Trailblazer Books

Karl Schumacher was fifteen when he came to the German city of Wittenberg in 1520 seeking an education. 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?

Stopping to admire a small clipper ship the Dumfries in 1853, Neil Thompson is suddenly grabbed and dragged onboard the ship, then locked in a small dark room until the ship is on its way out to sea. When finally let out, he discovers he’s been shanghaied to be a cabin bow on a tea clipper bound for China! And there’s no chance for escape. Fortunately, there is a young missionary onboard named Hudson Taylor who is also bound for China. Will Taylor’s friendship and faith be able to overcome all the bad that has happened to Neil?

Sarah Pointz is the daughter of an English merchant who operates a shipping business from Belgium in 1535. Her father is interested in the ideas of William Tyndale who believes the Bible should be read by the common people, and has fled England as an outlaw for refusing to stop his translation work. When Tyndale is captured and imprisoned, Sarah becomes the only hope for saving his life. If she can smuggle a copy of Tyndale’s New Testament into the hands of the king’s wife, Anne Bolyn, perhaps she can persuade him to spare Tyndale’s life. If her mission fails, her family is in peril of their lives.

Thirteen-year-old Elizabeth Tilley and her family have been waiting for this day for months-the day the Mayflower sets sail from England. The late start means uncertain weather and a long, hard journey for everyone. But the trip seems especially rough for Dorothy Bradford, the frail young wife of William Bradford. One night, Elizabeth discovers Dorothy alone on deck. Thinking the woman wants to be alone, Elizabeth returns to bed. But the next morning, she awakes to the news that Dorothy has disappeared! Afraid that William Bradford will blame her for his wife’s death, Elizabeth tells no one what she saw that night. When they finally arrive in the New World, many passengers become very ill. Several of them die before the new colony is established, including Elizabeth’s parents. Left an orphan, Elizabeth must deal with her terrible secret alone. How can she ever face Governor Bradford again? If she dares to tell the truth, will it ruin her chance for happiness in the new colony? Alone in the New World, Elizabeth guards a shocking secret. . .

Sometime in the 1880’s, Jack and Amy come to London searching for their uncle. On their own, without money, food, or shelter, they have no one else to turn to. But they don’t even know where he lives! Living on the street is frightening, dangerous, and an opportunity for the worst elements of the city to take advantage of them. London has become uncaring and cruel to the needy. When those strange Salvation Army people approach them, should Jack and Amy run away, or can the General and Catherine Booth be trusted?

Everything about India shouted adventure to fourteen-year-old English boy John Knight. Crowds of people swarmed the streets, temple elephants paraded about, monkeys scolded at passers-by—this was easily the most exciting place John had ever been. But he and his mother are not prepared for what they discover when they befriend an Irish missionary named Amy Carmichael. John is shocked to learn that a young Indian girl is to be a “child bride” forced by her uncle to marry an elderly man! What will happen if John does not act? Who will save Jewel? Will all the fears in Jewel’s eyes come to pass?

Six-year-old Mei-en screams when she realizes her gypsy owner was about to sell her to a foreign lady. Times were hard in the mountainous region of China in 1934, and orphans were often sold for pennies. But Mei-en’s new owner was the compassionate missionary, Gladys Aylward. One day Mei-en saw silver “birds” in the sky—but her delight turned to dread when they began dropping bombs. Suddenly her life, and the lives of nearly a hundred other orphan children, were in terrible danger! With the enemy in hot pursuit, their only escape is over the mountains!

Eleven-year-old Niwa is from Ecuador’s Huaorani tribe, better known as the Auca tribe, which is known for killing outsiders. The Aucas trust no one, not even neighboring tribes, so when young Niwa is outlawed by his own people for angering another tribe, not even his family will protect him. Then a huge “woodbee” flies overhead, dropping gifts to Niwa’s tribe from pilot Nate Saint and the other members of a missions team hoping to share the Gospel with them. Alone and afraid, Niwa is excited by the prospect of outsiders who want to help him. He even wants to make friends with the mysterious strangers and convince his tribe that the people in the strange woodbee will not harm them. But when someone else from the tribe lies about the five men wanting to attack them, the whole village wants them dead—except for Niwa. Will he get there in time to stop the killing. In a tribe of killers, one boy longs for peace. . . .

An urgent call for help cut through the morning mists that floated along the shore of Lake Shirwa. Two young African boys, Wikatani and Chuma, had been captured by slave traders, but the desperate cry would never reach their village. Where are the traders taking them? Fortunately, there is help on the way. David Livingstone is doing everything he can to put a halt to the slave traders in Africa in the 1860’s.

By the time Curly Roddy was twelve, he’d already survived six years as an orphan on the streets of London in the 1870s. He slept in dustbins and ate orange peels when he could find them. Sometimes he earned a few coins by singing and doing acrobatics in pubs. He had perfected his skills at snatching purses and picking pockets. But when Curly overheard that a church was raising £3,000 for an orphanage in Bristol, his scheme of an armed robbery promised to bring him enough money for a lifetime. With the help of a local thug, Spud, a plan is soon put in place. With Spud’s pistol and brute force, the church’s treasure should easily be taken. But the highway robbery brings Curly more trouble than he had bargained for. Is it scarier to be sent to the orphanage from which he stole the money or to be sent to prison? Will George Müller, the man in charge of the orphanage, make Curly into a slave to earn back at least a portion of the money? Or might they do something even worse? Curly’s in for the biggest surprise of his young life!