Two mighty kingdoms have been engaged in endless, merciless war, but change appears imminent. King Philip is meeting his arch-enemy, King Theodo, to sign a peace treaty. But King Philip and his men are tricked and consigned to the squalid dungeons of King Theodos castle. Soon, 12-year-old Prince Florin is lured to the castle, where the same horror awaits him. On a whim, King Theodo decides to make the crown prince his second fool, trained by Mimus, an enigmatic, occasionally spiteful, and unpredictable court jester. To add to Florins misery, he and Mimus are fed a daily portion of gruel, forced to live in a dark, damp tower, and required to entertain the court on demand. But events ultimately turn for Florin and the other captives, and it is Mimuss intervention that helps make it possible.

900,Lexile.

Reading Counts RC,6-8,5.9,25,Quiz: 38765,Guided reading level: V.

Accelerated Reader AR,MG+,6.0,18.0,101689.

Translated from the German.