Bøger i Trailblazer Books serien

THE BETRAYER'S FORTUNE Introducing Menno Simons Adriaen Wens was frightened-for his own life and for his mother's. In 1543, many Christians in northeastern Europe were suffering cruel persecution, even execution, for following the beliefs of Menno Simons, the leader of a group called the Anabaptists. When Adriaen's mother was arrested, he had to flee during the night with Menno, knowing that to stay in the city would mean his own arrest. Soon after, Adriaen discovered there was a reward of a hundred gold pieces for the capture of Menno Simons. With so much gold, Adriaen could free his mother and rescue his family from the city! But could he turn in the underground church leader, even if it meant the man's execution? If Adriaen betrays the leader, his family will go free!

DEFEAT OF THE GHOST RIDERS, Introducing Mary McLeod Bethune -- Eight-year-old Celeste Key is a mischievous girl who often gets herself into trouble. When her father's blacksmith shop is burned to the ground by the Ku Klux Klan in 1904, the family decides they must leave town before someone gets killed. They move to Florida, where a woman named Mary McLeod Bethune offers them schooling for their children. Mary has started a school for black children-one of the first in the United States. Celeste is sent to Mary's school against her will but soon finds herself enjoying what she's learning. Everything seems to be going well-until men with white hoods over their heads burn a cross on the school property. Celeste is terrified of the Klan because of what happened in Georgia, yet Mary is a stubborn woman who refuses to let them intimidate her. Celeste wants to believe the Klan can be defeated, but will their threats turn into burning more than crosses? Freedom in a new state, but will it come with a price?

THE GOLD MINERS' RESCUE, Introducing Sheldon Jackson -- As Adam Christian graduates from the famous Sitka Industrial and Training School, he dreams of one day becoming famous-like Dr. Sheldon Jackson, who started the school. The last thing Adam wants to do is return to his dull life in northern Alaska, so he asks Dr. Jackson if he can join him on his 1897 expedition to the Yukon to rescue hundreds of starving gold miners. Surprisingly, Dr. Jackson agrees, and eager to say good-bye to his home and his people, Adam sets off on what he hopes will be the adventure of a lifetime. But the excitement and fame Adam seeks soon are swallowed up in trials that not even the hardy young boy is prepared to face. Disaster seems to strike at every turn when they try to bring a herd of reindeer from Norway all the way to the Yukon in an effort to help the troubled miners. Will they reach the men before it's too late? Help is on the way, but will it be in time?

THE MAYFLOWER SECRET, Introducing Governor William Bradford -- Thirteen-year-old Elizabeth Tilley and her family have been waiting for this day for months-the day the Mayflower sets sail from England. The late start means uncertain weather and a long, hard journey for everyone. But the trip seems especially rough for Dorothy Bradford, the frail young wife of William Bradford. One night, Elizabeth discovers Dorothy alone on deck. Thinking the woman wants to be alone, Elizabeth returns to bed. But the next morning, she awakes to the news that Dorothy has disappeared! Afraid that William Brafford will blame her for his wife's death, Elizabeth tells no one what she saw that night. When they finally arrive in the New World, many passengers become very ill. Several of them die before the new colony is established, including Elizabeth's parents. Left an orphan, Elizabeth must deal with her terrible secret alone. How can she ever face Governor Bradford again? If she dares to tell the truth, will it ruin her chance for happiness in the new colony? Alone in the New World, Elizabeth guards a shocking secret. . . .

MASK OF THE WOLF BOY, Introducing Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth --In the Chinese city of Changte, Chou Fu-lin is known simply as "Wolf Boy." Plagued by recurring nightmares of a childhood accident, Fu-lin hides more than his face behind his carefully tied bandana. Still, he enjoys his job as a house servant for Canadian missionaries Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth, and has recently become a Christian himself, joining their growing church.The Wolf Boy's faith is soon put to the test with the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. The Goforths are forced to flee the country, and Fu-lin gladly goes with them. But as the refugee Christians are greeted with ever louder and more violent protests, Fu-lin is sorely tempted to hide his faith and disappear into the crowd. Will Chou Fu-lin have the courage to face his greatest fears and finally expose the truth?Who will be revealed when the Wolf Boy removes his mask?

