The King's Fifth

by Scott O'Dell

Overview

Newbery Honor Book: A “stunning” historical novel of a teenager’s journey from Spain to the New World in search of gold (Kirkus Reviews).

Mapmaker Esteban de Sandoval is only seventeen years old, but he has experienced much adventure, traveling to the New World to hunt for gold with the Conquistadors. Whatever treasure they find, they were expected to give one-fifth of it to the king. But Esteban is accused of withholding the king’s fifth—and of murder.
 
As he waits for his trial to begin, he recalls the experience of his journey: the men he sailed with, the young Native American girl who guided him—and the ways that it changed him—in this remarkable novel about Spanish colonialism by the author of such classics as Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547349688
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	06/11/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	277
Sales rank:	632,556
Lexile:	840L (what's this?)
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Scott O’Dell (1898–1989), one of the most respected authors of historical fiction, received the Newbery Medal, three Newbery Honor Medals, and the Hans Christian Andersen Author Medal, the highest international recognition for a body of work by an author of books for young readers. Some of his many books include The Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Road to Damietta, Sing Down the Moon, and The Black Pearl.

Editorial Reviews

"The writing is subtly beautiful, often moving, and says more than may be caught in one reading." Horn Book

"The writing is subtly beautiful, often moving, and says more than may be caught in one reading." Horn Book Guide —

From the Publisher