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The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen
When Prince Jen volunteers to search for the legendary court of T'ien-kuo, a mysterious old man chooses six gifts for him to bear in homage: a saddle, a sword, a paint box, a bowl, a kite, and a flute. Puzzled by the gifts but full of high spirits and pride, Jen sets off, but stumbles almost immediately into a series of misfortunes. Only with the help of his faithful servant, Mafoo, and valiant flute-girl, Voyaging Moon, and only after a breathtakingly exciting string of adventures can Jen discover the real meaning of the gifts and face his true destiny.
273 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Lloyd Alexander
122 books2,046 followersLloyd Chudley Alexander was an influential American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as well as several adult books. His most famous contribution to the field of children's literature is the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain. The concluding book of the series,
The High King
, was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1969. Alexander's other books have also won the National Book Award and the American Book Award. He was also one of the creators of Cricket Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
September 1, 2008
I love this book. I have loved it since I first read it as a kid, and it is one that I read over and over on a regular basis. The layers of storytelling and the exotic backdrop of a medieval Asian kingdom make this book very unique and engaging. The pacing is quick and easy to read, and makes for a great read-aloud chapter book.
Some of the characters may seem a bit stock, but they never strike me as being flat or stereotypical - rather suggestive of old-fashioned folk tales, where the main character is the one whose life is changed by the journey and the story, while he is helped along by a very standard supporting cast: a loyal best friend, a beautiful and intelligent girl, a good-hearted robber, a wise wizard or teacher, etc.
Prince Jen has a wonderful character arc. He begins as a sincere yet rather naive and sheltered young man with a great sense of pride in his rank and position. Over the course of the book he comes face to face with the realities of life experienced by his subjects, true love and terrible pain such as he has never known, and the deep question of his own identity beyond the title of "Prince."
There is a war being waged: it isn't graphic or gory, but there is killing, so if parents are concerned about very young kids reading that kind of thing they may want to check it out themselves first. That being said, however, I would actually recommend it to readers of all ages, and I think it would be especially enjoyed by pre-teen and teen-age boys.
Some of the characters may seem a bit stock, but they never strike me as being flat or stereotypical - rather suggestive of old-fashioned folk tales, where the main character is the one whose life is changed by the journey and the story, while he is helped along by a very standard supporting cast: a loyal best friend, a beautiful and intelligent girl, a good-hearted robber, a wise wizard or teacher, etc.
Prince Jen has a wonderful character arc. He begins as a sincere yet rather naive and sheltered young man with a great sense of pride in his rank and position. Over the course of the book he comes face to face with the realities of life experienced by his subjects, true love and terrible pain such as he has never known, and the deep question of his own identity beyond the title of "Prince."
There is a war being waged: it isn't graphic or gory, but there is killing, so if parents are concerned about very young kids reading that kind of thing they may want to check it out themselves first. That being said, however, I would actually recommend it to readers of all ages, and I think it would be especially enjoyed by pre-teen and teen-age boys.
February 10, 2020
Lloyd Alexander has by now become one of my favourite authors, with his quirky writing style, good humour, excellent characterization, fairytale-esque plotting, and great life lessons hidden within a surprisingly complex world. All of that true in this book as well. A true hero's journey where everyone is memorable and even the villain has a semblance of an excuse at first.
January 21, 2019
Alexander is certainly versatile! This reads like a quest fantasy, but the magic is mostly ambiguous. And it's based on spiritual beliefs, so actually calling it magic is akin to calling the Christian Bible a book of fantasy. But it's not specifically historically based... it only seems like it takes place in China.
Anyway, this is a story for older 'tweens. There are some very spooky bits, and lots of people get killed in several gory ways. Some of the humor, especially the bits that are satirical, will go over the head of younger readers.
It's also got some sophisticated explorations of honor, loyalty, and temptation. For example, what does one do, how does one choose, when two vows unexpectedly conflict?
