Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites

by Chris Heimerdinger

Jim Hawkins has a bad attitude. What's more, he enjoys having a bad attitude about everything- especially about church.

Garth Plimpton is a fanatic. He's spent so much time studying the scriptures and thick books on archeology that he can't carry on a normal conversation with other kids. That's why they consider him a nerd.

Through an unusual chain of events, these two opposites become fast friends. It all began when Garth told Jim a simple truth:

"They really existed, you know."

"Who?" Jim asked.

"Nephites," Garth replied. "Every character in the Book of Mormon ate, slept, died, was buried . . ."

That statement, taken for granted before, would soon echo deeply in the two boys' minds- because they were on the trail of a chilling secret. At the root of this secret was a faded Indian legend that old men told children to make their eyes grow big. As Garth and Jim put the pieces of the puzzle together, they accidentally stumble upon a mysterious passageway hurling them into another world- an ancient American world.

Join Jim, Garth, and Jim's pesky little sister, Jennifer, as they journey in a land where the names Helaman, Teancum, and Captain Moroni are more than just words on a page. A world where danger and supsense are a way of life. . .

About the Author

Born on August 26, 1963, Chris Heimerdinger spent his first eighteen years of life bouncing from religion to religion--from Methodist to Lutheran to agnostic. Finally, at age 18, he was baptized a Latter-day Saint.

The idea for Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites came to Chris while he was serving in the Florida, Tallahassee mission in 1984. Since that time he's engaged in extensive research and rewrites, thumbing through thick scholarly works and traveling to both Mexico and Guatemala. He feels deeply indebted to the work of such Mormon scholars as John L. Sorenson, Joseph Allen and others for laying out much of the framework inside which he built his story.

According to Chris: "I wanted to present a fictional story account of the Book of Mormon from both a spiritual and a scholarly standpoint and tie it all together in a wonderful adventure."

Chris had also produced and directed a film entitled, The Wolves, which is currently distributed by Phoenix Films. He has also authored an LDS comedy book entitled, The Absurd Adventures of Elders' Kurds and Way.

Chris was sealed to Catherine Elizabeth Hines in the Manti Temple in June, 1988.

Book of Mormon Adventures is part of the Nephite Network This website is not officially affiliated with the LDS Church