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The Cooper Kids Adventures #7
The Legend of Annie Murphy
In 1885, the Murphy mine struck gold. According to legend, Annie Murphy killed her husband out of greed, but just before she was to be hanged for the murder, she escaped. Now, a hundred years later, there have been sightings of Annie Murphy's "ghost." The Coopers unwittingly become involved in a mystery that finds them caught between the past and the present.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
About the author
Frank E. Peretti
80 books3,605 followersFROM HIS WEBSITE:
With more than 12 million novels in print, Frank Peretti is nothing short of a publishing phenomenon and has been called “America’s hottest Christian novelist.”
Peretti is a natural storyteller who, as a youngster in Seattle, regularly gathered the neighborhood children for animated storytelling sessions. After graduating from high school, he began playing banjo with a local bluegrass group. He and his wife were married in 1972, and Peretti soon moved from touring with a pop band to launching a modest Christian music ministry. Peretti later spent time studying English, screen writing and film at UCLA and then assisted his father in pastoring a small Assembly of God church. In 1983, he gave up his pastoring position and began taking construction jobs to make ends meet. While working at a local ski factory, he began writing This Present Darkness, the book that would catapult him into the public eye. After numerous rejections from publishers and a slow start in sales, word-of-mouth enthusiasm finally lifted This Present Darkness onto a tidal wave of interest in spiritual warfare. The book appeared on Bookstore Journal’s bestseller list every month for more than eight years. Peretti’s two spiritual warfare novels, This Present Darkness (1998) and Piercing the Darkness (1989), captivated readers, together selling more than 3.5 million copies. The Oath was awarded the 1996 Gold Medallion Award for best fiction.
For kids, Peretti wrote The Cooper Kids Adventure Series (Crossways and Tommy Nelson), which remains a best-selling series for children with sales exceeding 1 million copies. In August 2000, Peretti released the hilarious children’s audiocassette series titled Wild and Wacky Totally True Bible Stories, reprising his role as Mr. Henry, the offbeat substitute Sunday School teacher found in two Visual Bible for Kids videos.
Peretti released his first-ever non-fiction book, The Wounded Spirit in 2000, which quickly became a best-seller. The book addresses the pain of “wounded spirits” and was written as a result of painful childhood experiences.
Frank Peretti and his wife, Barbara Jean, live in the Western U.S. In spite of sudden fame and notoriety, Frank still lives a simple, well-rounded life that includes carpentry, banjo making, sculpturing, bicycling and hiking. He is also an avid pilot.
With more than 12 million novels in print, Frank Peretti is nothing short of a publishing phenomenon and has been called “America’s hottest Christian novelist.”
Peretti is a natural storyteller who, as a youngster in Seattle, regularly gathered the neighborhood children for animated storytelling sessions. After graduating from high school, he began playing banjo with a local bluegrass group. He and his wife were married in 1972, and Peretti soon moved from touring with a pop band to launching a modest Christian music ministry. Peretti later spent time studying English, screen writing and film at UCLA and then assisted his father in pastoring a small Assembly of God church. In 1983, he gave up his pastoring position and began taking construction jobs to make ends meet. While working at a local ski factory, he began writing This Present Darkness, the book that would catapult him into the public eye. After numerous rejections from publishers and a slow start in sales, word-of-mouth enthusiasm finally lifted This Present Darkness onto a tidal wave of interest in spiritual warfare. The book appeared on Bookstore Journal’s bestseller list every month for more than eight years. Peretti’s two spiritual warfare novels, This Present Darkness (1998) and Piercing the Darkness (1989), captivated readers, together selling more than 3.5 million copies. The Oath was awarded the 1996 Gold Medallion Award for best fiction.
For kids, Peretti wrote The Cooper Kids Adventure Series (Crossways and Tommy Nelson), which remains a best-selling series for children with sales exceeding 1 million copies. In August 2000, Peretti released the hilarious children’s audiocassette series titled Wild and Wacky Totally True Bible Stories, reprising his role as Mr. Henry, the offbeat substitute Sunday School teacher found in two Visual Bible for Kids videos.
