St. John, who lived from 1386 – 1456,  was a Franciscan theologian and reformer from Italy.  At age 70 he led a crusade against the Ottoman Turks in Hungary, earning him the nickname, 'the Soldier Saint'.  He is the patron saint of military chaplains and two Franciscan missions in the United States are named for him:  San Juan Capistrano in California and San Juan Capistrano in San Antonio, Texas.

Level 2 books in the Footsteps of the Saints series are about 90-96 pages each and are written for about a fourth grade reading level or higher although some third graders are able to read them as well because of the large print size and double spacing between lines. This series has books about well-known saints, but it also includes stories about saints and other Catholics that you don't hear about very often.