Legend of the Wandering King

By Laura Gallego Garcia

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Reviewed by Noelle

Walid is the crown prince of the Arabian territory of Kinda. He is handsome, cultured, brave and eloquent. But what he wants more than anything is to win the great poetry contest of Ukaz. His father the king tells Walid he must hold his own contest in Kinda and if he wins that, he can go to the bigger contest. Walid is sure he will win until a lowly carpet weaver appears with a better poem. When the carpet weaver wins 3 years in a row, Walid becomes angry and bitter and vows revenge on the man. He tells the weaver that if he can organize the palace's archives and weave him a carpet showing all of human history, he can go home. The weaver accomplishes these tasks, but doing so kills him. Walid becomes haunted about who and what he has become, and when the marvelous carpet is stolen and the palace burned to the ground, everyone thinks Walid is dead. But instead he becomes a wanderer, searching for the carpet and to make amends to the man he killed. This is a story about learning lessons in life, atoning for your mistakes, and becoming a better person. Readers who perservere to the end of this novel will be rewarded.