2. Summary of the book
The book is about a prince, Edward, and a pauper, Tom Canty, who were born the
same day in 1537. They were almost identical, they were both thin, they had the
same hair, the same height. Since the two were identical, the prince had an idea.
The prince will be the pauper and the pauper will be the prince, so they change their
clothes. So Edward went out and soon he was lost. The prince lived some days like
a pauper and he understood how is the life of a pauper. While Tom was living as a
prince, he liked this life but he didn’t like to be a king. Tom will be the king because
Henry VIII, Edward’s father, died. The day of the Coronation, Tom will be the king,
but suddenly Edward, the real prince, appeared, and the prince became the king.
As Edward lived as a pauper for some days, he was very generous with the
paupers, especially with a man called Miles, who helped him to come back to the
palace, and with his best friend, Tom, who lived with him at the palace till Edward
died when he was only sixteen. Tom went to live in the palace with his sisters and
his mother.
3. The Characters
Tom: the pauper
Edward: the prince and the son of Henry VIII
Father Andrew: the man who taught many things to Tom
King Henry VIII: the father of Edward
John Canty: the father of Tom, who beat Tom
Miles Hendon: the man who helped Edward to come back to the palace
Humphrey: the man who was hit when the Prince made mistakes
Lady Jane Grey: Edward’s cousin
Tom’s mother and his sisters
4. New Words
Mud: wet earth that it’s soft and sticky- fango
Bowed: to move your head or the top half of your body forwards and downwards as a
sign of respect- inclinarse
Nonsense: ideas, statements or beliefs that you think are ridiculous or not true-
tonterías
Rest: a period of relaxing, sleeping or doing nothing after or before a period of activity-
descanso
Napkin: a piece of cloth or paper used at meals to clean your lips or fingers- servilleta
Barge: a large boat with a flat bottom, used for carrying goods and people on canals
and rivers- barcaza
Courageous: showing courage- valiente
