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The False Prince  By  cover art

The False Prince

By: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Narrated by: Charlie McWade
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Publisher's summary

In a discontented kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point - he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have listeners clinging to the edges of their seats.

And don't miss the highly anticipated fourth book in the series, The Captive Kingdom, coming October 2020!

©2012 Jennifer A. Nielsen (P)2011 Scholastic Audio

What listeners say about The False Prince

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best read of the summer!

I teach middle school, and I use summers to catch up on what's hot in adolescent fiction. I spent a lot of time this summer with books in the "Hunger Games" vein, but this one was a welcome change of pace. This is my favorite kind of book--driven by fascinating characters with complex motives. It also has a well-crafted plot and intriguing politics that left me hungry for the sequel. It reminds me in all the best ways of Megan Whalen Turner's "Thief" series, but is not derivative of that. It involves a "Prince and Pauper" scheme to usurp the throne of a completely believable fictional kingdom, but layers of secrets and plot twists keep the story consistently engaging. The main character has a compelling mixture of strengths and weaknesses, and the more the reader knows, the more he/she can identify with him.

The reading was fabulous--perfect for the characters. I listened on a long drive and was completely lost in the book.

The False Prince will be among my top recommendations to my students, but it was certainly no chore to read it. I hope there's another Nielsen/McWade treasure out by next summer!

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49 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Completely enjoyed!

What did you love best about The False Prince?

Sage, the main character is well written, a bit sassy with a lot of heart.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sage. He's the narrator. He gets himself into scrapes because of his stubborn streak. Reminds me of people I know.

Which scene was your favorite?

Can't pick. It's just not possible for me.

Any additional comments?

This is a great book for younger readers, although I am a mom in my 30's and loved it. No swearing, no sensuality, very little violence. The violence that it does contain is not graphic. I enjoyed Charlie McWade's narration.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

IT'S A RIDING CONTEST, NOT A MOUNTING ONE

THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR YOUR SHARP TONGUE
It is YA book, so I was not bother by the predictable plot, it was expected. I usually like a sharp tongue, witty character, such as Sandman Slim, but this kid, I just could not like. Every word out of his mouth was a put down to someone else, except the girl who WASN'T NECESSARILY BEAUTIFUL, BUT SOMETHING ABOUT HER WAS INTERESTING. It sounded like he was starting to soften up when I quit listening, but by than it was too little, too late. I understand that life had made the kid hard, but that mouth would have surely gotten him killed on the streets.

Narrator is good.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent Novel

I had been waiting for False Prince to come out for months, and eagerly snatched up my audio copy. The book is a wonderful listen/read and goes at a good pace, especially later on. At first it may be a bit slow because of the "training" but once you get past the first bit of that, then interesting things begin to happen, several of them were small enough that I didn't realize they were of import until later in the book when it came out. I want to listen again so that I can see what else I may have missed.

Overall I give this book a 4 star because it was a good first impression. I may re-rate once I go through it again.
The book is clean, no sex, no profanity, some violence, there is always some level of that in any adventure story, boys are whipped, stabbed, shot, threatened, etc. This book is safe for 12 and up, possibly younger as long as your child can handle the death of a secondary character or two. Nothing is graphic (ie: blood spilling every where, etc)

If you enjoy this book I recommend the very similar False Princess. Another great read/listen.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Not for me

Evil aristocrat kidnaps orphans for nefarious plot, clever orphan outwits him. I am hard pressed to believe that even a young listener would enjoy this. It's just a very formulaic story without the characters or details that might pull you in nonetheless.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved the story, didn't care for the narrator

This is an exciting story that, for me, overcame a so-so narrator. The middle is a bit slow, but the twists and turns at the end more than make up for it. I didn't care for Charlie McWade as the voice of Sage. He tried valiantly to voice the characters, but accents sometimes slipped a bit and I couldn't tell any of the three boys apart. I'll be reading the second book in print.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story, not helped by the narrator

I enjoyed the story of the orphan boy reluctantly training to be a prince. It's classic young-adult fantasy, complete with bad guys, swords, and a kingdom in need of saving. However, I didn't enjoy the narration as much. I think the timing was off and he was trying too hard. He did well to differentiate between characters, although some of his accents were annoying.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

LOVED this story!

I really loved this story! The characters are great. I really liked Sage and Mott. It had a great twist at the end and I can't wait until the next book comes out! This is an adventurous, clean story for all ages. I'm excited to add this book to my classroom library and share it with my students!

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

It gives you a sense of mystery and the crazy world of Carthia! I think I have listened to this book and the other ones in the series too much to count. It feels like you are watching a movie of this! The narration is also soo fun because it gives a feeling of Jargon’s playfulness! Overall it is an amazing book, great for all ages!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous book

Any additional comments?

I bought this book for my daughter but decided to listen to it first before sharing it with her, only to get hooked on it. Listening to the 3rd, hoping to enjoy it as the 1st and 2nd trilogy.

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2 people found this helpful