F. Fahey

          When I was nine years old, I watched the 1937 movie version of The Prince and the Pauper starring Errol Flynn. I ran to our multi-volume Collier’s Encyclopedia to see if Edward VI was a real person. And, yes, the King of England was truly the same age as I was! Later I read Mark Twain’s wonderful tale and was not only struck by the idea that Tom Canty, an ordinary boy, got to be prince, but also by the harrowing adventures of Edward. I asked, “What happened next?” Twain only said that Tom lived to be an old man, and the encyclopedia said that Edward did not. And there were the other members of the royal family like Edward’s sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, and his cousin Lady Jane Grey. A new story rattled around in my head for years, one of the strong friendships we form when we are but eleven, sometimes more steadfast than any for the rest of our lives. As we start to face who we are and who we want to be as teens, these friends are the only ones who understand us. Life can take wicked turns, and we must face seemingly intolerable tragedy even at such a vulnerable age. The Scoundrel’s Son is the story of what happened next. I trust the reader will be touched by Tom’s tale as he relates it all to you.