Tennis Shoes And The Seven Churches Book One

Tennis Shoes #5

by Chris Heimerdinger

In an attempt to help his sister, who has cancer, fifteen-year-old Harry again enters Frost Cave to travel back in time, but takes the wrong turn and ends up in Jerusalem in A.D. 60, where the teachings of Christ have been twisted. War and lawlessness prevail, making Harry's task seem impossible.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Lds, Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Religion

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Chris Heimerdinger is an author and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) who has presently written sixteen adult and young adult novels, most of which center on religious themes familiar to LDS members. Most are published with Covenant Communications in American Fork, Utah. One title, A Return to Christmas was also picked up by Random House/Ballantine in 1995. When the title was released by Ballantine in 2004, it was republished by Covenant Communications.

Reviews

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jims daughter Melody, now 20 has learned she has Cancer. During the last adventure mealody fell in love with marcos, the son of King Jacob of the moon. Jims son Harry is now 15 and is determined to find marcose fromt he book of mormon times, but megan his sister- to be tages along. But when they step out of the slid down river after an account with Siamon mages they find them selfs in 70 A.D. in Rome. they see gid, but he is taken captive so they know that they are there but then unexpectly they find the scrolls with the bible writen on them, the first copy, now it is there mission, to find an apostle and give it to them so that the future may have them. Meanwhile they are accomppied by Jess, a young boy who they promised his grandfather that they would take care of him as well as the scrolls, but then Siamon mages,has other plans. The Sacred Quest is filled with adventure, with kiddnapping and adventure all along the way.

[Attikas M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was probably one of the slower ones I've read. I say that because introducing us to the conflict took too long to get going. Once the rising action started it was mostly just explaining things that will hopefully be more fulfilled in part two. Once I reached the end with about 30 pages left I finally felt the fast-paced action that I loved in the other books. The story was very intricate and detailed, however, I am still missing a few of the details for some things that were introduced. I loved the character development that took place in all of them, but especially Meagan. She really started to change for the better, while keeping her personality intact. Overall I liked the book.

[LeeAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have discovered myself why Chris Heimerdinger's books are so popular among the teens and young adults. Fast moving, good character development, tight plot. I look forward to my sons finishing this too.

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

for some reason they don't list 3 or 4 but I really don't want to rate them all. They're all fantastic and you'll have to read them to know.

[Anna Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best epilogue ever!! Marcos shows up!!

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a re-read for me but it had been so long since the first read that I had totally forgotten the story. Megan was more than a little annoying and completely rash in everything she did but she did kind of grow on my by the end. The cliff hanger at the end made me appreciate the fact that I don’t have to wait for the next book in the series to come out. I did like how this book showed how subtle Satan is in turn people from truth. There were some intense and gross parts that seemed a bit much for the young audience targeted by this series but the author does a good job of creating a very real picture in your mind. On to the next book in the series...

[Bethany Venus · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 5th installment of the Tennis Shoes Series, Harry Hawkins embarks on an adventure to grant his sister’s final wish – find her true love, Marcos the Nephite and send him to her. Megan Sorenson, Harry’s new and annoying sister-in-law joins Harry on his journey. Together, they discover a secret about Frost Cave and the passage to the world of the past. Instead of ending up in Nephite lands as planned, the two wind up in the contentious world of Jerusalem in 1st Century AD. Can they keep themselves alive in this troubled world and can Harry find Marcos in time to send him back to Melody before it is too late?

This book presents an interesting look into historical fiction because it traces back to Nephite and early 1st Century Jerusalem cultures. It is obvious the author has done his research and readers are able to contrast the differences between the modern world and the old world, laughing as the characters use modern tools (everything from pencils, flashlights, and cd-players) to trade for goods and services. Both the modern and historical characters seem quite real and are well developed, helping to make the story more interesting and believable. This book would be good for those who like historical fiction and LDS fiction in particular.

[Jesse Whitehead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harry Hawkins fills the role of narrator and sounds exactly like his dad. Meagan – his bratty, soon-to-be stepsister – fills the role of Garth – being the knowledgeable and book-learned expositor or plot knowledge. Meagan, however is interestingly mouthy and snotty but with a witty personality. Unfortunately in later books she becomes a clone of Melody just like all the other females in Heimerdinger’s books.

