“Once upon a time, a dying king names his son, selfish Prince Raphael, ruler of the kingdom–on one condition: Raphael cannot wear the crown until he marries a woman who equals him in beauty, intelligence, and wealth. Raphael is so arrogant he believes that he never will be able to find a woman who is as smart or good-looking as himself, so he focuses on expanding his wealth and soon his greed makes him the richest person in the whole kingdom. But one thing he wants most is the thing he hasn’t earned–the crown to the kingdom.”

The King’s Equal is a delightful, original fairy tale written by Katherine Paterson, author of Bridge to Terabithia.  It’s nice to find a new book for my class library (it was written for children in grades 2-5) that has a strong and wise female character, that is filled with kindness and intelligence, and that tells a tale about learning what is really important in life.

Awards:

1993 Teachers’ Choices (IRA)

1992 Irma Simonton Black Award (Bank Street College of Education)

1993 Children’s Booksellers’ Choices (Association of Booksellers for Children)