Peretti released his first-ever non-fiction book, The Wounded Spirit in 2000, which quickly became a best-seller. The book addresses the pain of “wounded spirits” and was written as a result of painful childhood experiences.
Frank Peretti and his wife, Barbara Jean, live in the Western U.S. In spite of sudden fame and notoriety, Frank still lives a simple, well-rounded life that includes carpentry, banjo making, sculpturing, bicycling and hiking. He is also an avid pilot.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
November 17, 2019
This is my favourite book out of the other books, I loved the mystery in it.
I felt it was kind of weird how Jay and Lila made it to Anne Murphy's time. I finished this book in an hour.
I felt it was kind of weird how Jay and Lila made it to Anne Murphy's time. I finished this book in an hour.
July 10, 2023
My twelfth birthday was definitely one for the books (figuratively and literally!). I think I got five book series to read - and this was one of them!
The Cooper Kids series are the perfect thrillers for a twelve year old - or at least for me when I was twelve. I would find myself starting to get decently spooked and wanting to put the book down, but at the same time unable to tear myself away. Uh, it was agony for sure, but it was sure fun agony, if you know what I mean. (My second go around of reading these as an adult has me smirking at my young self - I scared easily I guess, ha!).
Peretti does a fabulous job of taking a couple of Bible passages, mixing them with some pretend legends/superstitions and wrapping them up in a tween’s Indiana Jones styled adventure story.
This particular title deviates somewhat from the other tales, meaning there isn’t an abstract Bible versus its based on - just a spooky ghost story… or perhaps not!
I highly recommend these!
Ages: 10+
Cleanliness: there is a legend that a woman cut her husband in pieces - not true nor detailed. There are tales of ghosts - not true. Several people die in this book.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
The Cooper Kids series are the perfect thrillers for a twelve year old - or at least for me when I was twelve. I would find myself starting to get decently spooked and wanting to put the book down, but at the same time unable to tear myself away. Uh, it was agony for sure, but it was sure fun agony, if you know what I mean. (My second go around of reading these as an adult has me smirking at my young self - I scared easily I guess, ha!).
Peretti does a fabulous job of taking a couple of Bible passages, mixing them with some pretend legends/superstitions and wrapping them up in a tween’s Indiana Jones styled adventure story.
This particular title deviates somewhat from the other tales, meaning there isn’t an abstract Bible versus its based on - just a spooky ghost story… or perhaps not!
I highly recommend these!
Ages: 10+
Cleanliness: there is a legend that a woman cut her husband in pieces - not true nor detailed. There are tales of ghosts - not true. Several people die in this book.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
June 9, 2023
Reread in May 2023
The drama! The action! The cheese! Is it biblical? No. Is it a classic? No. Is it the most skilled writing worthy of awards? No. But I liked it when I was a kid, and I can still appreciate it now.
Take it for what it is: Respects the reader enough to offer background, setup, and payoff. Fascinating settings with hints of complex culture. The two-dimensional characters give off a shade of something deeper. Lots of good hype in the third act. Indiana Jones-light. Good, clean fun. Glad my reread didn't destroy the nostalgia I have for the series.
The last two books in the series are the weakest. This one has less action, and most of the time is spent running around finding clues to solve the mystery. The villain is weaker, and there's no archaeology, but there is some history. Any time you get into time travel things get dicey, and here it shows.
On to book eight: Flying Blind.
The drama! The action! The cheese! Is it biblical? No. Is it a classic? No. Is it the most skilled writing worthy of awards? No. But I liked it when I was a kid, and I can still appreciate it now.
Take it for what it is: Respects the reader enough to offer background, setup, and payoff. Fascinating settings with hints of complex culture. The two-dimensional characters give off a shade of something deeper. Lots of good hype in the third act. Indiana Jones-light. Good, clean fun. Glad my reread didn't destroy the nostalgia I have for the series.
