The Hamelin Stoop Series Review

If you’re looking for a book series to bridge the gap between elementary and middle school reading and beyond, then The Hamelin Stoop Series by 12 Gates Publishing might just be what you need.

We received the first two books in the series.

In Hamelin Stoop: The Eagle, The Cave, and the Footbridge (Book 1), young Hamelin’s death was feigned by his parents to confuse Ren’dal’s trackers. But he was actually left at an orphanage. Now Hamelin has to find out who his parents are and discover what the strange marking on his foot means. Even though he fails the test of courage at the bridge the first time, he faces the fear inside himself and crosses the bridge to the Tunnel of Time. He is now one step closer to finding his parents.

In Hamelin Stoop: The Lost Princess and the Jewel of Periluna (Book 2) Hamelin is still on a quest to find his parents, but soon finds himself embroiled in a bitter war between the realms of good and evil. With enough biblical imagery and allegory, parents will be able to have deep conversations with their kids about these books.

The kingdom of evil is represented by Chimera, which is a fire-breathing monster in Greek mythology with a serpent’s tail. How fitting for the old serpent from the Garden to be alluded to with this name.

The kingdom of good is represented by the mysterious Ancient One, an allusion to the biblical Ancient of Days.

My fifth grader is a strong and avid reader, and he thought the reading level was right about where he normally reads. My son could have finished this book in a day if he didn’t have to do his other schoolwork. 🙂

From looking through the books myself, I would suggest that strong readers between fourth through sixth grades would be able to handle this series. Middle school students through young adults would definitely find the deeper meanings of the plot line interesting to discuss with their parents in relation to worldview.

I originally planned to just have my fifth grader read these books, but when my eighth grader picked up the first book because he needed a book to read, he was drawn right in! An hour later I checked on him and he was still reading. This kid is usually a bit picky with his book choices, even though he’s an avid reader as well. So I would say this book is a hit with multiple ages.

We liked that the book is a biblical allegory, which gives families the opportunity to discuss worldview and big picture ideas related to good and evil, the supernatural world, and core identity issues.

We recommend this series to families with a Christian worldview who are looking for a fresh new book series.

The completed series will include about six or seven total books and together they will form a complete allegory of the story of the Bible.

Check out what other bloggers thought about these books by reading additional reviews from the HomeschoolReviewCrew!