The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The King Is Born, Book 7

Illustrated by Lisa Reed

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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.

When Peter and Mary travel back in time for their seventh adventure, they find themselves somewhere familiar-Bethlehem. Hundreds of years after David’s fight with Goliath, the small town is bustling with people who’ve returned home for the census. Follow along as the time-traveling trio visits a newborn King, uses the stars to help a group of wise men navigate, and faces off against a thief with a hidden agenda. Young readers familiar with the Christmas story have never heard it told like this. Packed with thrilling action and suspense, this adventure will have kids racing to reach the final showdown.

AN EARLY CHRISTMAS

“Where’s the star?” shouted Peter from the top of the ladder.

Mary dug through a box full of Christmas decorations. “I don’t see it.”

Great-Uncle Solomon looked around the living room. “I think it’s in that pile of ornaments next to the fireplace.”

“Hank, find the star,” said Peter.

Hank ran over to the ornaments and started pawing through the pile.

“Woof!” Hank barked, then grabbed the star

and ran toward the tall Christmas tree.

“Stop!” shouted Peter.

It was too late. Hank jumped straight for the top of the Christmas tree.

“Stop him!” shouted Mary.

Peter jumped from the ladder and caught Hank in midair just before he crashed into the tree. Hank and Peter tumbled across the floor.

Great-Uncle Solomon let out a deep breath. “That was close!”

Hank stood up with the star still in his mouth and wagged his tail.

“Good boy, Hank,” said Peter. “You found the star!”

Mary scowled and put her hands on her hips.

“He did. But he almost knocked over the whole tree too!”

Peter took the star from Hank and climbed the ladder. “He was just trying to help,” said Peter. He placed the star on top of the tree.

Great-Uncle Solomon adjusted his round glasses and looked up at the star. “It’s perfect!”

“Thank you,” said Peter as he climbed down.

Mary placed a few more ornaments on the tree. “It does look nice,” she said. “But I’m a little confused.”

“Really? That’s strange,” said Peter. Mary was never confused.

Great-Uncle Solomon hung the last ornament on the tree. “What are you confused about?”

“It’s the middle of summer,” said Mary. “Why are we putting up a Christmas tree?”

“Well, I’ve never been able to spend Christmas with you two,” said Great-Uncle Solomon. “So

I wanted to celebrate before your parents come back from their trip and take you home.”

Peter thought about his parents. It had been almost three weeks since they had dropped off Peter and Mary at Great-Uncle Solomon’s house and traveled to Africa to build a school. “I really miss them.”

Mary’s shoulders slumped. “Me too. I wish they could be here with us.”

Great-Uncle Solomon put his arm around Mary’s shoulders. “They’ll be with you soon enough,” he said. “Until then, I have gifts for you!”

Peter perked up. He loved gifts.

“But it’s not Christmas yet,” said Mary.

Peter gave Mary a look. “Come on, Mary, get in the Christmas spirit.”

“I think you’ll like them,” said Great-Uncle Solomon. “And they might be helpful on your next adventure.”

Mary’s eyebrows shot up. Peter could tell she wanted to know what the gifts were.

“I’ll be right back,” said Great-Uncle Solomon. He dashed out of the room.

Great-Uncle Solomon came back into the room carrying three packages wrapped in newspaper. He sat down on the couch and handed the first package to Mary.

She ripped the paper off and opened the box. Peter looked over her shoulder.

“What is it?” asked Mary.

“It’s a map,” said Peter.

“I know it’s a map,” said Mary. “A map of what—I mean where?”

“It’s a map of ancient Israel,” said Great-Uncle Solomon. “But it’s not just any map—it’s very special!”

Mary’s eyes got as big as globes. “What’s special about it?”

“I was on an archaeology dig near Babylon when I found the remains of an ancient library,” said Great-Uncle Solomon. “There were many scrolls with stories of travel and adventure. I also found maps of star constellations and ancient lands.”

“What about Mary’s map?” asked Peter.

“Oh, yes. I was just getting to that,” said Great-Uncle Solomon. “May I see the map, Mary?”

“Sure,” said Mary, handing it over.

As Great-Uncle Solomon unrolled the dusty, old map, Peter noticed that the top right corner was missing.

“Hidden in the maps of the constellations, I found this map of ancient Israel,” Great-Uncle Solomon said. “I came to believe that it’s more than two thousand years old and might have been used by the Magi as they followed God’s special star to search for the newborn King.”

“What are Magi?” asked Peter.

“The Magi were wise men from the Middle East who studied the stars,” said Mary. “They were respected by kings and people everywhere for their knowledge and wisdom.”

“You are correct,” said Great-Uncle Solomon. “You know a lot about history!”

Peter shook his head. Of course, Mary was right—she was always right.

“Thank you,” said Mary. “For the gift and the compliment.”

Peter opened his gift next. He ripped off the paper and tore open the box. Inside, he found a bronze telescope.

“I discovered this telescope on a dig in Italy,” said Great-Uncle Solomon. “It is one of the first telescopes ever made.”

“Who made it?” asked Mary.

“It was made by Galileo in the early 1600s,” answered Great-Uncle Solomon.

Peter laughed. “Then it’s almost as old as you.”

Great-Uncle Solomon chuckled. “Almost,” he said, handing the last gift to Hank. “Here you go, Hank.”

Newspaper flew everywhere as Hank ripped into the package and found a long bone. He plopped down on the floor and started chewing on it.

“Is that an old dinosaur bone?” asked Peter.

“Oh no,” said Great-Uncle Solomon. He tapped his chin. “Well, at least I don’t think it is.”

Roar!

The lion’s roar echoed loudly through the house. It was so loud it made the ornaments on the Christmas tree shake.

“It’s time for your next adventure!” said Great-Uncle Solomon. “Take your gifts!”

“Let’s go!” said Peter.

Peter, Mary, and Hank ran out of the living room, past the shiny suit of armor, and down the long hallway to the library.

Peter ran across the hallway and grabbed his adventure bag. “I don’t want to forget this.” He put his telescope inside, and Mary put her map on top.

Hank held up his bone and wagged his tail.

“Okay,” said Peter. “We can take your bone.”

He grabbed the slobbery bone and put it in the bag.

Roar! The lion’s roar came from behind the tall, wooden library doors that reminded Peter of a castle.

“Hurry and open it!” said Mary.

Peter reached for the handle shaped like a lion’s head.

Click. Peter turned the handle and opened the door.

Roar! The sound came from behind the tall bookshelf on the right.

Hank ran to the bookshelf and barked.

Mary pulled a book from the shelf. It was red with a lion’s head painted in gold on the cover.

The bookshelf rumbled and slid open to reveal a hidden room. It was dark except for a glowing clay pot filled with ancient scrolls in the center of the room.

Peter, Mary, and Hank circled the glowing pot and looked at the scrolls.

“Which one should we pick this time?” asked Mary.

Hank sniffed one of the scrolls and barked.

“What’s on the seal of that one?” asked Peter.

Mary picked up the scroll and looked at the red wax seal. “It’s a star.”

“Hank sure is good at finding stars,” said Peter. “Let’s see where the star takes us!”

Mary broke the red wax seal. Suddenly, the walls shook, books fell off the shelves, and the floor quaked. The library crumbled around them and disappeared. Then everything was still and quiet.

Genre:

On Sale: Oct 15, 2019
Page Count: 128 pages
Publisher: WorthyKids
ISBN-13: 9781546033967

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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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Lisa Reed

About the Illustrator

Lisa Reed has been drawing pictures since she was old enough to hold a pencil. She began her career as a graphic artist for a screen print company and has been illustrating books for the past fifteen years, including dozens of children’s books. Lisa lives in Indiana.

Learn more about this illustrator