A good candidate for a reread as there's so much in here, and also because a reader who is a little older will have a different perspective.
If you can't remember whether you read it before, this is the one that ends each chapter with a little tease, for example: "Our young hero is eager to start his journey, but Master Wu seems to be casting a dark shadow on a bright prospect. What can be the difficulty? To find out, read the next chapter."
Anyway, this is a story for older 'tweens. There are some very spooky bits, and lots of people get killed in several gory ways. Some of the humor, especially the bits that are satirical, will go over the head of younger readers.
It's also got some sophisticated explorations of honor, loyalty, and temptation. For example, what does one do, how does one choose, when two vows unexpectedly conflict?
A good candidate for a reread as there's so much in here, and also because a reader who is a little older will have a different perspective.
If you can't remember whether you read it before, this is the one that ends each chapter with a little tease, for example: "Our young hero is eager to start his journey, but Master Wu seems to be casting a dark shadow on a bright prospect. What can be the difficulty? To find out, read the next chapter."
March 28, 2019
This was a delightfully fun read aloud to share with my son. Each chapter ended in suspense and kept us reading more and more. Endearing characters, a good message and excellent writing, made it more than just a kids’ action adventure. Plus all the loose ends were tied up in a satisfying way at the end. If you are looking for a good book to hook an adventure-loving boy, along with a side of fantasy, I think this one is the ticket!
June 10, 2018
Lloyd Alexander continues to delight me with colourful characters and mesmerizing stories. The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen had the same atmosphere of Aesop's Fables, as you felt very certain you were learning a valuable lesson while reading it. Moreover, Alexander does a fantastic job, as he did in The Iron Ring in recreating the Eastern culture in his story in such a fluid way that even as a Western reader you become immersed in it; he makes it no longer foreign, but familiar.
The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen follows Prince Jen as he sets out with his trusty servant Mafoo to find a mystical kingdom called T'ien-kuo. He has been asked to watch how the ruler of T'ien-kuo sets out his laws, keeping all his people happy and well-cared for, and bring those skills back to his own kingdom. Bearing six specifically chosen gifts, Prince Jen sets out eagerly, only to be thrown off course by bandits, wealthy magistrates, bad weather, and old men. On his journey, Jen falls in love, becomes an exile, nearly dies on multiple occasions, and sees his kingdom fall into the hands of the ruthless bandit, Natha Yellow-Scarf. However, with the help of his beloved flute-girl Voyaging Moon, his devoted servant Mafoo, and the burglar Moxa, Jen learns the true meaning behind the gifts, what it means to be a good king and a good man.
was a fun read, though at times it felt it had so many aspects of other Lloyd Alexander novels, that it might have been a compilation of them. I loved how he wrote the Chinese culture, and there were so many parts that were very mystical and amazing to read. There were also parts that were surprisingly dark to give the book a real seriousness, despite the overall light attitude the book has through Alexander's writing style. It wasn't one of the best Lloyd Alexander books, but it was good all the same. 4/5.
The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen follows Prince Jen as he sets out with his trusty servant Mafoo to find a mystical kingdom called T'ien-kuo. He has been asked to watch how the ruler of T'ien-kuo sets out his laws, keeping all his people happy and well-cared for, and bring those skills back to his own kingdom. Bearing six specifically chosen gifts, Prince Jen sets out eagerly, only to be thrown off course by bandits, wealthy magistrates, bad weather, and old men. On his journey, Jen falls in love, becomes an exile, nearly dies on multiple occasions, and sees his kingdom fall into the hands of the ruthless bandit, Natha Yellow-Scarf. However, with the help of his beloved flute-girl Voyaging Moon, his devoted servant Mafoo, and the burglar Moxa, Jen learns the true meaning behind the gifts, what it means to be a good king and a good man.
was a fun read, though at times it felt it had so many aspects of other Lloyd Alexander novels, that it might have been a compilation of them. I loved how he wrote the Chinese culture, and there were so many parts that were very mystical and amazing to read. There were also parts that were surprisingly dark to give the book a real seriousness, despite the overall light attitude the book has through Alexander's writing style. It wasn't one of the best Lloyd Alexander books, but it was good all the same. 4/5.
