Down the Valley

Edith M. Humphrey is the William F. Orr Professor emerita of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, a member of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, and author of ten books on subjects as varied as worship, C. S. Lewis, and biblical vision-reports. She loves to play piano and oboe, walk her red Cavapoo, and write for her twenty-two grandchildren, whose magical adventures began in this novel's prequel, called Beyond the White Fence (2021).

Though James finds it a challenge being the oldest boy in a large extended family, he longs for something more exciting. Then, he and his cousins Isaiah and Kevin venture down the valley behind their grandmother's backyard fence, and embark on a stomach-turning voyage to times long ago and far away. Though they hope to keep their magical visits a secret from their older sisters, they discover that sometimes help is welcome. Join the three boys, their teen sisters, and their older friend TJ, as they go on a night quest for the apostle James, encounter mystery with the prophet Isaiah, and frolic with St. Kevin of Ireland and his animals. Shudder at the demons in Apollo's temple during the rescue of Kevin's little sister, who has been trapped in an ancient dungeon with the martyr Empress Alexandra. Travel to the cinnamon-scented shores of India, where peacocks dance, and where St. Thomas and TJ stand up to a hostile warrior. And in the end, return home and find that the world has changed: or maybe you have!