The Schemes & Snares of Diabolus

The Mansoul Chronicles #2

by Tyler Van Halteren

204 pages, Hardcover

Published February 2, 2026

About the author

Tyler holds a M.div from the Master's Seminary and has spent most of his life seeking to inspire children and youth to follow Christ and know God's Word.

After seeing 20 minute bedtime stories change his son's life, Tyler decided to take up the challenge of changing the world through biblically faithful and beautifully illustrated books.

Reviews

[Eric Durso · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is becoming a favorite.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very good. Wonderful illustrations and an engaging story for child and adult audiences.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

We finished this as bedtime reading this week and I'm looking forward already to revisiting them when the kids are older so we can discuss it more deeply.

[Blessing Bloodworth (naptimereaders) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read Aloud with 6 & 4 year-old girls and 2-year-old boy.

I am increasingly impressed by the content and resources that LithosKids is providing for Christian families.
After enjoying the first installment of The Mansoul Chronicles - their adaptation of John Bunyan’s “Holy War” - my kids and I were excited to journey back to that town once more in this second take.
At first I was unsure whether the representation of evil & conflict would be too intense for my young kids, but I am happy to report that the Rick illustrations helped to deeply engage them instead of frighten them. I was also thankful for the simple, yet impactful, way the allegory was written: clear fo young kids yet meaningful for adults.

Highly recommend this series for your family reading or devotion time.

[Brittany Roberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lithos Kids has once again done a beautiful job of adapting the famous works of John Bunyan into language perfect for young readers and listeners. As I’ve read this alongside my kids, I am now eager to read Bunyan’s original “The Holy War” too!

In this second book of the series, we see how quickly the town of Mansoul forgets the love and guidance of Emmanuel, falling prey once again to the schemes of the evil Diabolus. How easily our hearts are deceived. And yet how quickly Shaddai forgives them when they confess and turn to Him.

Eagerly awaiting the third and final book of this series!

[Katie - Mud Pies with Sprinkles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story continues with Prince Emmanuel living among the citizens of Mansoul for 40 glorious days. Diabolus and his wicked followers were cast out of town.

Prince Emmanuel assures them of their salvation and gave the creatures golden armor. Then he ascended on a cloud.

"Remember, Mansoul, that you are my beloved I have taught you to watch, to fight, and to pray."

Why READ this story with your children:

"So that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, but we are not ignorant of his schemes." 2 Corinthians 2:11

In a world where "Do as your hearts please" is the constant whisper of culture, let's share stories with our kids to hide Truth in their hearts, to alight their souls for Christ, and to fill their minds with stories that fuel their moral imagination.

Don't fret if you haven't read John Bunyan's "The Holy War", because neither have I. The author has crafted each chapter with the gospel clearly presented and provided a chapter summary to help you and your young reader grasp the allegory.

5.0 stars
Please note this contains heavy topics and might be best for kids 6+. A quick preread will help you determine if it's a good fit.

I received a copy in exchange of an honest review.

[Kate Guthrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing book from @lithoskids 🙌🏻, somehow they always put out the most wonderful books! This book follows the first installment of a trilogy that is adapted and illustrated for kids from John Bunyan’s Holy War. Both the first and second Mansoul book have been loved by our entire family. In this book, Diabolus is plotting his revenge on Mansoul while Prince Emmanuel is no longer physically present with the citizens of Mansoul. The battle for the human heart and mind, is vividly portrayed throughout this tale, aided by the striking use of light and darkness in the illustrations. This powerful story will help you instill precious truths deep in your children’s hearts. We loved the many references to the Holy Spirit and the armor of God. A main theme of the story was how knowing the truth of God’s word helps us to recognize the lies of the enemy, even when those lies sound appealing. At the end of each chapter is a summary that helps your children understand this allegory. There are also discussion questions to help your children understand and apply the biblical concepts.

I highly recommend these books, they’re my absolute favorites from @lithoskids and that’s saying a lot because we’ve read (and loved) them all!

[Joseph]

Both of my 9-year-old children loved the story, especially my daughter. Full spread illustrations fill the pages of every chapter. There isn’t much to read for each chapter, so completing the book goes by quickly. At the end of each chapter, there is a summary/connection to the Biblical story along with discussion questions. I would highly recommend this as a simple evening story/devotional to do with kids between 6-12.

In my review of the first book, I wrote there was no mention of God the Holy Spirit. This book was filled with the Holy Spirit, which is great.

[Stacy Atherton Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 5-year-old son and I enjoyed this retelling of Mansoul, though I feel like the illustrations were wildly inconsistent. Otherwise, we were big fans and are looking forward to the final conclusion in book 3.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so so good

[Sonya (thisnewday) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars from all of us!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Our family loved this book as a read aloud and were honored to be gifted the book from the publisher. The Mansoul Chronicles are so well-written!

[Shelly Patularu · Rating 5 out of 5]

We really enjoyed this adaptation of The Holy Wars. We all prefer Little Pilgrims Big Journey but this was enjoyable too!

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Approved for church library
Allegory of the Christian walk with Christ.