The Lost Stone by Jordan Quinn has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine. It is the first book in the “Kingdom of Wrenly” series.
The Lost Stone by Jordan Quinn has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine. It is the first book in the “Kingdom of Wrenly” series.
Eight-year-old Lucas is tired of being a prince. He hates watching from his high palace window while the village children are having fun. He buys some shabby clothes, saddles up his horse and heads to town to make friends. Dressed as a peasant, he goes to the schoolhouse and pretends he is a new student. His old friend, Clara, whose mother makes clothes at the palace, recognizes him. She smiles but says nothing to reveal his identity to others. A moment later, palace guards burst in and take the prince home.
The king burns Lucas’ peasant clothes. When he and the queen hear how lonely Lucas feels, they allow him to play with Clara again. Lucas’ father had previously forbidden this friendship since Clara was a commoner.
Lucas goes to the bakery Clara’s family owns. He overhears Clara and her friends pondering why a prince would want to go to school with them. Only Clara seems to understand the prince’s loneliness. The other kids can’t understand how she could feel sorry for a prince.
Just then, a messenger rides through the streets announcing that the queen has lost her prized emerald. Lucas rushes back to the palace, where his mother is crying. The jewel belonged to her great-grandmother. He assures her that he and Clara will find it.
When Clara arrives at the palace with her mother, Lucas joyfully informs her they can be friends again. The kids map out a plan to search the realm for the lost jewel. Four magical islands surround the kingdom. They begin by visiting Primlox, ruled by fairies. The fairy queen, Sophie, helps them search, since Lucas’ mother had recently visited there.
They find nothing, but one fairy says she saw a stone recently. She also saw a troll named Hambone nearby. Clara and Lucas board a ship that takes them to the troll kingdom of Burth. They locate Hambone, who says he traded the jewel to a wizard named Olaf. The children board the ship again for the wizard island of Hobsgrove. When they reach Olaf, he tells them he clumsily dropped the emerald over a cliff. Clara suggests they visit Mermaid’s Cove and ask the mermaids for help in looking for the jewel.
Clara writes a message in the sand to the mermaids. She and Lucas walk on the beach. Lucas is happy that, even though he hasn’t found the jewel, he’s found a friend. When the children return to the place where their message was written, the water has already washed it away. In its place is a pile of shells, and in one of the shells is the jewel. Clara writes a note of thanks to the mermaids.
When they return the jewel to the delighted queen, the king gives Clara her own horse from the royal stables. She names it Scallop, since she found the jewel in a scallop shell. The king apologizes for not letting the kids play together before. The children go for a horseback ride.
None
Fairies, trolls, dragons, wizards and mermaids live near the kingdom. The wizards make magical healing potions. The fairy queen tells the kids that ladybugs are good luck. A wizard says a witch put a clumsiness curse on him.
The king initially refuses to let his son play with a commoner. He revokes this rule when he sees his son is lonely, and he later apologizes for having forbidden their friendship. The queen is a loving mother who suggests the king allow Clara and Lucas to be friends.
None
None
Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books.
Lying: Lucas “fibs” and tells the teacher he’s new in town. He says his name is Flynn.
You can request a review of a title you can’t find at [email protected].
Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
