Book Reviews and More: The Secret of the Shamrock - Lisa M. Hendey and Jenn Bower

The Secret of the Shamrock
Chime Travelers Book 1
Lisa M. Hendey
Jenn Bower (Illustrator)
Servant Books a division of
Franciscan Media
ISBN 9781616368470

This is the second book by Lisa M. Hendey that I have read. I just finished reading it with my oldest child and we both loved it. Hendey is an editor and founder at CatholicMom.com she has written numerous books and also contributed to a number of other books. I started with the fifth book in this series as a teat and have gone back and am now reading them with my children in order.

This is the first book in a series that is now up to five volumes. It is a very interesting story. In this first story in the series Patrick Brady makes some mistakes, one was bringing his pet frog Francis to his sister's baptism. As penance his family commits to joining the cleaning crew at St. Anne's. While Patrick is inside the confessional cleaning for Fr. Miguel, when the church bells start to chime Patrick feels a rumbling and a rushing wind and then everything changes. After the confessional door blows open with the cold wind and then Patrick is no longer in St. Anne's. When he opens his eyes he is cold, wet, and he hears a strange clank, clank.

Patrick has somehow travelled both in time and space. For he now finds himself in ancient Ireland. The young Patrick meets a shepherd and the shepherd has a faith that slowly rubs off on Patrick. He travels across the country lead by the Shepherd's dream and the guidance the Shepherd seeks through prayer. Patrick also travels through time again and meets an older Bishop who was his young friend just the day before. Young Patrick learns about the trinity, about faith, about prayer.

My oldest loved this book. We read it together alternating pages. Her favourite parts were the time travel, meeting a real saint. And having a pet frog. My favourite parts were making St. Patrick real, and that my daughter wanted to start the next book as soon as we finished. We also both loved the numerous illustrations by Jenn Bower. The illustrations are fun and add to the story. I believe my younger two will love the book and my oldest and I plan on reading it to them soon. I think the younger readers will love the illustrations.

This book is a great story that has a number of good lessons that it teaches. It is also a really fun read. At the end of the book is a short biography of the real St. Patrick and also a version of the St. Patrick breastplate prayer. This is an excellent book and part of an awesome series, recommended for the whole family.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Lisa M. Hendey:
The Handbook for Catholic Moms
A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms
The Grace of Yes: Eight Virtues for Generous Living
O Radiant Dawn: 5-Minute Prayers Around the Advent Wreath
As Morning Breaks: Daily Gospel Reflection.
I Am God's Storyteller
...

Chime Travelers Series:
The Secret of the Shamrock
The Sign of the Carved Cross
The Whisper in the Ruins
The Mystery at Midnight
The Strangers at the Manger
...

Contributed to:
Beautiful Mercy

Beautiful Eucharist
Small Steps for Catholic Moms
The Catholic Baby Name Book
One Body, Many Blogs: A Guide for Christian Bloggers
The Catholic Mom S Prayer Companion: A Book of Daily Reflections
The Church and New Media