CAUGHT IN THE REBEL CAMP, Introducing Frederick Douglass --The Civil War has just begun, and the controversy between the North and the South continues to heat up. Everybody seems to be getting into the action-except for Danny Sims. Danny wants nothing more than to fight with the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry, Frederick Douglass's newly formed black regiment. But his young age and a lame foot keep Danny from enlisting. The boy feels good for nothing until Frederick Douglass recommends Danny as the caretaker of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw's horses. Danny knows the importance of this task, and he's confident he will do an excellent job.But when the colonel's own horse escapes one night, Danny goes after him, only to find himself inside the Confederate soldiers' fort. In terror, he remembers the Fifty-Fourth's plans of immediate attack-what if the battle begins while he is inside? When Danny sees that the Confederates are making their own plans for the attack, Danny realizes that the Union soldiers are being set up for a trap! Can Danny escape in time to warn his troops?A CRIPPLED BOY HAS NO PLACEIN THE WAR . . . DOES HE

THE CHIMNEY SWEEP'S RANSOM Introducing John Wesley Ned Carter, an eighteenth-century boy of thirteen, has been working in the dangerous coal mines in northern England since he was five. He desperately wants to save his little brother Pip from the same fate. Like so many poor English families of the day, even the young children of the Carter family must earn money to pay the bills. Now Pip is turning five and Ned must find a way to prevent his parents from sending Pip into the coal mines. But when Ned has an accident, Pip's fate seems sealed-without Ned's income, his father is sure to act. But instead of the mines, little Pip is "sold" to be trained as a chimney sweep. Before Ned can intervene, Pip has vanished-forever! Despite his injury, Ned determines he must find Pip and try to buy him back. But where has Pip been taken and how can Ned ever earn the ransom money without his father knowing it? What might the preacher, John Wesley, do on Pip's behalf? Was no one there to care or to help?

THE BANDIT OF ASHLEY DOWNS Introducing George Müller By the time Curly Roddy was twelve years old, he'd already survived six years as a homeless orphan on the cruel streets of London in the 1870s. He slept in dustbins and ate orange peels when he could find them. Sometimes he earned a few coins by singing and doing acrobatics in pubs. He had perfected his skills at snatching purses and picking pockets. But when Curly overheard that a church was raising £3,000 for an orphan house in Bristol, his scheme of an armed robbery promised to bring him enough money for a lifetime. Enlisting the help of a local thug and thief, Spud Baxter, a plan is soon put into place. With Spud's pistol and brute force, the church's treasure should easily be taken. But the highway robbery brings Curly more trouble than he had bargained for. Is it scarier to be sent to the orphanage from which he stole the money than to be sent to prison? Will George Müller, the man in charge of the orphanage, make Curly into a slave to earn back at least a portion of the money? Or might they do something even worse? Curly's in for the biggest surprise of his young life!

FLIGHT OF THE FUGITIVES Introducing Gladys Aylward Six-year-old Mei-en screamed in terror when she realized her gypsy owner was about to sell her to a foreign lady. Times were hard in the mountainous region of China in 1934, and orphans were often sold for pennies. But foreigners in China were considered "devils," and Mei-en thought surely the little woman in Chinese clothes would eat her for supper! But this time Mei-en's new owner was the compassionate and respected missionary, Gladys Aylward. One day outside her new home, Mei-en saw wonderful silver "birds" flying in the sky-but her delight turned to dread when they began dropping bombs that exploded all over the city. Suddenly their lives, and those of nearly a hundred orphan children, were in terrible danger! With the enemy in hot pursuit, their only escape is over the mountains!

