The Prince and the Pauper
Recommended. Age: 11+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
Tom is a poor boy and Edward is a prince, and they look just the same. They trade clothes for fun and get stuck in each other's lives. The prince learns how hard life is for the poor and becomes a kind king. It has some beatings and cruel punishments, and it is good for kids about ten and up. This is Twain's gentlest novel and a fine lesson in mercy. A prince learns justice by suffering under his own father's laws, and a pauper learns that a crown is heavy. A good priest is the first person to teach Tom anything. Catholic educators assign it in the middle grades. The cruelty of Tudor England is shown plainly, including a burning at the stake, so sensitive children need a parent nearby. We could not source a full content log, so the content cells are blank.
For parents
Read aloud from about nine. Independent reading from eleven or twelve, since Twain writes the speech in old English. Ask: what does Edward learn that he could never have learned in the palace? Why does Tom tell the truth at the coronation when a lie would keep him king? What does Miles Hendon do when he takes the whipping in the boy's place? Christian readers see in that scene a picture of one who suffers for another, and it is worth saying so. Give the history a Catholic child should know. Edward's father, Henry VIII, broke from the Church and closed the monasteries. The book says Father Andrew was a good priest whom the king turned out of his home. A mad hermit tries to kill the prince. The hermit is shown as a madman, so read that chapter first yourself. Warn sensitive readers about the father who beats his children, the man killed with a cudgel, the branding, and the women burned at the stake. Talk about why just laws must protect the poor.