This time the person missing is Marcos and for some unexplained reason Melody will die of cancer unless Harry can find him. This takes him back to post-Christ Judeah where he encounters sorcerors, gladiators, slavers and apostate Christians.

It really is as disjointed as it sounds. This is because it is the first of a three book story arc and most of these things are setup for events in later books. Interestingly, Harry finds Marcos so that his sister will be okay – somehow – and in the process loses Meagan so that there will be another captive/rescue situation in the next book.

I really do still enjoy these books but it’s interesting to me how many times he can repeat the same formula with only slightly newer characters and more exotic locations and times.

[Dad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Heimerdinger does a marvelous job of painting a picture that puts you there with the right feeling. This book departs from the Nephite civilization to the time right after Christ's crucifixion in the Holy Land yet adds a connection with several of the old folks from the Nephites. What a marvelous novel. I have checked out the next four books in the series to read over the summer and the first volume as my wife wants to join in now.
A fascinating part of the book is how the author shows how the scrolls can be manipulated by copying them thus showing how parts of the Bible could have been lost or changed. He also shows well how apostate groups work and how the needs and frailties of men play into the hands of the leaders of these apostate groups and how the leaders and people fall prey to the mandates of the era they live in. This shows to me how fortunate we are to still have the fullness of the gospel and how delicate was the situation of the prophet Joseph Smith in restoring the gospel and true Church of Jesus Christ.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it halfway through this book and just couldn't continue. It was such a disappointment compared to all Heimerdinger's previous novels in this series.

The book started out great. I love the family dynamics and the odd neighbor girl. There’s a lot of great human emotion portrayed in the first few chapters.

However, as soon as the characters start their "quest," I quickly lost interest. I didn't like the setting of the barren desert. (I hate deserts.) I guess it's a complement to the author to say that I really felt like I was right there in that desert with the characters. The pace slowed down to a crawl, and the characters became too predictable.

Like I said, I just couldn't read any more. I'm planning to skip the next book in the series because it appears to be a continuation of the same quest. And it seems the setting is still the desert. I hope book 7 doesn’t disappoint.

[LPR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh. I forgot how these books don't actually reach a resolution at the end of the book, jsut at the end of the quest. Nerve-wracking. I really just need to read the next one ASAP. I am left hanging and I don't like it and won't tolerate it unless I have to.
I love how the stakes go up in this quest and the author skillfully keeps us from becoming bored by alwasy introducing more chracters an plot twists which could be annoying. *cough*michael scott's Alchemist series* But I never feel overloaded with these books, (excep tfor when you start the next book without remembering what happened in the last one). Really great, but remember that there is no resolution, and I really want the next one now!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I really like the author's style of writing, and I know and really like the characters, this story was a bit slow moving for me. This story is told from Harry's perspective, Jim's son, and he doesn't make it back to the Nephites in ancient America. Rather, he finds himself in the Middle East during the Roman Empire, with many other problems that come along with it. I didn't realize when I started it that it would end with a cliff-hanger and no resolution. Basically, it's a two-parter (unless I'm not aware of another cliffhanger!!) I have to read (listen to) the next book to see how this part of series wraps up. I still liked it, but it just dragged in more than once in the story.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listed to this one on CD instead of reading it. I have found that I love listening to certain books, but with others I hate it. This one I really enjoyed listening to. It's an easy enough book that I can "zone out" while listening on my commute and still understand what is going on.

I really liked the dynamics between Harry and his future-step-sister, Megan. She was a fun new character to add to the mix. I probably would have given the book 4 stars, but I got a little bored about 2/3 in, when Harry and Megan just kept running into obstacle after obstacle while trying to find Marcos and Gid. It just seemed a little drawn out.

[Lisa Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The continuing story of Jim Hawkins and his families dealing with time travel to the ancient world of the scriptures. In this installment, Jim's 15 year old son, Harry, sets off on an expedition to find Marcos, his sister's boyfriend of whom they haven't see or heard from for four years. He decides to find him, when it turns out his sister is dying of cancer, but what seems like a sinple expedition, becomes a dangerous adventure. Things go wrong, and Harry finds himself, not in the land of the Nephites, but in Israel in 70 AD during the Roman seige.