The last two books in the series are the weakest. This one has less action, and most of the time is spent running around finding clues to solve the mystery. The villain is weaker, and there's no archaeology, but there is some history. Any time you get into time travel things get dicey, and here it shows.
On to book eight: Flying Blind.
June 1, 2017
Probably the weakest of the Cooper Kids books that I've read. It's about temporal disturbances, and time travel. The other books all seem possible in some way, this book was too out there.
May 30, 2024
4 and a half stars
July 17, 2024
I would give this one four and a half stars! So far, it is my favorite one that I've read of the series. The whole plot was very intriguing and the ending was so good!
November 10, 2022
Cooper Kids series by Frank Peretti
Recommend with some notes below.
I loved these as a kid! I don't remember how old I was when I read them, but the suggestion range on the cover is 10-14. Some of these are intense as kids books go so depending on the child some may ok earlier, but I think the stated range is probably accurate for most.
As an adult who just reread them, they aren't top tier literature. That's ok. They're still good reads & their aimed at kids. Not everything needs to be top tier.
One of my favorite things about the series is that it is solidly Christian. Not "oh we threw a prayer in over the meal so it's Christian" but scared: pray, thankful: pray, confused: pray for guidance, running for your life: pray as you run. But it's not hokey. It feels very real as a kid reading the books & is faith building!
The series is a mix of genres and this is where my age caution really comes from. If I had to categorize all of the books with one label is would be "Spiritual Thrillers (for kids)" though the adventure label definitely applies to all of them also. Breaking it out:
Book 1: Door in the Dragons Throat - spiritual thriller
Book 2: Escape from the Island of Aquarius - adventure/maybe a bit of science fiction ala Journey to the Center of the Earth
Book 3: Tombs of Anak - spiritual thriller
Book 4: Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea - adventure/"real life (unrealistic)" peril- this is the one book where you don't see the 3 Coopers getting along harmoniously & you see tensions and hurt feelings.
Book 5: Secret of the Desert Stone - adventure, definitely supernatural aspects but it's not a thriller
Book 6: Deadly Curse of Toco-Rey - thriller but not a spiritual thriller
Book 7: Legend of Annie Murphy - science fiction
Book 8: Flying Blind - adventure/realistic peril
As a kid the ones that stood out to me the most & were the scariest are books 1, 3, and 6. Book 7 was odd in a different way because of the time travel, but it wasn't scary. Book 8 was my least favorite as a kid - I almost (but not really) found it boring. That's just because they're not traveling anywhere this time. As an adult it's the only one of the books that brought tears to my eyes - it's much easier to create separation when you're looking at extremes and improbable situations like running for your life in an underground booby trapped tomb than something that feels more familiar like the possibility of an air plane crash.
If you're not familiar with Peretti please preread these books. They're pretty unique in Juevenile Fiction from my experience. If you are familiar with Peretti don't worry, he writes to kids just fine and while there are those spiritual thriller aspects theyre quite tame compared to his adult novels!
The Cooper Kids (age 13 & 14) are the only kids in the series, which I actually like & kids will too I think because they're given adult sized tasks and are responsible with them. The kids as well as thei father & various other adults pray & reference the Bible with regulararity.
The theme of the books is God is bigger, stronger, more powerful than any other religion or curse. He controls the earth. He convicts. He reveals. He works things for our good. Few kids books give that awe-some perspective in my opinion and I'm glad that these books tackle that.
Recommend with some notes below.
I loved these as a kid! I don't remember how old I was when I read them, but the suggestion range on the cover is 10-14. Some of these are intense as kids books go so depending on the child some may ok earlier, but I think the stated range is probably accurate for most.
As an adult who just reread them, they aren't top tier literature. That's ok. They're still good reads & their aimed at kids. Not everything needs to be top tier.
One of my favorite things about the series is that it is solidly Christian. Not "oh we threw a prayer in over the meal so it's Christian" but scared: pray, thankful: pray, confused: pray for guidance, running for your life: pray as you run. But it's not hokey. It feels very real as a kid reading the books & is faith building!