November 17, 2021
Really fun audiobook, would make a great read aloud. This was a new title to me, but a quest story set in medieval China with magical elements was well loved by my crew. This helped to shorten a long road trip.
January 15, 2019
She says grudgingly, "It was "OK" (which is semi-high praise since Grace didn't want to read it at all. She wanted me -Gina - to read it first and tell her if I liked it or not but I didn't have time and I made her read it! lol)
March 11, 2020
The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen is one of my favorite Lloyd Alexander standalones. At times it may feel like it loses focus, but I recommend being patient with this book because everything comes together in a magical conclusion. Even if it doesn't have the same worldbuilding and character depth as his series do, there is still so much to love about this story. There is a noble hero, a practical and wise heroine, a touch of spirituality and mysticism, and a lovely mythic atmosphere. If you need a dose of Lloyd Alexander's wonderful storytelling but aren't in the mood to read a series, I wholeheartedly recommend Prince Jen!
August 18, 2017
I didn’t realize how much I missed Alexander’s writing style until I picked up this book. Having enjoyed his Chronicles of Prydain and being a fan of fantasy set in Asia, how could I not like this book? In the first chapter, readers get a sense of the dire situations with a twist of humor.
This story may be a story of adventure and a quest to save a kingdom, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
While the narrative follows around its namesake, Prince Jen, it sometimes wanders off on some sidetrack related to one of the characters he encountered along the way. And it all ties together in the end, even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time. Sometimes, I found this particular element to be annoying, but other times, it was rather interesting.
Another element I have mixed feelings on was the chapter endings. There were little questions at the end that summarized parts of the last chapter and rephrased the suspenseful questions that were going through my mind. (e.g. “Will our hero make it out alive?”) In a way, they were incredibly annoying. But they kept me turning the pages. I probably read this book faster because of them.
The themes were excellent. From honor and pursuing his quest until the end, Prince Jen learns a lot about his people and himself along his journey.
I gave this book 4/5 stars for excellent themes and good plot but with predictable elements. I definitely saw the twists coming from the first half of the book. I would recommend this book to fans of Lloyd Alexander. Even those who haven’t read any of his books, if you like fantasy, you may enjoy this middle grade story!
“‘You make sport of my ignorance,’ Prince Jen said reproachfully.
“‘No, no,” Mafoo protested. ‘Ignorance is a common ailment. In time, it goes away. Unless it proves fatal.’”
This story may be a story of adventure and a quest to save a kingdom, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
While the narrative follows around its namesake, Prince Jen, it sometimes wanders off on some sidetrack related to one of the characters he encountered along the way. And it all ties together in the end, even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time. Sometimes, I found this particular element to be annoying, but other times, it was rather interesting.
Another element I have mixed feelings on was the chapter endings. There were little questions at the end that summarized parts of the last chapter and rephrased the suspenseful questions that were going through my mind. (e.g. “Will our hero make it out alive?”) In a way, they were incredibly annoying. But they kept me turning the pages. I probably read this book faster because of them.
The themes were excellent. From honor and pursuing his quest until the end, Prince Jen learns a lot about his people and himself along his journey.
I gave this book 4/5 stars for excellent themes and good plot but with predictable elements. I definitely saw the twists coming from the first half of the book. I would recommend this book to fans of Lloyd Alexander. Even those who haven’t read any of his books, if you like fantasy, you may enjoy this middle grade story!
