Book picks similar to
Thunderstorm in Church by Louise A. Vernon


historical-fiction
history
read-aloud
4th-grade

The Hedge of Thorns


Mark Hamby - 1819
    Because he desperately wants to know what is on the other side of a hedge of thorns, he puts his little sister in great danger. From his experience, we learn that God places boundaries in our lives because He loves us.

The Giant Killer


A.L.O.E. - 1856
    

Spy for the Night Riders


Dave Jackson - 1992
    He had been very fortunate that the esteemed university professor, Doctor Martin Luther, had taken him into his household as a servant. Luther's promise of tutoring Karl in exchange for his labor was the chance of a lifetime--until a poster on the church door declared his master a heretic!Karl is asked to travel with Doctor Luther to appear before the emperor's Imperial Council in the city of Worms. Will his life be at stake as well as Luther's? And who is the mysterious young lady who shadows their trip? Could she be a spy for Luther's enemy, Doctor Eck?Or might the night riders be secret supporters of Luther?With danger lurking on every side, who can Karl trust?

Saved at Sea


Mrs. O.F. Walton - 1887
    Alick and his grandfather set out in their boat to save as many lives as they can... but this time they only come back with one. A little girl is thrown overboard moments before a huge wave sweeps the wreck away. Who is she? Where are her parents? What are they going to do?As the storm disappears on the horizon, the little mystery girl touches the hearts of some very lonely people. Another stranger arrives on the island and Alick finds out that there is a rock that you can depend on in life, whatever the storms throw at you. Jesus Christ will always be there - an anchor, a fortress, stronger than a lighthouse on the rocks, stronger even than death!

Buried in the Snow


Franz Hoffman - 1879
    THIS BOOK IS FULL OF TWISTS AND TURNS AND UNSUSPECTING DANGERS, WILL CAUSE YOU TO SEE LIFE FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock?


Jean Fritz - 1975
    Then in 1741, the people decided to make a fuss because the Pilgrims must have stepped on it when they arrived in America. And that's when the adventures began. This entertaining book tells about Plymouth Rock's humble origins before it rose to a place of historic prominence.

Downright Dencey


Caroline Dale Snedeker - 1927
    Much more than a tale of whaling ships and gentle Quaker eccentricities, it is a tale of friendship-the kind most truly espoused by these 'plain' folk, with all the struggle and complexity one should expect. Dionis "Dencey" Coffyn is a mystery to her mother, Lydia, whose stern exterior hides a heart that breaks every time her husband Captain Tom goes to sea. Within a context of outward simplicity of living and inward intricacy of relationship, Dencey matures from the little girl who, in unquakerly violence of temper, throws a rock that wounds the town outcast. She becomes a young woman ready to bear her part in life with grace and courage. Downright Dencey is a probing portrayal of the power of love to overcome social barriers and religious strictures. Ages 12 and up.

If All the Swords in England: A Story of Thomas Becket


Barbara Willard - 2000
    The uncertainty of the tumultuous years leading to the infamous cathedral slaying is heightened by Simon's separation from his twin Edmund, who is in the service of King Henry II. With an expert pen Barbara Willard deftly recounts events leading to the bishop's martyrdom in 1170.

Big John's Secret


Eleanore M. Jewett - 1962
    Raised during the strife-filled days of the reign of King John of England, in a rude peasant village by Old Marm, John understands that injustice has been done his family and that Old Marm is preparing him one day to reclaim his name and family honor. He must avenge his unknown father! But Old Marm dies, and he is left without a clue to his name. In the next years John s unusual size and strength (and the knowledge he has gained of letters and of the art of healing) earn him a place as page to an earl organizing the 5th Crusade. In the Holy Land John searches for a father he hopes is living still. Amidst battle, capture and setbacks, John now a squire to a Knight Hospitaller encounters Francis of Assisi, who had come to the Holy Land just at this time to preach the Gospel to the Saracens. As John perseveres, Francis helps to bring about the final outcome. Ages 10 and up."

To the Top!: Climbing the World's Highest Mountain


Sydelle Kramer - 1993
    in full color. Here is the gripping story of Hillary and Norgay's perilous ascent of Mount Everest as they battled snow and ice slides, whipping winds, and the grim knowledge that 19 others had died in the same attempt.

Missionary Stories with the Millers


Mildred A. Martin - 1994
    Each story is based on actual happenings from the lives of real people.

The Lost Baron: A Story of England in the Year 1200


Allen French - 1940
    In the year 1200 in Cornwall, thirteen-year-old Martin's first day as page and squire to Baron Eric of Less Mortain is also his last when the Baron mysteriously disappears and his visiting distant relative and heir, the moody Sir Basil, takes charge of the castle.

Moonwalk: The First Trip to the Moon


Judy Donnelly - 1989
    The story of Apollo II's historic flight, from lift-off, through 'The Eagle has landed,' to splashdown and quarantine.

Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day


Scott O'Dell - 1975
    Tom Barton and his Uncle Jack help William Tyndale smuggle newly translated Bibles into England.

Alone Yet Not Alone


Tracy Michele Leininger - 2003
    On this particular day the whole valley seemed to rejoice in the fullness of the season—but suddenly Barbara and Regina’s peaceful frontier life is changed forever. General Braddock and his army had been defeated and soon the Pennsylvania settlers would suffer the bloody effects of the French and Indian War. On October 16, 1755, a band of Indians, led by Allegheny warriors, stormed through Buffalo Valley, burned the Leiningers’ log cabin, and captured the sisters. Few survived the Penn’s Creek Massacre and even fewer lived to tell the story. Regina makes a promise to her older sister just before they are unwillingly separated—each to endure different fates. Barbara is taken deep into the wilderness, but holds on to the hope that she will find her little sister. Though she is adopted into the Indian tribe, there is a longing deep inside that cannot be denied. She must escape—but the penalty if caught is certain death. No one expresses Barbara’s apprehensions better than her own words, written in 1759: “If one could not believe that there is a God, who helps and saves from death, one had better let running away alone...The extreme probability that the Indians would pursue and recapture us, was two to one compared with the dim hope that, perhaps, we would get through...even if we did escape the Indians, how would we ever succeed in passing through the wilderness, unacquainted with a single path or trail…"