THE WARRIOR'S CHALLENGE, Introducing David Zeisberber -- When white settlers force a group of Moravian Indians to abandon their thriving Pennsylvania town in 1772, thirteen-year-old Joseph Shabosh and his crippled friend David Heckstein leave with them. As unalike as the two boys are, both long for their lives to be different: Joseph dreams of a warrior's life of adventure, and David of being less of a burden on his mother. But the peaceful Moravians are not alone as they make their way west. Shadowy figures are spotted slipping among the trees along the trail-Mohegan warriors! A meeting with a proud, strong warrior during a hunt leaves Joseph more certain than ever that he wants to be a warrior, but young David is sure no good can come of spending time with the sly Mohegan. Should Joseph believe the warrior he has befriended against his father's will, or trust in the words of David and the Moravian missionary who leads them? The two friends are about to face the biggest obstacles of their lives!

TRAITOR IN THE TOWER, Introducing John Bunyan -- Twelve-year-old Richard Winslow learns firsthand just how dangerous London of 1660 can be when his father is arrested for treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Worried about the rest of the family's safety, Richard's mother and sisters escape to Scotland, but young Richard decides to stay behind. What if his father needs him? Remaining in London is too risky, so Richard sets off for the nearby town of Bedford, where his uncle is the jailkeeper. While working for his uncle in the jail, Richard makes an unexpected friend-a prisoner named John Bunyan. Bunyan never misses a chance to preach the Gospel, even though it could result in death at the stake. Richard wants to help this brave man but is afraid of what might happen to him-and his father-if he does. Will Richard betray John Bunyan to get his father out of prison? Richard wants his father's freedom, but is he willing to pay the terrible price?

THE FATE OF THE YELLOW WOODBEE, Introducing Nate Saint -- Eleven-year-old Niwa is from Ecuador's Huaorani tribe, better known as the Auca tribe, which is known for killing outsiders. The Aucas trust no one, not even neighboring tribes, so when young Niwa is outlawed by his own people for angering another tribe, not even his family will protect him. Then a huge "woodbee" flies overhead, dropping gifts to Niwa's tribe from pilot Nate Saint and the other members of a missions team hoping to share the Gospel with them. Alone and afraid, Niwa is excited by the prospect of outsiders who want to help him. He even wants to make friends with the mysterious strangers and convince his tribe that the people in the strange woodbee will not harm them. But when someone else from the tribe lies about the five men wanting to attack them, the whole village wants them dead-except for Niwa. Will he get there in time to stop the killing. In a tribe of killers, one boy longs for peace. . . .

THE FORTY-ACRE SWINDLE, Introducing George Washington Carver -- To fourteen-year-old Jesse Turner, being "free" in Alabama in 1898 doesn't seem much better than slavery. The Turners' forty-acre farm-given to them by the government following the Civil War-is exhausted from growing cotton, they face overwhelming debt, and trouble from prejudiced neighbors makes life difficult and frightening. It seems the only solution is to sell the land and begin sharecropping. But they find new hope in the teachings of George Washington Carver, a Christian agriculturist who travels the South helping fellow blacks with new farming techniques. Inspired by Carver's advice to "hang on to the land at all costs," Jesse takes a part-time job, and he and his father plant a promising crop of soybeans. But as the Turners race to meet the deadline for repaying their debts, they run into a host of new problems. And when the levee suspiciously bursts one night and floods their land, can Jesse find a way to save the family farm? Someone pulled along from the levee. But who?

HOSTAGE ON THE NIGHTHAWK, Introducing William Penn -- After weeks of waiting, thirteen-year-old Theodore Story finally spots the billowing sails of the Canterbury, the ship returning Governor William Penn, a close friend of Theo's family, to Philadelphia. During the governor's fifteen-year absence, such wild pirates as Captain Kidd have corrupted the "city of brotherly love." Maybe now things will get back to normal, Theo silently hopes. Shortly after the governor settles in, however, Theo's grandfather dies, and Theo, his mother, and his sister set sail for England. When several members of their ship's crew contract yellow fever, the family desperately hails a passing vessel and transfers over. But something's not right about this new ship and its ragtag crew. As the cabin door clicks shut behind him, Theo notices it locks from the outside. They are being held hostage by pirates! Theo vows to save his mother and sister, but with escape almost impossible, how can he outsmart the bandits and get word to Governor Penn? "Am I my brother's keeper?" For Theo, the answer is yes...

JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE EARTH, Introducing William Seymour -- Jerry Newman doesn't mean to keep getting into trouble-it just sort of happens. But when a practical joke goes wrong, burning down a church in his small east Texas town, Jerry's widowed mother quickly sends him to live with his journalist uncle in Los Angeles. Jerry is secretly pleased-not only to avoid being punished for his crime but also to live in California . . . the end of the earth! On the night before the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Jerry and his uncle go to investigate a popular warehouse church in Los Angeles. There, they hear a man predict the coming quake. But Jerry is even more impressed by the powerful preacher, William Seymour, and by the hundreds of blacks and whites worshiping and praying together in strange "tongues." Jerry wants to believe Seymour's message, but will he do so when it means confessing his dangerous secret? A simple message that shakes the world ...

ROUNDUP OF THE STREET ROVERS, Introducing Charles Loring Brace --For Kip O'Reilly, life on the streets doesn't seem all that bad. At least he and the other rovers have each other, and that's more than enough to keep them happy--well, as long as they can steal to survive. Just selling newspapers doesn't quite cut it. When Kip is finally caught stealing one morning, he's sent to jail. Fortunately for Kip, Rev. Brace of the Children's Aid Society bails him out, but only on the condition he comes to live at the Boys' Lodging House and starts earning an honest wage.When the opportunity comes for the children at the society to head west on the "orphan train" in search of families to take them in, Kip is on board. But when they reach the first town, it seems like everyone else is placed except Kip. Will his honesty about his past petty theft keep people from taking him in?ALL HE EVER WANTED WAS A FAMILY. . . .

THE THIEVES OF TYBURN SQUARE, Introducing Elizabeth Fry -- Betsey and Loren Maxwell are on their own in early nineteenth-century England after their mother is deported to New South Wales for stealing two silver candlesticks. Faced with few options, the young Maxwells are forced to live and work in a gloomy London workhouse. Betsey and her brother have a terrible time enduring the harsh treatment and strict rules of the workhouse overseers. Then Loren sees an opportunity to escape, and the pair soon find themselves back on the dangerous streets of London-with only a stolen pouch of money to support them. Their new life takes a disastrous turn when Betsey and Loren are jailed for pickpocketing in Tyburn Square. Betsey is terrified that she'll never see her brother or mother again, but a visit from a kind Quaker woman named Elizabeth Fry gives her courage. Can this compassionate prison reformer save Betsey and her brother from the gallows in Tyburn Square? Alone and in prison with no one to turn to . . .

ESCAPE FROM THE SLAVE TRADERS Introducing David Livingstone An urgent call for help cut through the morning mists that floated along the shore of Lake Shirwa. Two young African boys, Wikatani and Chuma, had been captured by slave traders, but the desperate cry would never reach their village. Easily overpowered by their captors, the boys' only hope is to endure a ruthless march through the jungles that takes them far from their village to a destination unknown. Where are the cruel Red Caps taking them? What chance might the boys have to escape? If they manage to escape, how will they ever find their way home again? Fortunately for Wikatani and Chuma, there is help on the way. David Livingstone, a missionary and British government official, is doing everything he can to put a halt to the slave traders who are devastating southeastern Africa during the 1860s. But is there any reason to hope that he might help two young boys? Will they have the courage to face the phenomenal adventure and peril before them?

