The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Shepherd’s Stone, Book 5

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When the Hidden Scrolls hurtle siblings Peter and Mary back in time, they wind up in the middle of David and Goliath’s epic battle.

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 series’ fifth installment, the time-traveling trio wind up in Bethlehem, where they quickly befriend a young David. When David brings food to the Israelite army, Peter and Mary go with him and witness the mighty taunts of the giant Goliath. As the clock runs out, Peter and Mary uncover a treacherous plot, help David prepare to face Goliath, and battle a mischievous and familiar enemy. Children will be on the edge of their seats as the larger-than-life story of David and Goliath hurtles to a close.

THE WOODS

Peter wiggled on the uncomfortable couch covered with flowery pillows in Great-Uncle Solomon’s living room. His dog, Hank, was snoring beside him. Hank could sleep anywhere.

Peter looked across the room at Mary. She sat in the big, comfy leather chair reading a book—of course. He tapped his foot louder and louder on the wood floor. He couldn’t take it anymore. “This is so boring!” he blurted out.

Mary glanced up from her book for a moment. Then she looked back down.

“It’s been two days since our last adventure,” groaned Peter. “I’m tired of sitting around.”

“You know what the Legend of the Scrolls says,” Mary said. “We have to wait for the lion’s roar.”

“I’m tired of waiting. I’m going to find something to do.” Peter hopped off the couch and walked across the room, past the stacks of books, to the tall, wooden front door. He pulled the door open wide.

Peter stepped outside and took a deep breath. He looked out at the woods on the far edge of Great-Uncle Solomon’s yard. He stuck his head back inside.

“Hey, Mary!” he said. “Let’s go explore the woods.”

Hank jumped down and ran outside. He was always up for an adventure.

Mary didn’t look up. “Not right now,” she said. “I’m reading.”

Peter stepped back inside. “What are you reading?”

Mary sighed and held the book up so he could see.

He slowly read the title on the brown, dusty cover, “Exploring the Great Outdoors.”

She put the book back in her lap and went back to reading.

Peter turned to the woods waiting to be explored. Then he looked back at Mary. He shook his head. “Fine, Hank and I will explore by ourselves.”

Mary didn’t respond. Peter closed the door and headed across the yard with Hank trailing behind.

The trees seemed to grow taller and taller as Peter and Hank got closer to the woods. Dark clouds started to roll across the sky. The wind howled and the trees creaked.

“Don’t worry.” Peter glanced at Hank. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

As they entered the woods, the wind blew harder and shadows crept across the moss-covered ground. Peter heard a branch snap ahead of them. He and Hank froze. Peter’s heart was thumping so loudly, he could hear it.

Peter squinted as he tried to look through the trees. He didn’t see anything moving.

“I think we’re okay,” said Peter. Then he heard another branch break.

Hank’s ears perked up and he barked.

“Maybe we should go back to the house,” said Peter, “and wait for Mary to come with us.” He turned and ran out of the woods with Hank on his heels.

“Ruff!”

Peter stopped. “What are you barking at? Oh! You found your ball! We can play inside while Mary finishes her book.”

“That was quick,” said Mary, as Peter walked through the door.

“We decided to wait for you,” said Peter. “I didn’t want you to miss the fun.”

“I’m almost finished,” said Mary.

Peter tossed the ball over Mary’s head. She didn’t even look up. Hank ran and brought it back. Peter threw it again.

Crash! Clang!

Mary jumped out of the chair and dropped

her book. “Peter! What did you do?”

Peter ran across the room to the tall, shiny suit of armor. “Oh, no,” he said. “We have a little problem.” He looked down at the sword lying on the floor. He picked it up and tried to put it back in the knight’s iron glove, but the sword wouldn’t stay.

Peter felt Mary’s eyes on him. He turned to see her standing with her hands on her hips.

“Let me try,” she said.

He handed the sword to Mary and stepped back to give her room.

Mary tried to fit the sword back into the glove. She struggled to get the fingers of the armor to hold the sword. “That should do it,” she said, backing away from the armor.

Clank! The sword and glove fell to the floor.

“Look,” said Peter. He pulled a long, rolled-up piece of paper out of the wrist of the armor.

Hank sniffed the paper and barked.

“Put it back,” said Mary. “Before Great-Uncle Solomon finds us.”

“Are you kidding me?” said Peter. “Maybe it’s a clue about our next adventure.” Peter knew that Mary loved clues and mysteries.

Mary twisted her hair and looked around the room. “Well, maybe you’re right.”

Hank wagged his tail.

“Okay,” said Mary. “Let’s see what it says.”

THE ROYAL ROOM

Peter plopped down on the floor in front of the suit of armor. He unrolled the paper and held it flat. “It looks like a map of Great-Uncle Solomon’s house.”

Mary sat down beside him. “It’s a blueprint.”

He pointed at a red arrow with the words “You Are Here” written beside it. “I wonder what this means?”

Mary looked at the blueprint, then looked around the room. “The arrow is pointing to the exact spot where we are sitting.”

A chill ran through Peter’s body. “How does it know?”

Mary shrugged.

Peter studied the rest of the blueprint. There were lots of hallways and rooms.

Mary pointed. “Here’s my room, and your room, and the library.”

Peter’s stomach growled. “There’s the kitchen.”

Mary ran her finger along a hall of rooms on the other side of the kitchen. “We haven’t been to any of these.”

“I didn’t even know there were rooms over there,” said Peter.

“Why is this one circled in red?” said Peter, pointing.

Mary leaned closer. “It says ‘The Royal Room.’”

Peter jumped up. “Let’s check it out!”

Mary rolled up the blueprint, and they headed to the kitchen.

As Peter walked through the kitchen, he sniffed the air. “Yum. Muffins,” he said as he picked up a blueberry muffin off the kitchen counter and took a big bite.

“Ruff.” Hank wagged his tail and waited for a treat.

Peter pinched off a small bite and tossed it to Hank. Hank jumped in the air and caught it.

“Come on. Let’s find The Royal Room,” said Mary. She unrolled the blueprint and spread it out on the table. “We came in through this door.” She looked up. “So, The Royal Room must be through that door.” She pointed to the door beside the refrigerator.

“I thought that was a pantry,” said Peter. He took the last bite of the muffin and opened the door. “Definitely not a pantry!”

The door led to a long hallway with four doors on either side.

“Which one?” asked Peter.

Mary looked at the blueprint again. “The Royal Room is the second door on the right.”

Hank ran up and down the hallway sniffing at each door. He stopped at the second door on the right and barked.

“You found it!” said Peter. “You are the world’s smartest dog.” He opened the door and peeked inside.

Genre:

On Sale: Dec 11, 2018
Page Count: 128 pages
Publisher: WorthyKids
ISBN-13: 9780824956912

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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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