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The Bible Smuggler

July 13, 2026 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

13 Jul

Title: The Bible Smuggler
Author: Louise A. Vernon
Major Themes: William Tyndale, Bible Translation, England, Reformation
Synopsis: Collin didn’t know how exciting life with his tutor would become when William Tyndale began translating the Bible!

I think The Bible Smuggler may have been the first historical fiction book I ever read. I remember finding it on my family’s bookshelves and reading it when I was about 7 years old. At that time, I did not understand what fiction was, and I remember wondering how the author could have known what William Tyndale and Collin did and said, several hundred years ago!

Publisher’s description:

William Tyndale wants to translate the Bible into English. He feels the common people of sixteenth-century England should be able to read the Scriptures for themselves. The church and government violently disagree with him.

Collin Hartley, an English boy, works with Tyndale on his dangerous project. Tyndale has to flee to Europe for his life. Collin goes along. Tyndale’s enemies follow him and try to catch him. But Tyndale manages to complete the translation. Then he has the English-language Bibles printed and smuggles them into England.

Along with Collin Hartley, you will participate in all the important events of this story.

My thoughts:

We read The Bible Smuggler as part of our study of the Reformation, one of two books that I chose to read to go along with the chapter about William Tyndale. I love having historical fiction to read about each person or event (which makes our journey through world history very slow!), and it turned out that we owned four books about this incredible man. It had been many years since I read it last, and I enjoyed getting to experience this book again.

I would not consider Louise A. Vernon to be among the best authors of children’s historical fiction, but her books are quite readable and interesting. They seem to be reasonably accurate (except for minor technical mistakes; don’t get me talking about churning cheese!), with a fair amount of dialogue seemingly lifted from the main character’s writings. I’ve always enjoyed her books, and they make a good addition to studies of Reformation times.

WARNING: Chapter 1: Man dies.

Age levels:

Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com

The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt By Day

July 10, 2026 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

10 Jul

The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt By Day cover

Title: The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt By Day
Author: Scott O’Dell
Major Themes: William Tyndale, Bible Translation, London, Reformation
Synopsis: Tom wanted to help William Tyndale get God’s Word into the hands of the people of England—but he was caught between other people who just wanted profit for themselves.

We’re reading about the Protestant Reformation for our history study right now, and when we reached William Tyndale, I had a quick look at our shelf to see what we had about him. It turned out that we have no less than four historical fiction books about this famous man! I chose two of them to read aloud, and discovered that I had never even read The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt By Day to myself before! So, that was a treat.

Publisher’s description:

Smuggling goods is a lucrative business for Tom Barton and his Uncle Jack, but violent seas, raging winds, and sharp-eyed king’s searchers constantly threaten their voyages across the Channel. Then an even bigger challenge arises when Tom and Uncle Jack meet William Tyndale, whose passion is to give the common people an English Bible. Tyndale sees lost souls; Uncle Jack sees a huge profit.

My thoughts:

Somehow, I thought that I had read The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt By Day several years ago, but nothing in the story was familiar. That made it an even better read for me, since it was all new. I have read a lot of books about Tyndale, but this perspective, from the point of view of the person smuggling the Bibles into England, was unique. It made for an exciting story, and we all enjoyed it. There were a number of different plots woven together. Tom found himself between a rock and a hard place when his uncle was arrested for smuggling. An unexpected revelation made him uncertain of what he should be doing and what the truth really was.

A lot of this book is not directly about Tyndale, but rather about Tom and his struggles. We learned quite a lot about the business of smuggling in 16th century England, and saw blackmailing going on. Conditions in the prisons were also described. Some parts of this book were not very pretty! It made quite a compelling story, though. I highly recommend this book for any lover of historical fiction.

WARNING: Chapter 1: Heads impaled on poles on the bridge. Chapter 10: Man attacked and kicked, man thrown overboard. Chapter 11: Battle brutality described in two paragraphs. Chapter 30: Bodies piled up in the death cart. Chapter 39: Description of Tyndale’s martyrdom. Chapter 40: Talk of bloody revenge.

Age levels:

Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 10 – 12, 12 – 15

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

July 8, 2026 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

8 Jul

Title: The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Author: Richard L. Neuberger
Series: Landmark Books
Major Themes: Lewis and Clark, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Exploration, Louisiana Purchase
Synopsis: Join the Lewis and Clark Expedition on their famous trip—and feel like you are really there!

I think it has been about 17 years since I first read The Lewis and Clark Expedition. I remember thinking, when I read it to my oldest at that time, what a great book it was. About 4-5 years later, I read it aloud again, to several other children. I enjoyed it again! This year, I got to read it again, to yet a different set of children. What a great account of that expedition, I thought as I read it.

Publisher’s description:

What lay west of St. Louis? In the year 1804, there were only guesses, rumors, and wild tales. The West was alive with terrible monsters, dotted with rock-salt mountains where nothing lived! President Thomas Jefferson wanted the truth, and there was only one way to get it—he would send men to explore “the North American interior.”

To lead the expedition, Jefferson chose his secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis. Lewis asked William Clark to be his partner. This truly American adventure included Germans, Irish, French, North and South, rich and poor. There was York, a black man as strong as any two of the team, and Sacajawea—the Indian woman who repeatedly saved the expedition.

Most people thought Lewis and Clark’s “Corps of Discovery” would surely fail. Neuberger’s story of how it succeeded, despite every peril, makes a spine-tingling tale for all Americans.

