The Prince and the Pauper Book Release Day!

The big date is here! The Pontes Books versions of The Prince and the Pauper are available starting TODAY!

How to find the books:

  • All of the books are available on Amazon (try seaching “The Prince and the Pauper Pontes Books”), but since this company and these novels are brand new, they don’t always show up initially in search results on Amazon. The easiest way to get direct links to all the different versions is to visit our Products Page.

How do I know which book(s) to order? Check out the guide below for an explanation of the different versions.

If you are still unsure about which book is right for you, below we offer a few examples of common scenarios in which someone might be choosing to order one or more Pontes version of The Prince and the Pauper. Use these scenarios to help guide your decision.

Scenario #1: A teacher is looking to purchase books for a whole class where students will be reading at least a portion of the story together in class. Students will be responsible for reading at least a portion of the story independently.
Recommended book(s): a combination of Red, Orange, Purple, and Pink
Rationale: When a portion of the book is read in class together, the students need to have a common text to read from. The Red, Orange, Purple, and Pink versions all have the original text by Mark Twain included. This way, students can be exposed to the original language and structure that makes Twain’s writing so unique. Students with strong reading skills can be assigned the Red version, which does not contain any other bridge versions, only Twain’s original words. Students who may need a little bit more support while reading a text as challenging as Twain’s can be assigned the Orange, Purple, or Pink versions, based on their own needs as a reader. These students can then flip over to the Bridge version when they are confused or if they are working to complete a reading assignment independently.

Scenario #2: A teacher is looking to purchase books for small, leveled, reading groups. The students will always be reading the stories either in their separate groups or independently.
Recommended book(s): a combination of Red, Yellow, Blue, and White
Rationale: Though the parallel text versions could work in this scenario as well, it may just be easier to assign students the “stand-alone” Bridge Versions. Twain’s original language does not appear in the Yellow, Blue, or White versions, but if the groups will always be reading separately, there is no need to necessarily have a text with the same wording among all students. It is still possible to have whole-class discussions about the story because all students will be reading the same content, just with tweaks to vocabulary, sentence structure, and length.

Scenario #3: A parent is looking to purchase a book for their child, who will be reading The Prince in the Pauper for a class in the near future.
Recommended book(s): Red, Orange, Purple or Pink
Rationale: If your child will be reading the book as a class, then they will likely be reading Twain’s original unabridged version. If your child is a strong reader, then purchasing the Red version would be best because it will match what all other students will be reading from. If your child could use a little bit of support while reading a text this complicated, choose the Orange, Purple, or Pink versions based on their needs. They will still have the original version inside their book, but will have a Bridge version to allow them to read the story at a level closer to their own ability. Your child could pre-read the bridge version ahead of time to prepare for reading the original in class, could read it after reading the original version in class, or could simply refer to it when confusion arises.

Scenario #4: A child or adult is looking to purchase the book to read for the first time for independent reading, unrelated to any assignment for school.
Recommended book(s): Any option!
Rationale: This is entirely up to you! The whole purpose of creating seven different versions so that each individual reader could find one that is the right fit. Decide whether you want to have a parallel text version, or whether to have a book that only contains one version, and then pick which one is best for you!

If you are still unsure, reach out to us at admin@pontesbooks.com.

About the Pontes Books Blog

Salve! This inaugural blog post is really an introduction to things that are to come! Here at Pontes Books we are passionate about the Classics, but are even more passionate about making them understandable and relevant in a modern world. Though the primary purpose of our bridge and parallel versions of Classic novels is to help with understanding, what about relevance? Here’s where the blog comes in!

Each post will focus on one of four major categories, with a few wildcards thrown in every once in a while. Each chapter will have four dedicated posts before moving on to the next. Here are the categories:

Vocabulary

For each novel, we analyze all of the words in the original version. First, we track the number of times each word is used. Then we go through the words that are used ten or more times in the book and pull out the ones that fit into the following categories: tier 2 words, tier 3 words, and Classical words.

Tier 2: Words that are not used in every-day speech, but that will often be seen in other texts.

Tier 3: Words that are specific to that topic (e.g. words dealing with royal life in The Prince and the Pauper.

Classical words: These words a really like a combination of tier 2 and tier 3 words. They are generally specific to Classic texts only (tier 3), but can be seen across multiple Classic texts (tier 3).

Photo credit: https://prakovic.edublogs.org/2015/07/14/building-vocabulary-tier-by-tier/

Each vocabulary-related post will focus on one word from one of these categories (or a group of similar words). We will examine the basics like definition, part of speech, etc., but we will also dive into the etymology and also modern uses.

One caveat related to these posts is that not all Pontes Books versions may contain the words selected. Since the vocabulary has been simplified in most bridge versions of the book, certain vocabulary terms will not appear in those versions. If you are reading the Red, Orange, Purple, or Pink versions, you will be guaranteed to find the selected words.

Relevant Current Event

Though many of the events of Classic novels are certainly outdated, the themes and conflicts are universal and eternal. For each of these posts we will scour the internet for modern (or mostly modern) news articles that relate to some of the characters, events, and themes in the most recent novel.

Historical Tidbit

Many Classical authors include locations, names, events, etc. that were familiar to people at the time the books were written. However, now some of those references have become outdated and the general public are no longer familiar with them. This type of post will focus in on the relevant historical facts that help to understand the references and allusions that may go over our heads due to time.

Fun Fact

Last but not least, these posts will pull out random fun facts that can be related to the corresponding chapters. These could really come in many different shapes in forms and help to bring the FUN and increase your random knowledge for future trivia nights.