April 20, 2020
This book is a well done more Eastern take on the hero's journey. Specificially it addresses how the main character deals with not completing his quest. Written in Lloyd Alexander's delightful YA style, kinda Tolkein light with more whimsy, engaging characterization, and less subtlety about the life lessons its presenting. Reread as an adult and actually taught to a middle school kid I was tutoring. Both times i found the ending confusing. It was years after reading the book before I was "spiritually mature" enough to understand the profound point the engaging narrative was making. This story is a novel w the feel of a fable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2021
The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen is set in a mythological Chinese kingdom of T'Ang. A sorcerer named Master Wu wanders into the palace and demands an audience with the king. Master Wu describes the excellence governance of the marvellous kingdom of T'ien-kuo. The king longs to visit T'ien-kuo and learn the secrets of ruling a kingdom wisely, but is tied to his palace by responsibilities, therefore an ambassador must be sent in his place. The son of the king is Prince Jen. Prince Jen, who has been listening to the sorcerer converse with his father, volunteers to go himself. However, to visit the legendary court of T'ien-kuo, Prince Jen must bring impressive and costly gifts so that he will be taught the secrets of good governance.
Master Wu agrees that Prince Jen must bear gifts, but ordinary gold ornaments won't impress the king of T'ien-kuo. Master Wu searches through the treasure rooms of the palace to find six appropriate gifts - he selects an ordinary looking saddle, a simple bowl, a kite, an ink stone with a brush, a sword and a flute. Although these don't look at all impressive, Prince Jen takes these items, along with a warrant with the seal of the king, and sets forth on this journey. Accompanying Prince Jen is an escort of soldiers and his loyal portly servant, the silly Mafoo.
Naturally, obstacles arise in the path of the Prince. Each of the six items that Prince Jen carries turns out to have a vital purpose to play in the journey.
Along the way, Prince Jen encounters villains and rogues and helpful loyal citizens of his kingdom. Naturally, he loses his warrant and escort, and so no one believes he is actually the Prince he claims to be. These leads to Prince Jen seeing a different viewpoint of the kingdom than the one ordinarily seen by the royalty.
There is a dangerous leader called Natha, brutal head of the band of Yellow Scarfs that rob through out the kingdom. There is a thief called Moxa with a strange set of principles. There is a spirited servant girl called Voyaging Moon, who turns out to be an expert flutist. Plus, a series of old men turn up opportune times - they have the names Master Fu, Master Shu and Master Chu, but the reader suspects that they are all Master Wu in disguise.
I was amused by some of the dialogue in this book, so I reproduced it here. This first excerpt is from the scene where Prince Jen volunteers to be the ambassador to the kingdom of T'ien-kuo:
“Young Lord, be careful,” Mafoo whispered. “I know you’re good-natured, well-meaning, kindly, with a sweet and innocent nature. Therefore, you are about to do something stupid.”
��Honored Father,” Jen continued, “let me make the journey.”
“I knew it!” groaned Mafoo.
In this scene, Prince Jen meets Voyaging Moon in a village that is terrorized by the Yellow Scarfs:
“In other words, I’m to travel secretly? Furtively?” said Prince Jen. “Do you think it is honorable for me to skulk like a coward through my own kingdom?”
“I’d have supposed that skulking was part of a princely education,” Voyaging Moon said.
“Certainly not,” retorted Jen.
“Then here’s a chance to learn,” said Voyaging Moon.
Finally, from Prince Jen's first encounter with the principled thief Moxa:
“You were the one playing,” Moxa said, with an adoring glance at Voyaging Moon. He jumped to his feet, his eyes alight. “Amazing sensation! It made me think of home and loved ones. Not that I ever had any, but I thought of them, even so….”
I am not sure if the tale told here is based upon an actual Chinese fairy tale, or if Lloyd Alexander invented the entire story. But it is a fun read. Maybe I should go back and reread The Chronicles of Prydain, copies of which still sit on my bookshelves.
Master Wu agrees that Prince Jen must bear gifts, but ordinary gold ornaments won't impress the king of T'ien-kuo. Master Wu searches through the treasure rooms of the palace to find six appropriate gifts - he selects an ordinary looking saddle, a simple bowl, a kite, an ink stone with a brush, a sword and a flute. Although these don't look at all impressive, Prince Jen takes these items, along with a warrant with the seal of the king, and sets forth on this journey. Accompanying Prince Jen is an escort of soldiers and his loyal portly servant, the silly Mafoo.
