The False Prince
Alethea Allarey
Written by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Published by Scholastic, 2012
2014-2015 Winner - Middle School/Junior High
Synopsis
In order to unify the unstable medieval kingdom of Carthya where the royal family has recently been murdered, Conner, a nobleman, devises a plan to find an imposter to impersonate the king’s long lost son, Jaron, and install him as a puppet prince. Three orphans are recruited and trained, but only one orphan will be chosen for this dangerous impersonation plan.
It is believed that Prince Jaron was killed by pirates, but his body was never found. Conner has two weeks to train the orphan boys and choose one of them to impersonate the prince. He will claim to have found the missing prince. The story centers on 15-year-old Sage, a feisty and defiant orphan, who becomes a beguiling anti-hero.
The False Prince is the first of book in the Ascendance trilogy. The second book, The Runaway King, continues the story, and the third and final book, The Shadow Throne, was released earlier this year.
Book Trailer
Meet the Author
Jennifer A. Nielsen was born and raised in northern Utah. She lives there with her husband and three children. She began writing in elementary school, producing her first full-length story when she was in sixth grade.
She has several stories from elementary and middle school, along with her poems and cartoons, hiding in a box in the back of her closet.
Jennifer has always loved to read. When she discovered that the author of her favorite book, The Outsiders, was only 17 when it was published, she decided to be a published author even sooner. But she got involved in local theater and school speech and debate competitions and didn’t write her first book until she was in her early 20’s. It wasn’t very good and neither were her second, third, or fourth books. And then she changed to writing young adult and children’s fantasy books.
Jennifer’s first book was Elliot and the Goblin War, which became the series The Underworld Chronicles. She has also written the sixth book for the Infinity Ring series, and the three books in the Ascendance trilogy.
Learn more on her website at www.jennielsen.com.
HOOKS
- Can you imagine living without your parents and brothers and sisters?
- Can you imagine what it would be like to live in an orphanage?
- Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a castle?
- How do you think it would it be to actually be a real prince?
Take Scholastic’s “Are You the False Prince?” quiz by going to the following link: http://www.scholastic.com/falseprince/.
Connections
Courts and Courtiers
Bell, Hilari, Sword of Waters. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2008.
Cavendish, Grace, The Grace Mysteries: Assassin and Betrayal. Delacorte Press/Random House Inc., 2010.
Flanagan, John, The Kings of Conmel. Puffin Books, 2010.
Maas, Sarah, The Assassin and the Pirate Lord. Bloomsbury, 2012.
Pierce, Tamora, Trickster’s Choice. Random House/Listening Library, 2005.
Impersonation
McMullan, Kate, Knight for a Day. Grosset & Dunlap, 1999.
Peck, Richard, Amanda/Miranda. Puffin Books, 2001.
Wooding, Chris, Pandemonium. Graphix, 2012.
Orphans
Blackwood, Gary L., Shakespeare’s Scribe. Dutton’s Children’s Books, 2000.
Bradford, Chris, Young Samurai: The Way of the Dragon. Disney/Hyperion Books, 2011.
Creech, Sharon, The Castle Corona. Joanna Cotler Books, 2007.
Creech, Sharon, The Boy on the Porch. Harper Collins, 2013.
Gaiman, Neil, The Graveyard Book. Harper Collins, 2008.
Riordan, Rick, The Maze of Bones. Scholastic, 2008.
Schlitz, Laura Amy, Splendors and Glooms. Candlewick Press, 2012.
Books by Jennifer A. Nielsen
The Underworld Chronicles series: Book 1, Elliot and the Goblin War; Book 2, Elliot and the Pixie Plot: Book 3, Elliot and the Last Underworld War. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2012.
The Infinity Ring series: Book 6, Behind Enemy Lines. Scholastic Press, 2013.
The Ascendance Trilogy: Book 1, The False Prince; Book 2, The Runaway King; Book 3, The Shadow Throne. Scholastic Press, 2014.
For more information, please check the 2014-2015 Resource Guide - Middle School/Junior High.