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The Player King Paperback – October 16, 2018
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Parents’ Choice Recommended
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.
- Reading age8 - 12 years
- Print length208 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level3 - 7
- Lexile measure690L
- Dimensions5.13 x 0.6 x 7.63 inches
- PublisherAtheneum Books for Young Readers
- Publication dateOctober 16, 2018
- ISBN-101481437690
- ISBN-13978-1481437691
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Though few details exist about the boy’s actual life, the author builds a credible and compelling narrative around known events. . . . An interesting slice of history told by an engaging and believable protagonist. Hand to fans of the author, young Tudor enthusiasts, and readers who enjoy medieval-set fiction." -- School Library Journal ― August 2017
“Replete with authentic period details, page-turning brief chapters, and a plot filled with twists, turns, and political intrigue. . . . An appealing protagonist pursuing a grand adventure and struggling with themes of power, pride, and identity will appeal to fans of historical fiction.” -- Kirkus Reviews ― August 15, 2017
“Short, accessible chapters and candid first-person narration create suspense and strongly evoke the political climate of the era, revealing an odd, mysterious chapter in England’s history.” -- Publishers Weekly ― August 7, 2017
“This brief, colorful moment in British history makes an engaging middle-grade novel, all the more so as it recounts what most readers will associate with a trope of wish-fulfillment fantasy—the orphan who learns he’s king—as a historical event. Avi tells the story through Lambert’s retrospective voice, with a direct, accessible narrative style, providing adequate historical detail without bogging the story down.” -- The Horn Book ― November/ December 2017
* “It’s a juicy tale upon which to construct a work of historical fiction . . . deftly crafted for readers who care more about a rousing story than a history lesson, tossing them into the action without ever uttering “War of the Roses” . . . With a bit of judicious booktalking, this may be a title to entice new readers to historical fiction.” ― BCCB, Starred Review
“Swiftly moving and utterly engrossing. The Player King's real strength comes in the form of language . . . Avi tells a story that seems too outrageous to be true, but an author's note confirms it all happened. That—the fact behind the fiction—is what truly makes this book a worthy read.” -- Shelf Awareness ― October 20, 2017
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Product details
- Publisher : Atheneum Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (October 16, 2018)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 208 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1481437690
- ISBN-13 : 978-1481437691
- Reading age : 8 - 12 years
- Lexile measure : 690L
- Grade level : 3 - 7
- Item Weight : 5.1 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.13 x 0.6 x 7.63 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #848,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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More info at avi-writer.com and facebook.com/avi.writer
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Avi is part of a family of writers extending back into the 19th century. Born in 1937 and raised in New York City, Avi was educated in local schools, before going to the Midwest and then back to NYC to complete his education. Starting out as a playwright--while working for many years as a librarian--he began writing books for young people when the first of his kids came along.
His first book was Things That Sometimes Happen, published in 1970, and recently reissued. Since then he has published seventy books. Winner of many awards, including the 2003 Newbery award for Crispin: the Cross of Lead (Hyperion), two Newbery Honors, two Horn Book awards, and an O'Dell award, as well as many children's choice awards, he frequently travels to schools around the country to talk to his readers.
Among his most popular books are Crispin: The Cross of Lead, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Nothing but the Truth, the Poppy books, Midnight Magic, and The Fighting Ground.
In 2008 he published The Seer of Shadows (HarperCollins), A Beginning a Muddle and an End (Harcourt), Hard Gold (Hyperion) and Not Seeing is Believing, a one-act play in the collection, Acting Out (Simon and Schuster). Crispin: the End of Time, the third in the Newbery Award-winning series, was published in 2010. City of Orphans was released in 2011, receiving a number of starred reviews. Learn more at Avi-writer.com. Follow Avi on Facebook, facebook.com/avi.writer, where he shares an inside look at his writing process.
Avi lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and family.
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2017THE PLAYER KING by Avi (Edward Wortis)
Can a scullery boy become King of all England? In 1486, Lambert Simnel is proclaimed Edward, Earl of Warwick and rightful king of England. This young adult book tells his tale. Written from a young boy’s point of view, the story is exciting and well told. Henry Tudor has seized the throne from his young nephew. Was Edward killed or was he allowed to escape and become a scullery boy? What of those who “taught or reminded” Lambert/Edward of all he needed to know?