DANGER ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE: Introducing D.L. Moody -- Fourteen-year-old Casey Watkins wants nothing more than to escape his family's dreary, bare-bones life in the Philadelphia of 1893. When he learns of an opening in Adam Forepaugh's Circus, it seems like the perfect escape, and he convinces his mother and sister to join with him. Then "The Flying Eugenes," a family of trapeze artists, offer Casey a role in their death-defying act, and he is elated. Flying on the trapeze is more exciting than he ever dreamed! The pressure is on-Casey has only a few weeks to learn the act before the circus arrives in Chicago in time for the famous World's Fair. Once in Chicago, the boy is fascinated by D. L. Moody, the dynamic evangelist who preaches to standing-room-only crowds in the circus Big Top Sunday mornings. Casey never imagined that church could be more popular than the circus! But then a dangerous accident leaves him paralyzed with fear, and he runs to Moody looking for a way out. Will the evangelist be able to help him? The circus is counting on him . . . what if he falls?

QUEST FOR THE LOST PRINCE, Introducing Samuel Morris -- When the dying Kru king offers a ransom for his missing son, fourteen-year-old Jova determines to find Prince Kaboo, no matter what the danger. Without a prince to take the old king's place, his people will almost surely be defeated by their long-time enemies, the Grebos! And as a former captive of the cruel Grebos, there is nothing Jova fears more. But Jova has a secret advantage over the other young warriors who set out on the dangerous quest-he knows where to look for the missing prince! Only Jova followed Prince Kaboo when he miraculously escaped the Grebo village where they both were held. And only Jova knows the prince traveled to the dreaded "white man's city"-a place filled with people so strange-looking Jova was too fearful to enter. Now his search must take him right to that terrible place. What will he find when he arrives? For six long years, Jova has kept the secret. . . .

THE DRUMMER BOY'S BATTLE, Introducing Florence Nightingale -- After their father dies, Robbie Robinson and his older brother, Peter, join the British army in order to make a living for their family. At first, army life is exciting, even fun. Then in 1854, they are sent to Russia to right in the Crimean War-Peter as a member of the famous Light Horse Brigade and twelve-year-old Robbie as a drummer boy. But the brothers are separated during the doomed charge of the Light Brigade, and Robbie fears for Peter's life. An injury to his left hand brings Robbie to Barracks Hospital in Scutari, Turkey, where he hopes to find Peter. Instead he meets Florence Nightingale, a nurse working hard to change for the better the way nurses do their jobs. Robbie becomes Florence's "right-hand man," running errands, delivering messages, and reporting alarming hospital conditions to her. But the doctors and officers running the hospital want to put a stop to Florence's improvements. Will Robbie and his friend find a way to succeed in spite of the challenges? Soldiers are dying all around him, and only Florence Nightingale can help save them!

ASSASSINS IN THE CATHEDRAL, Introducing Festo Kivengere -- With the help of Uganda's famous evangelist Festo Kivengere, Yacobo Kabaza and his family move to the Ugandan capital, Kampala, where Yacobo's father will be the new driver for Archbishop Luwum. As part of the cathedral's upcoming Centennial celebration, the archbishop asks Yacobo, an aspiring author, to write a play about the legendary three boys who became Uganda's first Christian martyrs. The young teenager is thrilled. However, the growing reign of terror of General Idi Amin and his "Special Forces," who falsely suspect the church of helping the rebels, overshadows Yacobo's excitement. When the archbishop doesn't return from a meeting with Amin, officials claim he died in a "car accident." Kivengere is forced to flee the country. But the church bravely goes on with preparations for the Centennial, and Yacobo's play begins rehearsals, with his brother, Blasio, playing the youngest martyr. As the Special Forces circle closer, and the legend of the martyrs becomes alarmingly real, will Yacobo have the strength to survive? Faced with death, their weapon is love.

