- Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: Signet Classics; Reissue edition (April 6 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0451528352
- ISBN-13: 978-0451528353
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.4 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 113 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #883,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Made less satirical than Mark Twain's classic and simplified for younger readers, this retelling is still a lively romp. A beggar and a prince look so alike that they change places but then cannot immediately switch back. Mayer's (The Unicorn and the Lake) adaptation is serviceable if not sparkling; she retains all the key scenes of the story but flattens Twain's archaisms. While some of the original's sophisticated humor gets lost in the translation, much of it remains. For example, when Edward, the prince, tries telling pauper Tom's parents that he is really the Prince of Wales, Tom's mother responds, "Oh, poor Tom, it's all those books you read that's done this to you." And in court, when Tom is given a finger bowl, he drinks from it, announcing, "This is a very flavorless soup." Lippincott (Bruce Coville's Magic Shop series) vibrantly renders the ragged features of the paupers, and his tableaux are full of life. His palace scenes are ornate, light-filled watercolors of splendor in which the boys' homely, toothy faces seem like the only real and honest things. For readers not yet ready for Twain, this version, like its model, will make them think about their places in the world. Ages 7-up. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grades 3-7--Mark Twain's classic fantasy comes to life in this outstanding reading and interpretation by British actor Kenneth Jay. Using his voice like an instrument, Jay creates unique voices for each of the characters. Providing additional background to this wonderful British accented voice is a number of excellent selections of classical music from composers such as Purcell, MacDowell, Wagner, and Tomkins. The opening short piece of Baroque music that sounds as if it heralds the entry of royalty sets the mood for this story of two boys who exchange places during Henry VIII's reign. Students who might never consider opening Twain's book will sit enthralled at Jay's reading, and they just might decide to read the book. This audiobook will be useful in both literature and history classes, and will even be enjoyed by adults borrowing audiobooks from public library collections. Few audiobooks are as good as the text version, but this one is a pleasure to sit back and enjoy.
Linda Skeele, Western Elementary School, Georgetown, KY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Linda Skeele, Western Elementary School, Georgetown, KY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
In the ancient city of London, on a certain autumn day in the second quarter of the sixteenth century, a boy was born to a poor family of the name of Canty, who did not want him. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
In the ancient city of London, on a certain autumn day in the second quarter of the sixteenth century, a boy was born to a poor family of the name of Canty, who did not want him. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Princely tale,
By
This review is from: The Prince and the Pauper (Paperback)
Its a great story of two boys living vastly different lives who in a twist of fate switch lives leaving a pauper a king and a prince a poor boy.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rich in Charm, Poor in Depth,
By "swash_buckle_bonnie" (The Land of Mr. Jolley, TN) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Prince and the Pauper: A Tale for Young People of All Ages (Hardcover)
I found Mr. Twain's book very charming. I loved his amiable characters and intriguing plot of mixed identities and mottled muddle of Tudor lifestyles. This is not one of his greatest books, yet it still contains a Twain essence which lends itself to make it nonetheless enjoyable to read.I especially loved the development of Tom and Prince/King Edward. The ingenuity and pluck of these two boys made their switched places seem plausibly possible as they had to learn to cope with their new surroundings. Tom, in my opinion, did a much better job of this by actually pretending he was the royal monarch instead of insisting he was none other than himself, which Edward consistently did and therefore reaped the consequences. I also loved how Twain brought all of the characters together in the end and unraveled the twisted plot in a nice and tidy conclusion. Although I liked this story very much, I thought that Twain did not put as much brain power into this tale as he did in, say, Huckleberry Finn. Although the book is very fun and adventuresome, I find a lack of consequential meaning. There is a plethora of criticism on royal and base habits alike (sometimes it is a bit overstated as in the tremendous ceremony for the smallest things, like the king dressing in the morning). But when it comes to universal meaning of human nature and internal conflict, The Prince and the Pauper falls short of my expectations. Granted, Mark Twain does not write in the soul searching style of Conrad or Shelley, and if he did I probably wouldn't read his books, but I would have liked to have come from reading this tale with some sort of scholarly thought to take with me other than to wonder what it would be like to switch places with someone else (which is actually very interesting to think about). Even though I found The Prince and the Pauper a little less than intellectually stimulating, I loved the sketch it made of its colorful characters and of Tudor England. I very much enjoyed strolling through its pages and witnessing a wonderful and entertaining story of mixed identities and subsequent adventures. It did make me wonder what it would be like to walk a few miles in someone else's shoes, and then it made me realize that mine, smelliness and all, are truly the best fit for me.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Prince and the Pauper,
By L.Ho (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Puffin Classics Prince And The Pauper (Paperback)
(...)This book is about two boys who were born on the same year, same day, but are still very different. One was the prince of England, while the other was a peasant. One day, the prince was taking a walk around his castle, when he saw a peasant being kicked around by a gaurd. the prince brought the boy into his castle. Then they noticed how similar they looked, and decided to see how they would look in each other's clothes. Thats how the problem began. The prince mistakenly was kicked out of the castle, and the peasant remained trapped within the castle.(...) The things I liked about this book were when the prince and the pauper were at the ceremony being asked questions, when the pauper changed clothes, and when the royal adviser thought that the prince has gone mad. The events that I didn't like about this book were when Miles Hendon was being tortured, when the prince was forced to steal, and when the prince was about to be killed by the hermit. My favorite part of this book was when prince Edward and the pauper Tom got back together.
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