Bookverdict.com

Gr 3-6 Creech has created a story in the style of a classic fairy tale, but one without fairies or witches or magic. It does have two orphans, Pia and Enzio, whose master calls them "dirty beetles"; a king and queen with three childreneach of whom is a caricature of a typical royal offspring; two hermits; and a storyteller. Stories are important royal entertainment, but they also fill (and fuel) the imagination of the orphans, the royal siblings, and even the king himself. When Pia and Enzio find a stolen pouch fill...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

A king and a queen, three royal children, two peasant children, and a hermit are the main characters in Creech's lush fairy tale. Pia and Enzio, the peasant children, long for the rich life the royal children lead, since their own consists of hard work and hunger under a cruel master who refers to them as "dirty beetles." None of the castle inhabitants, however, are much pleased with his or her own circumstances, either: King Guido hates his...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

The story begins with a mysterious rider dropping a pouch adorned with the royal seal; peasant children Pia and Enzio must decide what...Log In or Sign Up to Read More