Naturally, obstacles arise in the path of the Prince. Each of the six items that Prince Jen carries turns out to have a vital purpose to play in the journey.
Along the way, Prince Jen encounters villains and rogues and helpful loyal citizens of his kingdom. Naturally, he loses his warrant and escort, and so no one believes he is actually the Prince he claims to be. These leads to Prince Jen seeing a different viewpoint of the kingdom than the one ordinarily seen by the royalty.
There is a dangerous leader called Natha, brutal head of the band of Yellow Scarfs that rob through out the kingdom. There is a thief called Moxa with a strange set of principles. There is a spirited servant girl called Voyaging Moon, who turns out to be an expert flutist. Plus, a series of old men turn up opportune times - they have the names Master Fu, Master Shu and Master Chu, but the reader suspects that they are all Master Wu in disguise.
I was amused by some of the dialogue in this book, so I reproduced it here. This first excerpt is from the scene where Prince Jen volunteers to be the ambassador to the kingdom of T'ien-kuo:
“Young Lord, be careful,” Mafoo whispered. “I know you’re good-natured, well-meaning, kindly, with a sweet and innocent nature. Therefore, you are about to do something stupid.”
��Honored Father,” Jen continued, “let me make the journey.”
“I knew it!” groaned Mafoo.
In this scene, Prince Jen meets Voyaging Moon in a village that is terrorized by the Yellow Scarfs:
“In other words, I’m to travel secretly? Furtively?” said Prince Jen. “Do you think it is honorable for me to skulk like a coward through my own kingdom?”
“I’d have supposed that skulking was part of a princely education,” Voyaging Moon said.
“Certainly not,” retorted Jen.
“Then here’s a chance to learn,” said Voyaging Moon.
Finally, from Prince Jen's first encounter with the principled thief Moxa:
“You were the one playing,” Moxa said, with an adoring glance at Voyaging Moon. He jumped to his feet, his eyes alight. “Amazing sensation! It made me think of home and loved ones. Not that I ever had any, but I thought of them, even so….”
I am not sure if the tale told here is based upon an actual Chinese fairy tale, or if Lloyd Alexander invented the entire story. But it is a fun read. Maybe I should go back and reread The Chronicles of Prydain, copies of which still sit on my bookshelves.
July 14, 2022
Listened to this with all the kids, and we really enjoyed it. Loved the sense of humor and wisdom woven lightly throughout. The chapter endings and intros are great. What will the Hogue kids next read be? Will their journeys to places near and far be more exciting because of it? To find out, read the next review.
March 29, 2023
I enjoyed this book. It is definitely more than meets the eye, but is tough to follow at moments. It has some great take seats and themes, the characters grow and deepen, but a lot goes over the head of a young reader with this one, including some of the humor. I enjoyed it as an adult, but our kids’ bookclub was less enchanted.
June 19, 2020
This one was a bit rambly but nevertheless an enjoyable adventure. I've been meaning to read Lloyd Alexander for a long time, and this wasn't a bad place to start. I also can't help but think this one would be particularly fun as a family read-aloud.
May 14, 2024
I think Lloyd Alexander’s writing is underrated. I will take this or any one of his Chronicles of Prydain before many other youth fantasy books.
I loved listening to this with my son how is 9. We both loved the story and the characters.
I loved listening to this with my son how is 9. We both loved the story and the characters.
May 10, 2021
Great fun read. In the genre of Modern Day Fairy Tales which are always a good read!
June 8, 2010
A. W. E. S. O. M. E.
Wow, Lloyd Alexander has done a SWEET job again!!!!!!! My first time to read something by him was when I read his series, "The Chronicles of Prydain", and that was a great series. Just as this book is great too.
