a glowing clay pot in the center of the room that held the scrolls.

Peter and Mary walked into the room and looked into the glowing clay pot.

“There’s only one scroll left,” said Mary.

Peter picked up the scroll.

“What’s on the red wax seal?” said Mary.

Peter squinted. “It looks like a cross.”

“Let’s see where it takes us!” said Mary.

Peter broke the wax seal holding the scroll together.

Suddenly, the walls shook. Books fell to the floor. Then the library crumbled around them and disappeared.

NEW FRIENDS, OLD ENEMIES

“Baaaa! Baaaa!”

“Woof! Woof!”

Peter looked around. He and Mary were standing in the middle of a wooden pen full of white, fluffy sheep. Hank chased the sheep around in circles.

“Yuck!” said Peter. “What’s that smell?” He stepped forward to grab Hank’s collar.

Squish!

Mary held her nose. “I think you just stepped in it!”

Peter looked at the bottom of his shoe. “Ugh! I found the smell.”

“Woof! Woof!” Hank kept barking at the sheep.

“What are you kids doing in there?” shouted a large man standing outside the pen. He wore a rough brown robe. “Your dog better not hurt my sheep!”

“Hank, sit!” said Peter.

Hank stopped chasing the sheep and sat down.

“He won’t hurt your sheep,” said Peter. “I promise.”

“He better not,” said the man. “They are worth lots of money, but they have to be perfect with no marks or scratches.”

“Why?” said Peter.

“So they can be sacrificed at the Temple,” said the man. He pointed to the tall, white building with a golden roof next to them.

Genre:

On Sale: Jan 12, 2021
Page Count: 144 pages
Publisher: WorthyKids
ISBN-13: 9781546000303

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M. J. Thomas

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.

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