The series is a mix of genres and this is where my age caution really comes from. If I had to categorize all of the books with one label is would be "Spiritual Thrillers (for kids)" though the adventure label definitely applies to all of them also. Breaking it out:
Book 1: Door in the Dragons Throat - spiritual thriller
Book 2: Escape from the Island of Aquarius - adventure/maybe a bit of science fiction ala Journey to the Center of the Earth
Book 3: Tombs of Anak - spiritual thriller
Book 4: Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea - adventure/"real life (unrealistic)" peril- this is the one book where you don't see the 3 Coopers getting along harmoniously & you see tensions and hurt feelings.
Book 5: Secret of the Desert Stone - adventure, definitely supernatural aspects but it's not a thriller
Book 6: Deadly Curse of Toco-Rey - thriller but not a spiritual thriller
Book 7: Legend of Annie Murphy - science fiction
Book 8: Flying Blind - adventure/realistic peril
As a kid the ones that stood out to me the most & were the scariest are books 1, 3, and 6. Book 7 was odd in a different way because of the time travel, but it wasn't scary. Book 8 was my least favorite as a kid - I almost (but not really) found it boring. That's just because they're not traveling anywhere this time. As an adult it's the only one of the books that brought tears to my eyes - it's much easier to create separation when you're looking at extremes and improbable situations like running for your life in an underground booby trapped tomb than something that feels more familiar like the possibility of an air plane crash.
If you're not familiar with Peretti please preread these books. They're pretty unique in Juevenile Fiction from my experience. If you are familiar with Peretti don't worry, he writes to kids just fine and while there are those spiritual thriller aspects theyre quite tame compared to his adult novels!
The Cooper Kids (age 13 & 14) are the only kids in the series, which I actually like & kids will too I think because they're given adult sized tasks and are responsible with them. The kids as well as thei father & various other adults pray & reference the Bible with regulararity.
The theme of the books is God is bigger, stronger, more powerful than any other religion or curse. He controls the earth. He convicts. He reveals. He works things for our good. Few kids books give that awe-some perspective in my opinion and I'm glad that these books tackle that.
May 31, 2024
4.5/5 Stars
While visiting Arizona for a trip to the Grand Canyon, the Coopers are lured into a mystery involving a long-dead ghost town and a woman told to haunt the cemetery. When their friend shows them some inarguably intriguing evidence, they can't help but agree to help him seek answers about his theory.
This was fun, approaching it like a ghost story when the tale was so much more. The exploration of corruption caused by greed in a ming town, setting up innocence for the slaughter, how someone perceived as illiterate can tell their story so loudly it echoes through the ages.
I would recommend this for young adventurers and older ones looking for that fun read. Be prepared for a wild ride as the past crashes into the Coopers' lives in ways they never anticipated.
While visiting Arizona for a trip to the Grand Canyon, the Coopers are lured into a mystery involving a long-dead ghost town and a woman told to haunt the cemetery. When their friend shows them some inarguably intriguing evidence, they can't help but agree to help him seek answers about his theory.
This was fun, approaching it like a ghost story when the tale was so much more. The exploration of corruption caused by greed in a ming town, setting up innocence for the slaughter, how someone perceived as illiterate can tell their story so loudly it echoes through the ages.
I would recommend this for young adventurers and older ones looking for that fun read. Be prepared for a wild ride as the past crashes into the Coopers' lives in ways they never anticipated.
February 3, 2022
This book is about a Wild West legend and trying to determine what is being said among the rocks. I do think this title would appeal to kids as it involved time/space continuum as well as going back in time. I will say imagination is required. For that reason, as an adult, this title in the series was not really my favorite. I did not like how the characters were in two different spans of time. To me, that was confusing. But again, I am not the target audience. Kids will love it!
I listened to this series with my middle school son. I loved the author as a narrator. This book is perfect for ages 10-14.
I listened to this series with my middle school son. I loved the author as a narrator. This book is perfect for ages 10-14.