My thoughts:

The Lewis and Clark Expedition tells the story of that famous journey in a way that brings it to life. The descriptions are vivid, but they don’t bog down the story. There is a good balance between serious scenes and humor, and my little girls (ages 11 and 6) loved the story so much that they wanted me to keep reading. This is a wonderful book to use to study Lewis and Clark, or just to read as history/historical fiction. After reading this one again, and reading one or two other old Landmark books again recently, I want to collect all of them that I can.

WARNING: Chapter 3: A man died. Chapter 9: Fight between expedition and Indians.

Age levels:

Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com

Plague of Lies

July 6, 2026 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

6 Jul

Title: Plague of Lies
Author: Marbeth Skwarczynski
Series: The Rose Collection, book 1
Major Themes: Abortion, Pro-Life, Church
Synopsis: Soon after she turned 18, Lauren had the chance to confront the dead-beat father who abandoned her as an infant—or did he?

I often end up requesting review copies of books just because more reviewers are needed, and often I find myself disappointed with them. Then, once in a while, I get one that makes me continue to take chances! Plague of Lies was one such book. I got started reading it—and didn’t want to stop! By the time I was about halfway through, I was thinking about the book when I had to be doing other things.

Publisher’s description:

The man who taught him how to live was living a lie.

Scott Andrews was content to be a rule-follower, happily attending church and youth group while planning his future with his beautiful girlfriend, Cindy. He and his friends would change the world and be blessed by doing it. But when his mentor is exposed as a fraud, Scott’s life turns upside down. He’s forced to grow up, but unlike the man who betrayed him, Scott is determined to live honestly.

Lauren is a mistake. She’s heard it her whole life. But, on her eighteenth birthday, she gets a letter from the father she’s never met. It seems out of character. From everything she’s heard about her deadbeat dad, he never wanted anything to do with her. Lauren suddenly has a purpose. She will sit down with the man who left her when she was a baby and demand that he tell her why.

It’s time for the truth to come out.

My thoughts:

Plague of Lies is a good book. (Now I wish I had signed up for the other book I saw available once from this series! Too late now.) This is a clear picture of what happens when people lie, when sin is covered up, and when people live a double life. The fall-out in the church and community after a trusted person did the opposite of what he taught the youth group, and did not suffer any consequences for his betrayal, sounded all too familiar.

This book is a split-time novel. Part of it is set in 2018, and there are frequent flashbacks to 1999. The parts from 2018 are in first-person, present tense; when Scott’s memories from 1999 are being shared, the point of view switches to third-person, past tense. That made it quite easy to know the setting and characters for each part. I couldn’t make up my mind which time period I liked better. Of course, I knew the outcome for the 1999 story, but the author did a great job of making it suspenseful. I didn’t know what would happen in 2018, and there was one situation that I completely misunderstood for a while, just as Lauren did—that was done well!

Scott’s church and youth group, in 2018, seemed almost too perfect to be real. He learned from his, his parents’, and church’s mistakes when he was a teenager, and seemed to be doing everything right in his own youth group. I liked the good example that was set, but it just didn’t seem quite real. Also, the changes that Lauren made in her life happened almost too fast for real life. Overall, though, this was a great book, and I would love to read more in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: Potential triggers: Cutting, premarital sex (off page, but no doubt about it, and one time it was discussed openly between the couple, though not graphically), abortion (fairly graphic), verbal abuse.

Age levels:

Reading Independently— Adults

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com

The Radical Book for Kids

July 3, 2026 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

3 Jul

Title: The Radical Book for Kids
Author: Champ Thornton
Major Themes: Bible Study
Synopsis: Many short articles about all manner of topics relating to the Bible.

Every January, I look forward to Sonlight Curriculum’s annual clearance sale. Over the 20+ years I have been buying books from Sonlight, I have come to trust their judgment about books, and if they sell it, I can be almost sure that I will like it. One that I bought last year was The Radical Book for Kids. After it arrived here several months later, I decided to read it to the children for part of our morning routine before school started.

Publisher’s description:

The Radical Book for Kids is a fun-filled explorer’s guide to the Bible, church history, and life for boys and girls age 8 and up. Along with examining some of the most exciting realities in the universe, the handbook is vibrantly illustrated and chock-full of fun facts and ideas. Deep truths are communicated to elementary and middle-school-aged kids while stimulating their curiosity and sense of adventure within a gospel-centered framework.

This power-packed book is “radical” in more ways than you might think! It is “radical” in the sense of the original meaning of the word, “going to the root or origin.” The Radical Book for Kids will take children on a fascinating journey into the ancient roots of the Christian faith. But it’s also “radical” in the more modern sense of being revolutionary. Kids read about men and women who learned to trust Jesus and stand for him—displaying radical faith—even when everything seemed against them.

But The Radical Book for Kids is also “radical”—meaning fun or cool—in the eyes of a child. Kids read about ancient weapons (and how to make one), learn about jewels, create pottery, discover ancient languages, use secret codes, locate stars, tell time using the sun, play a board game that’s 3,000 years old—and more.

Check out the table of contents, skip around, or read straight through. However a child chooses to explore it, The Radical Book for Kids will open new vistas for their imagination and help to make straight paths for their feet.

My thoughts:

The Radical Book for Kids turns out to be a great resource for helping children to understand the Bible. Each chapter is a new adventure in discovering some topic covered in the Bible, or a source of knowledge about the Bible itself. I don’t think I learned anything new myself, but it was great to have a fresh look at God’s Word, God Himself, and a few of the people who have lived for Him in the past. This is a great resource for children to learn more about God, His Word, and the history of the world, the people of God, and how God worked through people.

No warnings!

Age levels:

Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com