Wooooow. Ha ha I know I already said that, but I LOVED this book! There was adventure, humor, romance, peril, lessons to be learned . . . aaah. Sweet.
I LOVE how he follows each of the six gifts' stories. And I find it very awesome that those six gifts were objects that were actually in his home at some point or another (I think when he was younger?).
I dunno. It may be written for younger kids. Not totally sure. For instance, at the end of each chapter there's a couple inverted lines saying something like, "Prince Jen has lost the last of the gifts - what shall he do now? Shall he go back for it or continue his quest to find Voyaging Moon?" or whatever. Still, all I do know is that IT. ROCKS. Read it if you want to have something VERY interesting and clean (yup - VERY clean) to read, no matter how old you are! =)
To repeat myself, I loved this book!!!! Lloyd Alexander ROCKS! =)
Wow, Lloyd Alexander has done a SWEET job again!!!!!!! My first time to read something by him was when I read his series, "The Chronicles of Prydain", and that was a great series. Just as this book is great too.
Wooooow. Ha ha I know I already said that, but I LOVED this book! There was adventure, humor, romance, peril, lessons to be learned . . . aaah. Sweet.
I LOVE how he follows each of the six gifts' stories. And I find it very awesome that those six gifts were objects that were actually in his home at some point or another (I think when he was younger?).
I dunno. It may be written for younger kids. Not totally sure. For instance, at the end of each chapter there's a couple inverted lines saying something like, "Prince Jen has lost the last of the gifts - what shall he do now? Shall he go back for it or continue his quest to find Voyaging Moon?" or whatever. Still, all I do know is that IT. ROCKS. Read it if you want to have something VERY interesting and clean (yup - VERY clean) to read, no matter how old you are! =)
To repeat myself, I loved this book!!!! Lloyd Alexander ROCKS! =)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2013
Most of my students will agree that this book exceeded their expectations. There is quite a negative stigma surrounding history books, but many were surprised by the fantasy elements of the story. Comprehension was a bit difficult at first, but, once the students got into it, they spent more time with the book and developed some great ideas. If anything, this book has an endless amount of puzzles. Overall, though, I would recommend that this book move to J510. There are so many great things to analyze in this book that young students can't grasp or understand at their age. Personally, I enjoyed teaching this book and loved hearing why my students either love or hate Prince Jen.
May 10, 2021
I was pleasantly surprised by this book! While obviously aimed at someone slightly younger, I still really enjoyed it. Quite an interesting, original, story.
December 24, 2017
When a mysterious old man enters the Celestial Palace in Ch’ang-an, young Prince Jen volunteers to travel to the legendary court of T’ien-kuo. However, he can’t go empty-handed. The old man’s choice of gifts is rather strange too. Soon, Jen is caught up in a great adventure which doesn’t go exactly the way he planned.
Spoilers ahead.
Spoilers ahead.
Read
April 5, 2024Here Lloyd Alexander applies his usual formation story strengths to a format somewhat similar to Chinese literature in translation. The rather feckless but good-hearted Prince Jen is appointed by his father the emperor to make a diplomatic journey to a rumored perfectly governed kingdom. The same wandering sage who told the emperor about this kingdom selects five gifts for the prince to present to the ruler of this kingdom. As usual, the original party gets split up, additional party members are added, and there are folktale exchanges involving the humble-looking but powerful gifts. Prince Jen also falls in love.
Compare and contrast to Kathryn Grant's Land of Ten Thousand Willows The Phoenix Bells, as well as Alexander's own Taran Wanderer and The Iron Ring
Compare and contrast to Kathryn Grant's Land of Ten Thousand Willows The Phoenix Bells, as well as Alexander's own Taran Wanderer and The Iron Ring
January 8, 2019
This was a surprisingly fun book. I say surprising, because I started reading this while on vacation. A few chapters in, I put it down because it just felt slow and boring and I just couldn't get into it. However, I was committed to reading this book, so a week later I picked it back up and started the next chapter. I had stopped at the most imperfect time, as that chapter changed EVERYTHING.