March 16, 2024
This is a teen fiction book concerning time travel and the unraveling of a 100 year old crime. Annie Murphy was convicted of murder but disappeared in 1885. Two professors along with two kids search a ghost town where the earth magnetic field is unstable. Suddenly the two kids disappear and turn up in 1885 while the Sheriff from 1885 turns up in the present. The rest of the story concerns finding Annie Murphy, finding out who killed her husband and getting the kids back to the present. The book has a nice little climax.
October 24, 2017
I read the original fout of this series as a kid and now am reading these 4 later volumes as an adult having picked them up for my son. I really enjoyed the fantasy/sci-fi elements of time travel in this volume. it added to the fun and intrigue. As always I appreciate the way that Peretti can weave a story that is for kids, yet has so many twists and always takes you back to some biblical principle.
January 31, 2018
Frank E. Peretti is still my go to example of how 'Christian literature' doesn't have to be awful, and it was lovely to revisit this book from my childhood. This is an interesting take on the idea of ghosts, and while I'm honestly pretty sure the science isn't quite right, it doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the tale. I read this book in one sitting the first time I read it, unable to put it down, and it still has a pretty strong story all these years later.
July 18, 2018
This was a nostalgic revisit to a series I enjoyed in my early teens, but I hadn't read this specific book in the series before so I was surprised . The writing is pretty good for as simple and easy to read as it is, and I enjoyed revisiting this series. I may re-read a few more of them soon!
June 7, 2021
Even for a kids' story, this comes across as WAY to unrealistic and unbelievable. Whereas the other installments in this series have an Indiana Jones flavor, this one is more akin to BACK TO THE FUTURE, minus the charm and clever humor. I admire Peretti for tackling some pretty heavy scientific concepts here, but I don't think he does so successfully.
November 12, 2023
WARNING: Contains a spoiler or two
I loved the time travel element. Out of the different ways this has been written in books I think this was the best. Love the different ways of Annie expressing herself and I spent a while after I finished the book thinking about the timewarp/wormhole. Great book.
I loved the time travel element. Out of the different ways this has been written in books I think this was the best. Love the different ways of Annie expressing herself and I spent a while after I finished the book thinking about the timewarp/wormhole. Great book.
December 30, 2021
A fun romp through my childhood reading - and it still holds up today. It's pretty impressive how such a intriguing mystery can be captured in a few short pages. These books will always be some of my favs.
July 7, 2023
A change to the formula as we get a little spooky in this business and get more “murder mystery” up in this hizzle.
A good read (heh). Somewhat weird at times with the back and forth with the story, but good times were had.
Love,
Aidan
A good read (heh). Somewhat weird at times with the back and forth with the story, but good times were had.
Love,
Aidan
July 1, 2017
Still good but missing that one character. Also. I'm so confused as to when these stories take place. Hmmm.
January 18, 2018
What a fun children's series! Mystery, time travel, and maintaining Christian values! I devoured this one afternoon on a snow day.
February 25, 2019
Some fun time travel in this one.
Listened to the audio with Lincoln & Naomi.
2019 - A book of my choice
Listened to the audio with Lincoln & Naomi.
2019 - A book of my choice
March 4, 2019
Wow! Great book like all of the other books in this series. The way Frank writes his books is amazing. I absolutely loved this book.
October 13, 2019
Fascinating.
April 4, 2021
Tijdreizen, altijd leuk! En wel origineel ten opzichte van de andere Cooper Kids boeken
June 4, 2021
I loved these books
August 10, 2022
I loved this book. I have been going through some rough time with my health and this was a great adventure to ease the day away with.
March 23, 2023
I thought it would be more like Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys, but the ghosts are real in the story. I think I would have preferred a more realistic storyline.
October 23, 2023
Probably the least "Christian" of the books so far in the series. But full of fun adventure and light murder mystery!
November 3, 2023
I forgot how timey-wimey this one was, and it made me extremely happy.
December 29, 2023
This is a time travel crazy adventure.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews