Bearing six unusual gifts, young Prince Jen embarks on a perilous quest and emerges triumphantly into manhood. This rich fantasy was named "School Library Journal" Best Book of the Year and a "Booklist" Top of the List Award winner.

Reviews

Gr 4-9-Lloyd Alexander's delightful story (Dutton, 1991) of a prince who sets out with six gifts for an ideal ruler in whose ideal kingdom he hopes to learn the secrets of ruling well, is well-served by this excellent word-for-word recording. The story, set in a fantasy China, is folkloric and satisfying. Each of the six gifts is lost, stolen, or given away in the course of the journey, and all converge in the dramatic ending to help save Prince Jen's life and kingdom. Jen learns love, charity, and consideration as he goes from proud prince to nameless beggar and returns to reign wisely. As is often the case in Alexander's works, Jen's frequent obtuseness is countered by the superior common sense of a woman, the former serving girl and musician Voyaging Moon. For the most part, Steven Crossley's reading is superb. His pacing is perfect, and his expression supports and enhances the text. His mild British accent suits the story well. Wisely, he eschews fake oriental accents, instead using various regional British accents. He gives each of the main characters a distinctive and consistent voice, helping listeners to distinguish what might otherwise be a confusing jumble of unfamiliar names. A minor problem is his failure to settle on one pronunciation of one character's name, Chen-Cho. While each tape directs listeners to turn the tape over and start at the same point on the other side, three tapes actually require fast forwarding to the end before turning since the other side starts at the beginning. These are minor flaws in this superior recording. This episodic story will make good listening for individuals or groups.-Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

When Prince Jen hears of the happy, prosperous land of T'ien-kuo, he vows to seek out its ruler and learn from his example. And so he sets out, bearing six humble gifts for the emperor of T'ien-kuo. Readers versed in the logic of fairy tales will not be surprised when Jen's route veers from his original plan and the six gifts end up in hands other than those of T'ien-kuo's lord. Along the way, Jen falls in love, has a number of run-ins with an ambitious, bloodthirsty bandit and slowly descends from his exalted station until he is condemned to wear the cangue, a heavy wooden collar for criminals. In the novel's final scenes, the gifts and their new owners return to play an important part in Jen's struggle to save his life and kingdom. Although patchy character development slows the narrative in places, the elegant, almost archetypal plot offers considerable enjoyment. Prince Jen's travels are pleasantly reminiscent of the series of coming-of-age journeys found in the author's earlier Prydain Chronicles. Ages 10-up. (Oct.)