Oxford, England, 1486, King Henry the Sixth is on the throne having stolen the crown from the rightful King Richard. A young scullery boy, Lambert Simnel, is on his way to the bakery, stepping carefully through the mud and smelling the stench of the city after a rain.
This is a trip to the bakery that will change young Lambert's life for ever. He is noticed by a friar who purchases him from the Tackley Tavern and takes him away to an empty room. Lambert fears for his life. But it turns out the friar has an amazing plan. He is about to teach Lambert everything he needs to know about being a noble and acting well above his station. Lambert Simnel is going to impersonate Edward the Earl of Warwick, the rightful heir to the throne of England. Lambert is going to become the next king.
This is history told from the point of view of an orphan boy who going to rise out of the muck to the highest position in the land. Will he succeed? Will he be able to outwit the plotters who have devised this scheme?
Fast-paced, this story, based on the true life of Lambert Simnel, takes us through the evolution of a scullery boy as he learns how to carry himself as a king and memorizes all the facts of the past he cannot remember.
Fascinating to learn of the role this boy actually played in English history and sure to tantalize readers as they imagine the incredible power and station this boy was handed. He hit the lottery for his times.
199 pages 978-1481437684 Ages 8-12 Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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From Newbery Award–winning author Avi comes the gripping and amazingly true tale of a boy plucked from the gutter to become the King of England.
England, 1486. King Henry VII has recently snatched the English Crown and now sits on the throne, while young Prince Edward, who has a truer claim, has apparently disappeared. Meanwhile, a penniless kitchen boy named Lambert Simnel is slaving away at a tavern in Oxford—until a mysterious friar, Brother Simonds, buys Lambert from the tavern keeper and whisks him away in the dead of night. But this is nothing compared to the secret that the friar reveals: You, Lambert, are actually Prince Edward, the true King of England!
With the aid of the deceitful Earl of Lincoln, Brother Simonds sets out to teach the boy how to become the rightful English king. Lambert has everything to gain and nothing to lose, or so he thinks. Yet in this dangerous battle for the throne, Lambert is not prepared for what’s to come—or for what it really means to play at being a king.--from the publisher
