The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen
by  Lloyd Alexander

Prince Jen goes on a quest to the far north to find a legendary kingdom where the laws are fair and the people happy. He is charged with six wonderful gifts to take to the ruler of the northern kingdom. But along the way, he is delayed by bandits and loses his entourage and finds himself stranded with only one servant to help him. Prince Jen must continue his journey, befriending unlikely misfits along the way – an escaped slave girl who plays the flute beautifully, a mad robber with his own moral code, and a mysterious old man who appears and disappears at whim.

I loved that Prince Jen starts out as a spoiled rich kid, but he has wonderful character development and he matures and grows through his adventures. At one point, he and his new friends are all separated in a storm, and he has to continue on his own, forced to rely on his own wit and strength.

The best part of this book is the way that the six items Prince Jen is taking as gifts to the ruler of the northern kingdom all play a part in the stories of each character. As Prince Jen loses or gives away each item, we get to know the side characters who are affected by the magical properties of each item. The captain of the guard uses the special saddle and bridle on his horse, and finds himself far away in the mountains under a magic enchantment. The bandit steals the sword and starts a bloody revolution with it. A little girl is given the special kite and learns to fly on it like a bird. The artist uses the ink and paintbrushes to create beautiful landscapes that come to life.
These plot lines are all intricately woven together with Prince Jen’s adventures, and it comes together for a really satisfying ending!

I loved the hilarious writing style! There is a lot of really fun sarcasm and little jokes that make this a delightful read. There are also some quirky characters that had me laughing!

To see the violence and other sensitive content in this book, check it out on the Screen It First website! https://screenitfirst.com/book/the-remarkable-journey-of-prince-jen-1835844