Race to the Ark

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls #2

by M.J. Thomas

In  Race to the Ark , Peter, Mary, and their faithful dog Hank travel back to the time of Noah. With only seven days to solve the riddle of the scroll and escape the impending flood, Peter, Mary, and Hank must race to help Noah and his family finish the ark. Along their journey, Peter and Mary evade a group of young ruffians and ultimately come face to face with the Dark Ruler, an evil man who reminds them of a snake they met in the Garden of Eden.

Genres: Childrens, Christian, Fiction, Christian Fiction, Chapter Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade

112 pages, Paperback

Published August 8, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

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 Tennessee with his wife, Lori; two sons, Payton and Peter; and their dog, Hank.

Reviews

[Nathaniel]

This was a lot better than the first one. I really enjoyed exploring the world around Noah, and I found that the characters were better in this book than book one.

[Chloe (Always Booked)]

This one wasn't as good as the first, but I still love the idea of this. In this one, the kids go to hep Noah prepare the Ark before the flood. My complaint is that it takes like half the book to actually get into the Bible story. Furthermore, Satan is very present in this one and its almost to the point it overshadows the hope and grace of God for me. It makes sense because the world and its people were so overwhelmed by evil at the time, but the hope got a little lost.

[J.Elle]

I am enjoying reading this series every night at bedtime with my 7 year old.

[Crazy about Books and Cats]

This book was very enjoyable. I love when Peter and Mary go back to the Bible time and are in the story. There is a lot of great faith in this book and Peter, Mary, and Hank are such great characters! I liked it at the beginning when Mary was reading because that would be me. The ending where their uncle had the hinge they bought was cool! I didn't like how the author portrayed Noah. I feel like it could have been better. I did like all the animals, but it was annoying when they kept getting out. This was an overall enjoyable read.

[Shelley Owen]

We are loving this series.

[Lanelle D. Stumf]

great book

I love how this book really engages the reader. I love how it brings to life the gospel. This is such a good book to read to children I’m excited for my son and I‘s next adventure

[Trudy Hostetler]

My children and I listened to this on audio book and loved it!

[Becky B]

Peter, Mary, and their dog Hank are zapped to the time of Noah just before the Flood. Peter and Mary have 7 days to figure out the missing text on the scroll or they will be stuck in the past with Noah and his family. They try to help Noah’s family with final preparations for the Flood, especially finding the missing wolf. But complications arise when bad guys from nearby try to stop them.

I’m pretty picky about reimagined Bible stories, but Thomas does a good job of making sure the details that are in the Bible are related that way in the story. The story is definitely exciting and should keep kids turning those pages quickly. I listened to the audio version and the narrator did an excellent job.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: Violence is threatened, but the only causalities are in the Flood (and the kids are swept back to the future before they witness the full impact of that).
Ethnic diversity: The kids are white American I believe. The Bible characters are ancient Middle Eastern.
LGBTQ+ content: None
Other: The bad guys in the area are pretty mean, showing why God was going to judge them. (It is also clear they had over 100 years to repent and join Noah too.)

[Elkaza]

Needed something quick to read, as I waited for my sister one day, and so I grabbed this book.
Anyway, this book is a great one for families, wanting to understand the messages and events of the Old Testament in a fun fiction – storytelling form. Some very interesting characters, and love how Satan has made himself the Supreme Ruler of the world. Also, Noah is just as grumpy as he is in the Old Testament. Love how the monkey was so naughty, and loved the twist about Hank, the dog.
A really quick and fun read for me, so fully recommend it to parents, to read it to your children, or on their own, as a very easy read.

[Katie]

Simple, but cute for an early reader! Again, these read very much like a Magic Tree House book for Biblical retellings. I appreciate that there are these options for a more Christ-centered story of this realm. I would suggest maybe reading it for yourself beforehand so you can help point out where fiction has been added to meld with the real Bible story. If your early reader is familiar with the events of the Bible, they will likely be able to discern this for themself. Overall, a lovely book with a fun storyline attached to a well-known Bible story! It was fun to read what it could have been like for the townspeople outside of the Ark as well as for Noah and his family inside.

[Leah Hartzell]

Edison - Audiobook #2

This book the children go back in time to the Ark being built. The way Noah’s family was portrayed in building the ark was really well done and I appreciated that it got me really thinking through how is family might have felt and the YEARS it took to build the ark.