AMBUSHED IN JAGUAR SWAMP, Introducing Barbrooke Grubb -- "Someday, foreigners will come who will reveal the mysteries of the spirit world." It seems clear to fourteen-year-old Kyemap that this ancient Lengua prophecy is fulfilled by Barbrooke Grubb. Kyemap wants to accept the missionary's teachings. But he fears the powerful witch doctors whose superstitious murders threaten the tribe's very survival. Kyemap's older cousin Poit takes an interest in the Englishman, too, offering to help him reach other Paraguayan tribes. But Kyemap knows his cousin only too well and suspects Poit is up to no good. Then Grubb takes a trip home, and Poit agrees to watch his herd of cattle. But Poit soon becomes impatient, butchering some cattle and holding feasts to impress tribal leaders. When Grubb returns and asks to see the herd, Poit leads him deep into the treacherous Jaguar Swamp. Kyemap fears the worst. Must he betray his cousin to protect the man whose message could save the Lengua people? Torn between his family and his future, Kyemap seeks the truth ...

DRAWN BY A CHINA MOON, Introducing Lottie Moon -- "Dear Mollie, You can't believe what is happening here in China. . . ." Actually, what Mollie can't believe is that her best friend, Ida, and her family left Virginia to live in a "heathen" country. What about marrying handsome Southern husbands? Going to women's college together? However, Mollie's frustration slowly turns to fascination as Ida's letters describe her exciting life among the Chinese-sea worms for supper, wearing men's pants, Chinese New Year, and helping with the amazing missionary work of Lottie Moon. But as the years go by, China endures war, disease, and rebellion, and Molly becomes more and more worried about Ida. Realizing that each letter she receives could be the last, Mollie wants to help her beloved pen pal. But how . . . and at what price? Helping her friend means changing her life...forever!

SINKING THE DAYSPRING, Introducing John Paton -- Working at the docks is a dangerous occupation--especially for someone who doesn't know how to swim. But it's all Kevin Gilmore can do to keep himself and his ailing mother afloat. When Kevin is suddenly fired one day, their lives are dealt a terrible blow. The next thing he knows, his mother is dead, and he's on his own. All Kevin has of value are the one hundred shares he and his mother bought from a missionary raising money to build a ship called the Dayspring. The new ship will bring supplies to missionaries living on the islands of the South Sea. When he hears that the very same missionary, John Paton, is in Australia again and ready to launch the Dayspring, Kevin goes to him to cash in his shares, but instead ends up traveling with the missionary on the boat's first trip to the islands. Will the infamous pirate ships that trade rum for goods capture them before the Dayspring is able to reach the island people? IT'S SINK OR SWIM FOR THE BOY WHOSE FEAR IS WATER. . . .

RISKING THE FORBIDDEN GAME, Introducing Maude Cary -- For Jamal and Hameem, The Game starts out as a fun and daring contest between the two young boys to see who can collect more items belonging to the "enemy"--the French soldiers who are keeping Morocco from gaining its independence. For a Muslim to be seen with anything belonging to the infidels is among the most punishable of sins, but the excitement of The Game calls to the adventurous boys, who even risk swiping belongings right off of the French soldiers. The Game becomes more risky when Jamal begins collecting pictures from the Christian missionary Maude Cary, whom he meets in the marketplace, Surely a whole set of the pictures must be worth enough points to win The Game! Then jamal realizes that each picture tells a story bout Jesus, and he's torn between believing the missionary's stories and believing the Muslim way. When a French traitor comes to Jamal for help, will he lead Jamal to the Truth? IS BECOMING A CHRISTIAN WORTH LOSING HIS FAMILY?

THE QUEEN'S SMUGGLER Introducing William Tyndale Sarah Poyntz is the daughter of an English merchant who operates a shipping business from Antwerp, Belgium, in 1535. Her father is very interested in the ideas of William Tyndale, who has fled England as a condemned outlaw for refusing to stop his translation work of the English Bible. Tyndale believes that the Word of God should be read by the common people in their own language, a belief shared by the Poyntz family. But when Tyndale is captured and imprisoned, Sarah becomes the only hope for saving his fife. If she can successfully smuggle a copy of Tyndale's New Testament into the hands of the king's wife, Queen Anne, perhaps she can persuade him to spare Tyndale's life. If Sarah's desperate mission fails, her family is in peril of their lives. Will she have the courage to go through with it? Can Tyndale's life be spared?