Prince Jen is taking a long journey to a kingdom that is known for being near perfect, with the most happy subjects. He wants to learn from this other king, so he can copy him and also have a wonderful kingdom. An adviser has selected 6 gifts for Jen to present to the king, gifts that, to everyone else, seem wholly plain and unremarkable. Only a few days into the journey, and everything falls apart. What follows, is a book that runs along the lines of a series of vignettes, with an overarching plot. I loved it! The story kept on telling the tale of Jen and his adventure, but it goes off on little side stories about each of the gifts he carried, and what happens to them. It was fun, exciting, mysterious, intriguing, and overall just a wonderful story that I would recommend it to anyone. Even though it's a YA book, I would happily recommend this to my sisters, my parents, and my students. It has something in it for every genre.
Prince Jen is taking a long journey to a kingdom that is known for being near perfect, with the most happy subjects. He wants to learn from this other king, so he can copy him and also have a wonderful kingdom. An adviser has selected 6 gifts for Jen to present to the king, gifts that, to everyone else, seem wholly plain and unremarkable. Only a few days into the journey, and everything falls apart. What follows, is a book that runs along the lines of a series of vignettes, with an overarching plot. I loved it! The story kept on telling the tale of Jen and his adventure, but it goes off on little side stories about each of the gifts he carried, and what happens to them. It was fun, exciting, mysterious, intriguing, and overall just a wonderful story that I would recommend it to anyone. Even though it's a YA book, I would happily recommend this to my sisters, my parents, and my students. It has something in it for every genre.
June 29, 2024
Lloyd Alexander is a good writer. He writes for children and so, of course, his subject matter is a little limited -- he cannot introduce certain subjects or language. So, for instance, he has multiple characters calling other characters either "a turtle" or "son of a turtle." This might be amusing, but it is sort of odd.
The story itself is a bit random. Prince Jen takes multiple items journeying to some mythical land at the instigation of a former teacher of his.
Prince Jen is pretty dense and his life seems to go from bad to worse as time goes by. Other than meeting a girl, Voyaging Moon, he gradually loses (or gives away) his gifts until poverty stricken he reaches the edge of disaster.
Not to go into the details of the story, but other than Prince Jen learning to be a good ruler, there isn't much purpose to what happens. His former teacher seems to have deliberately master minded everything to make him learn these lessons, but even so, I am not sure that all of the gifts and lessons made much sense.
Several of the characters are amusing and add some flavor to the story that Prince Jen and Voyaging Moon do not really offer.
Overall, I think it is a well-written and children would enjoy it and there is enough for adults to enjoy as well.
The story itself is a bit random. Prince Jen takes multiple items journeying to some mythical land at the instigation of a former teacher of his.
Prince Jen is pretty dense and his life seems to go from bad to worse as time goes by. Other than meeting a girl, Voyaging Moon, he gradually loses (or gives away) his gifts until poverty stricken he reaches the edge of disaster.
Not to go into the details of the story, but other than Prince Jen learning to be a good ruler, there isn't much purpose to what happens. His former teacher seems to have deliberately master minded everything to make him learn these lessons, but even so, I am not sure that all of the gifts and lessons made much sense.
Several of the characters are amusing and add some flavor to the story that Prince Jen and Voyaging Moon do not really offer.
Overall, I think it is a well-written and children would enjoy it and there is enough for adults to enjoy as well.
January 4, 2019
Looking for a tale of adventure, Chinese culture and just another novel to dive into and read.If you answered yes to these 3 questions than I luckily have a recommendation for the most book ideal. Llyod Alexander brilliantly combines Chinese culture with folklore to tell the tale of a young prince on his journey to Tien- Kuo. Through the book, you can really see Jen's transformation and his change from beginning to end. The book is filled with vivid setting description, humor along with life wisdom that piques my interest. The characters are another success in this novel, their differing characteristics complement one another bringing something to the book in all angles. This creative read is hard to put down, from the front cover the art caught my eye and made it impossible for me not to read. In general, a captivating read that I would suggest any junior to read for an independent read or just a calm read during your pastime.