A fun and exciting way to continue the story, and it makes you want to read the next books to find out just how things will turn out.

[Jennifer Christensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished it, but only because I felt like I had to, to continue the series. This one read like a 40-year-old trying to sound like a fifteen-year-old.... which is about what it was, but it's not supposed to be so obvious! The religious overtones were loud and in-your-face, which is new from the previous books in the series, which I felt were religious with a refined subtlety that felt like reading a good book, not sitting in Sunday School. This one felt more like sitting in sunday school, with a little bit of a story to spice it up. All in all, not good!

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when it was still "The Seven Churches." I still have the memory of standing in line at EFY in Ohio, waiting to go in for lunch and eagerly reading what would happen next. It was the scene with Harry and Meagan being shot at with arrows. I just remember exclaiming in "this is so great" when I read about the arrow piercing through Harry's scriptures--stopping at the Samuel the Lamanite story. The irony...it was so well-written.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this whole series years ago and could not remember where I left off so I think I re-read several of the books. Still it is a nice series that tries to bring the stories of the Book of Mormon and, in this series, the Bible, to life. I like the different characters, especially Harry in this book. Sometimes the religious part gets a little long winded but the adventures are fast paced and fun. A good mixture of the modern and the ancient. No sex, no language, some violence.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly entertaining. Like the other books in the series, it is really directed at a young teenager (or younger) age group. I read this and subsequent books in the series at the insistence of my daughter who was a big fan. Though I enjoyed them, I appreciated them even more because they served as a catalyst for discussing related doctrinal concepts and concerns with my daughter, and later my son.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book doesn't conclude until book #7. I'm very glad I decided to read these WELL after they had been published, otherwise that would have been an irritating wait. As it is, it was still a little annoying to wonder when the thing would finally end. It ended well if that is any consolation. They should all be put in one book in my opinion though.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, this one is pretty boring. We're forced to spend way too much time inside Harry's head. It's not exactly a comfort that it takes more than one book to tell the story.

(And if Harry were my kid, I would have killed him. Going to save Marcos by himself was the most idiotic plan he could have concocted.)

[Crazy Uncle Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty decent story. I know this is fiction but there is a lot of stuff in these stories that seems too far out there to take seriously. Time travel stories inherently have a lot of potential to get confusing and weird. I think Heimerdinger could do a little better with that sometimes.

[Rebeccah Mildenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one because I love Roman times. It was especially detailed on the death of the jews and made me feel so sad for all there dark history and the things they have been through. Once again almost like being there. I really love historical fiction!

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the most exciting parts was when Herry saved Gid and Marcos form the 500lb. lion. One of the funest parts was when Meagan was trying to get the scroll of Matthew and then realized that there was bloodd on the jar it was in.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this series! The Book of Mormon takes on a hole new light. Amazing read the whole series never gets old. Adventure, romance, spirituality! I would recommend these to 12 and up because of the violence.

[Kiersten Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love these books, because I get better feel for what the people in the scriptures might have faced. These books are great historical/adventures that once started can't be stopped! In this one Harry continues the adventure thruogh a strange new room and who knows what will happen?

[Vernon Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this three stars because I don't remember which one this is exactly, but I remember enjoying it. If I read it again . . . likely . . . perhaps I'll give a more exact review.

[AH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun book in the series, though this one dragged a bit in places and didn't hold my interest quite as much as the previous ones. Still excited to continue on to the next one though.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just such a good Y A series for LDS youth, plenty of action as well as a look into what the ancient past might look like through the eye's of today's teen.
Fun Stuff!

[Rebecca Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

[Annette N. Dutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another masterful story!

Christ Heimerdinger does it yet again. Four years after the Hawkins' marvelous adventure among the Nephites, Melody gets cancer, the same cancer that killed her mother.

For four years, she has been longing and waiting for her true love, Marcos, to come back and be with her, but things do not always work out how you plan them.

Mad at the world, 15 year old Harry sets out on his own to go find Marcos and being him back. His soon to be stepsister, Meagan, who km knows nothing about Frost Cave and the time travelling , follows Harry and ends up going back to the year 70 AD.

This is their story. Join Meagan, Harry, and their new travelling companion Jesse on another adventure of a lifetime.

Can they beat the odds and find Marcos in a world without modern technology and then find their way back home?