Boys will love this tale of intrigue and power, fear and hope. Girls will also like this tale of poverty to great riches. Adults who like their history in tiny gulps, told with great skill, will also find this short novelization to their liking. The story is true: the fear, and joy, and intrigue is also real. Avi has won the Newbery Medal, the Yarrow Award and the Golden Kite.
5 of 5 stars for the genre
- Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2023Fantastic! Briskly paced, and it never let up. It reminds me of his Crispin trilogy. It was also based on true events, which made me love it even more. It was a surprisingly somber ending for a children's book but realistic nonetheless.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2019There is nothing bad about this book.
It is very easy to get through,too.
It has great clif hangers that make you think.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2018Almost all of Lambert Simnel’s orphaned life has been spent slaving away in a filthy tavern. This all changes when Brother Simonds buys Lambert and whisks him off to meet the Earl of Lincoln. Lambert resemblances the missing Prince Edward, true heir to the English throne. Plotting together, the two men believe they can transform Lambert into a convincing prince and use his influence to challenge the new king, Henry VII. Lambert’s intelligence drives him to slip into his new royal role. But Lambert’s newfound power makes him unwittingly bane Simonds from his presence.
In his Author Note, Avi reveals Lambert Simnel was a real person used as a false royal to challenge Henry VII. But the real beauty of Avi’s creativity comes from telling the story from Lambert’s perspective. Very little is known about the young man who played such a unique part in English history. Through Avi’s addictive writing, Lambert Simnel comes vividly to life as readers gain a glimpse of what might have been going through his head as he dramatically rose to a flicking spark of power. How would power feel to someone who has never had it? What lines would someone cross to stay alive while deceiving others? These unique perspectives still prove Avi is a master at giving historical events a fresh, new life through thought provoking narratives.
(Review found on Children's Compass Chronicle: childrenscompasschronicle.blogspot.com)
- Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2019Our 10 year old son loved this book. He had to choose a specific genre and this was it. Thank you.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2021I don't really like it
- Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2019So nice i bought it twice!! (My daughter lost the first one 🤣) great new condition.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2018"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." (Taken from Avi's synopsis of the book.)
********
"If you act like a king, you will be king." Brother Simonds drills this advice into Lambert every waking moment. This motto dictates how he must bathe, wear shoes, memorize his royal lineage, and act like nobility during during an audience with the Earl of Lincoln.
Although Lambert's belly is full for the first time in his life, he longs to return to his simple life as an enslaved kitchen boy--to hear once again that he is a "nobody." But when he runs back there, believing that Simonds must be mad to think he is the rightful king, he finds that no one recognizes him with his trimmed hair and elegant clothes.
The second time Lambert escapes the guarded house where he is being trained to assume his role, he sees a "player king," a man who acting the part of a king in a play in the marketplace. Lambert realizes that he has the unique opportunity which every boy in England dreams of--he could actually be the King of England.
Although he recognizes that Brother Simonds and the Earl of Lambert are using him for their own political gains, he begins to believe, "I am Edward. Earl of Warwick. I am the true king." But it is clear to the reader that he is a boy enjoying a grand adventure.
Lambert gets more than he bargains for. He mocks Simonds who leaves him and Lambert belatedly realizes that the priest was his only friend. With allusion to "The Emperor and His New Clothes" and My Fair Lady, Earl of Lincoln and his advisor, Lowell, condescend to calling Lambert their king. But as Lowell pointedly says, "It is always better when the storyteller believes his own tale."
***********
Since Avi writes a lot of historical fiction, I assumed there was some historical foundation to this book. I was unprepared to read this on his website:
"Read the histories of the time, and he [Lambert] is barely mentioned. Indeed, just last week I saw a documentary about Henry VII and Lambert was not even cited. But Lambert—a boy—was crowned King of England (in Dublin, Ireland) and led a large invasion army into England, only to be defeated at the Battle Of Trent, the last battle of the War of the Roses. I noticed Lambert in a footnote.
Very little is known about Lambert Simnel. Where did he come from? How did he come to be crowned king? What happened to him after the battle? Certain facts are known—he did exist—but the boy…. Just who was he? What did he think of all that happened to him?
That’s what I have tried to write in The Player King.
Strictly speaking, the title should have been The Player Kings. There is more than one false king in the book.
The challenge was to write about something which is well known—except the central player, the player king—the boy known as Lambert Simnel.
The truth is, foot notes are the foot soldiers of history."