Trailblazer Books In Order

Publication Order of Trailblazer Books

The Trailblazer series is a fictional series of novels in the genre of Christian historical fiction. It was written by American authors Neta Jackson and Dave Jackson. Each novel in the series focuses on various Christian heroes that really lived during history. Every novel contains for the reader a biographical overview of the person that is being spotlighted. It also takes pains to explain which parts of the story are made up and which are based on historical events or truth.

They started the Trailblazer series with the publication of Kidnapped by River Rats: William & Catherine Booth in 1991. The series continued on with the publication of The Queen’s Smuggler and continued on to span nearly forty novels. The last novel in the Trailblazer series to be published was Caught in the Rebel Camp: Frederick Douglass, which was published in 2003. While these books were published in paperback, they were also released in eBook format.

One of the cool thing about the Trailblazer series is that any of the novels can be read. The series does not have to necessarily be read in chronological order as each book features a different person out of history and exists on its own, so many of the books can easily be picked up and enjoyed without having read any of the ones that came before it. The series is meant to be enjoyed by young readers from ages 8 to 12, but they can be enjoyed by adults as well, who may want to read them with their children. They are a way to introduce readers to Christian heroes throughout history.

The Trailblazer series begins with Kidnapped by River Rats. This novel is set during the 1880s in time. The main characters in this novel are Jack and Amy. These two young people have come all the way to London for the purpose of finding their uncle. However, London is a big city and they don’t have the advantages that grown adults would enjoy. So Jack and Amy are stuck in London all by themselves and without any food, money, or shelter.

Desperate to find their uncle but without resources, they do not know where to go. They don’t even know how to find their relative because they have no idea where he lives. These two young people need to find their relative because they have nowhere else to go, but as they do not find him when they immediately arrive they have to live on the street.

Living on the streets of London is a miserable time, and the two young people are paired up against the very worst and scary things that the city has to offer. London is cozy enough when you have your own residence and income and able to sit by the fire. Jack and Amy do not have that luxury and living on the streets is scary for two kids, as you can imagine. Worse still, London society has become quite indifferent and even cold toward the needy and homeless that live there. It seems like Jack and Amy will never find refuge in London and there is no place to go.

They’re not even sure if they could go somewhere; it seems that London is hospitable only to those with money, and the class definitions are severely defined. They’re not the only ones living on the street, and Jack and Amy seemingly are without refuge or help. They desperately need safety in some aspect. Just when they think that they are doomed to a life or a young death on the streets, someone approaches them on the street.

They are some people who say that they are from the Salvation Army. General and Catherine Booth want to talk to the young children and see if they can offer them someplace to stay and food to eat. They don’t know whether to trust them, but at this point when they are already living on the streets, it seems like they don’t really have any other choice. But with dangerous men after them, they don’t know if staying in one place is even a good idea.

Will Jack and Amy be able to find their way in life and get in touch with their uncle? And what is this Salvation Army that has extended a hand? Read this first installment of the Trailblazer series to find out!

The Queen’s Smuggler is the second book in the Trailblazer series. It is designed for readers age eight to twelve. This novel focuses on the real-life character of Sarah Poyntz. Born to an English merchant with a successful shipping business in Belgium in 1535. While the business is based in the city of Antwerp, her father is also interested in philosophy and thinkers. He’s intrigued by William Tyndale’s ideas, a man who had to flee England after he was condemned as an outlaw for refusing to halt his translation of an English Bible.

Tyndale believed that the Word of God should not be withheld from the common people. Their own language should be utilized in the reading and understanding of the Bible. The Poyntz family also thinks this and thinks it would be a beneficial thing for everyone to be able to read the teachings of God in English or whatever language they speak. But the state doesn’t think so, and Tyndale is quickly captured and the imprisoned.

When this happens, it seems that Sarah will be the only chance he has at escaping or getting his life saved. But while a breakout is not likely, maybe Sarah can use the purity of his ideas to save him. She comes up with a plan to get a copy of the New Testament into Queen Anne’s hands.

Maybe if the King’s wife sees the value of being able to hold and read the Bible, she will be able to persuade the king to spare Tyndale. Sarah is his only hope to save his life, but can it work– and will she have the boldness to go through with it? If it fails, will her family be threatened too? Read this exciting second novel in the Trailblazer series to find out!