"Published in 1882, The Prince and the Pauper is a delightful piece of historical fiction set in 1547. The young British Prince Edward, son of Henry VIII, switches place with a young pauper boy, Tom Canty, who happens to look exactly like the Prince. Tom takes over royal duties when King Henry dies and enjoys life in the palace. The real Prince is tossed out on the streets of London and learns about the life and misery of the common people of England...

No informational text could be more important for students learning about the power of persuasive writing--a curriculum strand mandated under ELA standards--than this book about the nation's most pamphleteer. Paine's "Common Sense" moved a people to action and to freedom.