Overview of Series: This is a really cute Christian book series for kids. My son and I listened to before he goes to bed. Stories go back in time and the Bible and were a good balance of the Bible story and adventure for kids. I enjoyed listening to the stories. There is lack of depth in some of storyline but 100% expected with being a children’s books. 😊

[DúviAurvandil Ericsson e Pereira]

Slightly better than its predecessor (at least the danger of losing control of the scrolls seemed real), this was still fairly in the same vein. The addition of the Dark Ruler to the cast of Noah and the Ark was interesting and could have been used a bit more to tie all the books together and make the thread of the Devil’s defeat by the Heel of the Virgin brighter, but perhaps the next installment will bang that drum a bit louder. We shall have to see . . .

[Mary T]

My 7yo son and I have been enjoying this series. Yes, there are aspects that don't line up straight with the Bible, but you get that any time you use your imagination beyond the verses of the Bible story. I especially liked how this made me think of the preparation from the ark -- needing food for all those animals and maybe having a fire/stove on board and maybe having plants growing on board and maybe eating eggs from the birds... all fun things to think about!

[Jason Stanley]

Peter and Mary go one another adventure in Biblical times. This time they meet Noah and his family. The children again have to solve the message of the scroll in order to return to Great-Uncle Solomon's house. They have to go up against the forces of evil, which are presented in creative ways in the book. This is a good read for children ages 6-9.

[Chris Holtzem]

Way better written and more exciting than the first! Lots of neat little moments within it that kind of grab hold of you and make you think, “Oh, I bet it’s this!” We’re having lots of fun trying to solve the scroll with our kids as well.

Can’t wait to continue the series with our 8 and 6 year olds!

[Olivia]

I read this book to my four-year-old and it was appropriate for her age, not too old or anything. I appreciate the adventure series in its interesting way to share the Bible with children. More toward the end of the book, she began anticipating what would come next. Chapters are short enough that one or two chapters can be read aloud in a single sitting.

[Beth Brown]

This series is a really well done adaptation of famous Bible stories. This book was all about....drum roll please......yup you guessed it, Noah's Ark. In this book, and its predecessor, Satan is clearly bad guy . My 11 year old all the way down to my 5 year old were thoroughly hooked. We also listened to this in the car. Thumbs up.

[Hailey Powner]

This is a great book for kids. I read these aloud to my 2nd and 3rd graders as part of our Bible time. It’s a great way to show the Bible story in a fun and engaging way and help them see how to apply it. It also does a wonderful job of showing how the devil operates and how to withstand and fight Him through Jesus!

[Jacob &]

Finished Book 2 of "The Secret of the Scrolls: Race to the Ark" Liam really liked this one, and tunned in for the whole book, Josie listen as well so i recommend this for 5+ read aloud and 7+ read by themselves.
I rate this one a 8/10 for its captivating creativity and epic adventure!

[Nay Denise]

Truly enjoyed the sequel! Loving Peter, Mary, and Hank. This book follows more of the story in Genesis, and we get to see Noah and his family. Michael the Archangel continues to help the kids on their journey to learning about the Scriptures, and their encounters with Satan are action-packed. definitely enjoyed this sequel, and I'm excited to see what's in store for the siblings on their journey.

[Nay Denise]

Truly enjoyed the sequel! Loving Peter, Mary, and Hank. This book follows more of the story in Genesis, and we get to see Noah and his family. Michael the Archangel continues to help the kids on their journey to learning about the Scriptures, and their encounters with Satan are action-packed. definitely enjoyed this sequel, and I'm excited to see what's in store for the siblings on their journey.

[Marie]

i really like race to the ark it teach that we should love God.

[Kara]

Fun story making Noah, his work and his family come to life for the girls as we read this aloud together. The lion at the end seemed like a weird way to make a nod to CS Lewis.

[Kelsey Maloof]

Fun, engaging series for intermediate readers or family read-alouds with biblical context for kids to connect to!

[Ashlea Marshall]

My boys (6.5 and 4) are really enjoying this series. They beg for me to read it to them and seem to learn a lot from the books.

[Lady]

Scribd to the rescue again! Thankful for audiobooks when kiddos are sick.

[Angelica L Kajiwara]

Great series. We use it as a supplement to our homeschool curriculum.

[Amy]

What a great series!!! My daughter is 3.5 yrs old and every night asks to read “Peter and Mary”. I’m 38 and I love it too! Such a great way to make the scripture applicable to young kids.

[Olivia]

I liked it when they got on the ark and when the animals got on.

[Nick]

This was good. Cute and simple, but with a fun story line. A solid introduction or way to start a conversation about Noah and his family. Well worth the week it took to read aloud.