diane recommends The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielson

Whether reading The False Prince for the first time, or reading it for the third, this book kept me on my toes.  It has many twists around the corner that kept me awake.  Sage, an orphan boy, and three others like him, are taken and pulled into Conner's devious plan.  This is really all I can say, without giving away all the suspense of the book.

I loved this book.  The plot was great, but it was not the plot that made me read it four times in a row.  It is the way that Nielson will keep things hidden from you.  Sage will never tell you a lie, but you might want to be careful, because almost nothing is the whole truth. One of my favorite examples of this is at the end of chapter six: 

"'Who amongst you rides a horse? In a gentleman's style?'  Again, none of us answered.  I'd ridden a horse several times before, but in all my recent experience, it was usually stolen and always in an attempt to escape the horse's owner.  That probably wasn't a gentleman's style."  

Sage only tells you the very little that he would tell someone else, and for someone who, "doesn't trust anyone", that isn't much. 

Looking at many reviews for this, this book would appear to be YA.  I think that maybe the people who are saying this have not read the book, and certainly do not have teenagers.  This book was exceptional−just, it wasn't for teens.  I would suggest it to older middle readers, or younger young adults.  (Like, maybe 10−14 year olds).  But, it was still a wonderful book, and I would suggest it to anyone who likes to read middle grade readers.  One of my favorites from all year!  I can't wait until the next one comes out!!!!

I wonder what would happen if I tried this, "truth" deal with my mom . . .

The False Prince
by Jennifer A. Nielson

published by Scholastic Press 

April 2012

Recommended for 10-14 year old readers