Belt of Truth: Armor of God, #1

By Theresa Linden

Book 1 in the Armor of God children's chapter book series.

George Pennington wants to be a knight!
He bravely faces the fearsome head knight at the annual "tryouts," hoping to be among the few accepted to Knight School for Boys and Girls. When he accidentally burns his mother's cherished tapestry, is his chance at Knight School over? A lie seems like the best solution. As lying becomes easier for George, he discovers that students must earn the first piece of armor: The Belt of Truth.

 

Based on the Scriptural Armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-17), this fantasy adventure series appeals to the universal and timeless quest for virtue and inner strength. Story themes and "Brother Coll's Catechism Lessons" are perfect for children preparing for or who have recently made their first sacraments.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Silver Fire Publishing
• Release date: Jun 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781393067320

Theresa Linden

Theresa Linden is the author of award-winning Catholic fiction that weaves the natural with the supernatural. Her faith inspires the belief that there is no greater adventure than the realities we can't see, the spiritual side of life. She hopes that her stories will spark her readers' imaginations and awaken them to the power of faith and grace. Her books include the Chasing Liberty dystopian trilogy, the West Brothers contemporary young adult series, Tortured Soul (a purgatory soul story), the Armor of God children's books, short stories in Image and Likeness: Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body, and a story in each of the Catholic Teen Books Visible & Invisible anthologies. She is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild and CatholicTeenBooks.com. Her books can be found on Catholic Reads and Virtue Works Media. A wife, retired homeschooling mom, and Secular Franciscan, she resides in northeast Ohio with her family.

Book preview

Dear Reader,

If you are preparing to make your First Confession and your First Holy Communion, the Armor of God series is just for you. The six books in this series will support some of the truths you are learning as you prepare for these sacraments.

If you have already received these sacraments, I hope these stories will draw the teachings of our Holy Faith deeper into your heart. I pray that you grow in your love for Our Lord Jesus Christ and that He fills you with His grace and blessing.

Happy reading,

Theresa Linden

Copyright

Copyright © 2019 by Theresa A. Linden

Belt of Truth has received the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or places is purely coincidental.

http://theresalinden.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019903321

Paperback ISBN-13: 978-0997674781 

Second Edition, Silver Fire Publishing, June 2023

Cover: Theresa Linden

Illustrator: Nihal Dungdung

Editor: Carolyn Astfalk

Ephesians 6:13-17

"Therefore, put on the armor of God,

that you may be able to resist on the evil day and,

having done everything, to hold your ground.

So stand fast with your loins girded in truth,

clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and

your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.

In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield,

to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

And take the helmet of salvation and the

sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Tryouts

Acrowd gathered in St. Andrew’s courtyard for the annual tryouts. A few gray clouds floated overhead, but nothing could dampen George’s spirit. Today was the day!

George, if you don’t pass tryouts again, you must trust that Our Lord has other plans for you. Concern showed in Father’s eyes. Perhaps, you are not meant to be a knight.

Nine-year-old George Pennington bit his tongue to keep from replying. He knew Father wanted to make him an apprentice. Father wanted to teach him the work of a scribe. Grandfather had been a scribe, Great-grandfather too. Father would have him hunched over a desk for years . . . sitting, writing, yawning . . .

No. He did not want to be a scribe. He wanted to become a knight. If he passed tryouts, he would get to attend the best school ever: Knight School for Boys and Girls.

There, boys and girls learned the Code of Chivalry. Boys might eventually become knights, and girls, dames.

We shall await you boys out here. A rosary dangled from Mother’s hand, swinging as she pointed. St. Andrew’s courtyard is crowded. She gave him and his little brother, Erik, a peck on the cheek and waved them on their way.

Erik swiped the curls off his forehead and darted off like a kid at the fair.

George grabbed hold of his tunic to stop him. They bumped and weaved their way through the crowd.

Children wore their best tunics. No one had a single strand of straw in their hair. A woman stooped by a boy and scrubbed his forehead with her apron. A man lifted a little boy and mumbled in his ear. Don’t go mixing up your p’s and q’s now. And remember what I told you . . .

Most parents stood in the shadows of the courtyard and watched.

One of the Franciscan friars from St. Andrew’s scurried about the kids, waving his arms and gesturing. He reminded George of a chicken trying to avoid capture. Every time he formed a row of kids, one or two moved out of place. He grasped the strip