Once Upon a Tim (1) - Hardcover

Gibbs, Stuart

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1534499253 ISBN 13: 9781534499256

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022

Synopsis

Join New York Times bestselling author Stuart Gibbs in this first book in a hilarious, highly illustrated new middle grade series about a peasant boy who wants to be a knight, perfect for fans of Max & the Midknights.

Tim is just a peasant, but he dreams big. He wants more out of life than to grow up to be a woodsman like his father. Unfortunately, the only route to success in the kingdom of Wyld is to be born a prince. Still, Tim is determined. He is brave and clever and always tries to do the right thing—even though he rarely gets the credit for it.

Then news spreads that Princess Grace of the neighboring kingdom has been abducted by the evil Stinx and Prince Ruprecht needs a legion of knights to join him on his quest to rescue her. Tim finally has the lucky break he’s been waiting for, the opportunity to change his station in life. And even though he doesn’t know how to ride a horse or wield anything more deadly than a water bucket, he’s going to do whatever it takes to make sure his dream becomes a reality.

About this title

About the Author

Stuart Gibbs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Charlie Thorne series, FunJungle series, Moon Base Alpha series, Once Upon a Tim series, and Spy School series. He has written screenplays, worked on a whole bunch of animated films, developed TV shows, been a newspaper columnist, and researched capybaras. Stuart lives with his family in Los Angeles. You can learn more about what he’s up to at StuartGibbs.com.

Stacy Curtis is the illustrator of The 7 Habits of Happy Kids series by Sean Covey and the Once Upon a Tim series by bestselling author Stuart Gibbs. He lives with his wife and dog in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

Reviews

Gr 3-5-A quest to save a princess turns out to be nothing like the fairy tales suggest. Narrated by Tim, a peasant boy with a surprisingly rich vocabulary and complete knowledge of all the things that don't exist in his world, this romp follows Tim and his best friend Belinda, who seize the opportunity to join Prince Ruprecht and Court Magician Nerlim as they head off to rescue Princess Grace (who, it turns out, doesn't actually need to be rescued). Along for the adventure are Ferkle the Village Idiot (only pretending because it's the family business) and Rover, Tim's Fr-dog (an enormous frog who was once a dog… oh, it's a long story). The prince isn't brave, the magician can only do card tricks, and the monster isn't so very monstrous. Along with the enhanced vocabulary and extreme silliness, there is discussion of societal expectations. All characters are cued as white. VERDICT Will kids understand all of the references? Possibly not, but the humor, enhanced by Quentin Blake-esque illustrations, will definitely find an audience with kids looking for a quick, funny read.-Mara Alpertα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One: Who I Am CHAPTER ONE Who I Am
ONCE UPON A TIME…

There was a prince who was revered throughout the land for being exceptionally brave…



who was known far and wide for his cool and calm presence in the face of grave danger…



and who was beloved and adored by all the people of his kingdom.



This is not his story.



It’s mine.

I’m Tim.

Come in a little closer so you can have a better look at me.



You know how, whenever you see a movie or read a story set in olden times, it’s almost always about a dashing prince or a beautiful princess, and you’re supposed to get all wrapped up in their troubles?

Well, there are lots of other people who aren’t princes or princesses, and trust me: we have way more problems than the rich folks do.

We’re called peasants. And being a peasant stinks.

To start with, we’re all really, really poor.

See those clothes I’m wearing? Those are the only clothes I own. I’ve been wearing the same outfit for two years—and it was a hand-me-down from a cousin who wore it for two years before me.

All the princes and princesses live in castles with hundreds of rooms. I live in a hut.

See?



You might be thinking to yourself, Gosh, that’s awfully small, but it looks pretty cozy.

Well, it’s not. For example, look at the windows….

Oh, that’s right. You can’t. Because there aren’t any windows. Peasants can’t afford fancy stuff like glass. Which means that any animal that wants to get into your house can do it: flies, lice, raccoons, muskrats, wild boars, the occasional dragon…

While I’m on the subject, here are a few other things we don’t have:

Air-conditioning.

Heaters.

Refrigerators.

Televisions.

Internet.

Bathrooms.

Yes, you heard that right. We don’t have bathrooms. No showers. No sinks. No toilets. (All right, I’ll admit, the princes and princesses don’t have flush toilets either, but they at least have separate rooms to do their business and professional wipers to clean them afterward.)

But the worst part of being a peasant isn’t really what we don’t have.

It’s what we can’t do.

See, there’s only one way to become a prince or princess: you’re born into it. That’s it. No one can apply for a job as a royal family member. If you’re a peasant boy, like me, you basically have one option:



Peasant.

My parents are peasants. So were their parents. And their parents before them. And so on and so on and so on, going all the way back as far as anyone can remember. (Which, given that there aren’t any history books readily available, is about seventy years.) There’s nothing you can do about it.

Almost.

It turns out, there is one way a peasant can change his lot in life. It isn’t easy, though. In fact, it’s extremely dangerous. Ridiculously, terribly, insanely dangerous. But if you’re smart, brave, confident, trustworthy, honest—and if you don’t die in the process—then you might be able to pull it off.

I was willing to give it a shot.

Because, like I said, being a peasant stinks. (Okay, I’ll admit, some people are content with peasantry. Like my parents. And all my uncles and aunts. And all my distant cousins. And most of my neighbors. But it just wasn’t for me.)

So… this is the story of how I took that shot. And how it led to the greatest adventure of my young life—along with plenty of danger and peril and treachery and doom.

It’s a good story, though. I promise. And there are some awesome pictures, too. So settle down, get cozy, maybe make a quick stop to use the bathroom (with your flush toilet, you lucky duck), and I’ll tell it to you.

Right now.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1534499253
• ISBN 13: 9781534499256
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Curtis Stacy
• Number of pages: 160