June 28, 2021
This is a quest story—and what a quest! The honest, honorable but prideful and naïve Young Lord Jen sets out to find a legendary city. Along the way he learns lessons in humility, kindness and patience. He also sees the seamy underbelly of his future kingdom, a world he never knew existed. Assisting or obstructing his way are talking animals, painters, corrupt officials, honorable thieves, dishonorable bandits, kindly elders and a shrewd flute-playing woman of no small cunning.
As in the best adventure stories, the true tale is in the journey not the ending. Mr. Alexander, consummate story-teller that he is, keeps the reader entertained along the path.
As in the best adventure stories, the true tale is in the journey not the ending. Mr. Alexander, consummate story-teller that he is, keeps the reader entertained along the path.
June 9, 2024
a prince must voyage to a heavenly land in order to learn kingly conduct, accompanied by his faithful servant. as he travels, his entourage expands to include a flute-playing servant girl and an honorable robber, while he also encounters various masters hu-fu-chu-shu-&c. along w an assortment of villains (note: it reads a bit like an anthology due to this vast array of folktale characters). the story takes a lot of basic dressings from china (e.g. a terracotta army, zhuangzhi’s butterfly dream, the mid-autumn festival) and the heroines are all named things like voyaging moon or plum blossom. very good. i love lloyd alexander :)
August 13, 2020
Having read and loved Alexander’s Prydian Chronicles, I was happy to read some of his other novels. The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen is a standalone, set in Ancient China, and filled with adventure, a humorous cast of characters, and plenty of Ancient Chinese wisdom and sayings throughout. There are some killings, some deaths and ruthless villains in the story but the author does not linger on these scenes. I think this one would make a great read aloud, but beware, there are lots of cliff hangers at the end of chapters so you may hear: “Just one more chapter, pleeeaaase.”
December 2, 2022
I read this when I was very young. It was recommended to me by my grade school librarian. I did not remember anything about it and thought I'd try it out again. It's not your normal kind of story, but I loved it. I think there's a lot of depth and lessons that I could find for a long time, thinking about it all. I can see how it might not be for everyone, but I don't think I'm coming from a place of nostalgia. There was very little that seemed familiar. I really enjoyed it, even if the writing was not the easiest for me to read. I recommend it.
December 3, 2022
A fun read for both kids and adults. The language matches the imaginary "Asian" setting, creating a unique folk story feel. Its a classic heroic quest, but with a strong undercurrent of humor, and enough plot twists and clues to be enjoyable for an adult reader. It would be a great "read-aloud", particularly with the questions posed at the end of each chapter. After nearly 60 years of reading his books, Prince Jen is a good reminder of why Lloyd Alexander remains one of my favorite children's authors.
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July 23, 2023"'Young Lord, be careful,' Mafoo whispered. 'I know you're good-hearted, well-meaning, kindly, with a sweet and innocent nature. Therefore, you're about to do something stupid.'" (6)
"Ignorance is a common ailment. In time, it goes away. Unless it proves fatal." (14)
"Mafoo threw up his hands. 'First he talks to horses, now he talks to fish.' He cocked an eye at Master Shu. 'Enough of your nonsense. How do you know what he says? You're not a fish.'
'Nor are you Master Shu,' replied the poet, smiling. 'How d you know that I do not know?'" (117)
"Ignorance is a common ailment. In time, it goes away. Unless it proves fatal." (14)
"Mafoo threw up his hands. 'First he talks to horses, now he talks to fish.' He cocked an eye at Master Shu. 'Enough of your nonsense. How do you know what he says? You're not a fish.'
'Nor are you Master Shu,' replied the poet, smiling. 'How d you know that I do not know?'" (117)
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