The Brave Apprentice: A Further Tales Adventure [Paperback]

P. W. Catanese (Author)

Book Description

"Seven at one blow!" That's what they say about the Brave Little Tailor -- he killed seven foes with one blow. But no one can prove it's even true. Besides, that took place a long time ago, and the Brave Little Tailor is now an old man. So what happens when an army of angry trolls invades his kingdom?

Meet Patch Ridlin. He's a tailor's simple apprentice in the remote village of Crossfield. He's a hard worker who's never wanted for much, except maybe a little adventure. But when he rescues his friend Osbert from an aging and decrepit troll, Patch finds himself something of a town hero. Word of his bravery quickly spreads throughout the countryside, and Patch is summoned to the king's castle. King Milo needs his help to wage war on a gang of trolls threatening to destroy the kingdom.

Soon Patch finds himself engaged in an all-out battle against the trolls. With only the help of a fool named Simon and a maddening riddle, can Patch figure out the troll's fatal flaw? Or is the kingdom destined to perish?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–Just 50 years after the Brave Little Tailor killed his giant (but was it really seven at one blow?) the kingdom is in need of another hero. Loathsome giant trolls have begun venturing out of their usual habitat, the Barren Gray, and killing everything in their path. Then word comes that Patch, a young tailor's apprentice, has killed one of the trolls. Not long after that, a party of knights and nobles take him to the king's castle. In truth, Patch only confronted the troll to defend a beloved old friend and managed to topple him off a bridge into a river where he drowned, but the king still hopes that Patch will help find a solution to his problem. In the end, his kindness and cleverness help him find an answer when their brawn and breeding cannot, but only after several mistakes almost cost him his life and that of others. This brief novel has the themes and motifs of an expanded fairy tale with a brave young hero, a wise fool, a kind king and a brave and forthright queen, and some really horrific trolls with various oozing bodily fluids and gross habits. The plot and the language are sometimes predictable, but the characters are interestingly depicted. Fans of fairy-tale-styled novels like Donna Jo Napoli's Crazy Jack (Delacorte, 1999) and The Prince of the Pond (Puffin, 1994) will enjoy this story.–Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
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About the Author

P. W. (Paul William) Catanese was born in New York and grew up in Connecticut, where he lives with his wife and three children. When he's not writing books, he draws cartoons and works for an advertising agency.

Interestingly, the letters in "P. W. Catanese" can be rearranged to spell "want escape?" Paul figures that's why people read books like his.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin; Original edition (June 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689871740
• ISBN-13: 978-0689871740
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hello and welcome. If you aren't familiar with my novels, here's the general idea: I take a classic fairy tale and tell you what happens many years later, using the loose threads of the original story to weave a new adventure (a fast-paced, action-packed, sometimes scary adventure, to be more specific). Sometimes the characters from the original tales show up in supporting roles. In "The Thief and the Beanstalk," for example, you'll meet Jack, but he's an old man. The hero is a young thief named Nick who crosses Jack's path. This is a fun premise for stories, because the themes of the old stories echo in the new adventures, and I can look at the classic tale in a new and sometimes unexpected way.

As for me, I was born in New York, lived near Boston for a few years, then moved to Connecticut when I was seven. I live in a small town in the same state today, with my wife and three children. These days, when I'm not writing books, I work for an advertising agency.

Here's a funny little coincidence: The letters in "P.W. Catanese" can be rearranged to spell "Want escape?" And that's why people read books like these, isn't it?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book was really great., June 23, 2005

By 

Gary H. Cassel "Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews" (Baltimore, MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Brave Apprentice: A Further Tales Adventure (Paperback)

Patch Ridling is a tailor's apprentice. His life is a pretty simple one, he works hard and learns a lot. But one day Patch rescues his friend Osbert from being sick. On his way across a bridge to the town, an old and blind troll pops up. Patch pushes the troll into the river and becomes a town hero. Patch is summoned to the King's castle to help fight a bunch of trolls that have become a big threat. But Patch realizes that this threat is bigger than he expects when the trolls are lead by a human, who knows the trolls secrets of how they can die. He wants to be king, and has told the trolls to capture the King's castle. The trolls are basically indestructable, and they need to find the trolls weakness. Will Patch and the kingdom figure out their weakness, or will the kingdom already have been destroyed?


This book was really great. The plot was great, and new suprising things came up, making Patch's quest even harder. This book had me reading and not putting the book down because of the suspense and excitement. I also couldn't believe the riddle, and I only guessed it when Patch guessed it.


Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9


Reviewed by a Flamingnet Student Reviewer (www.flamingnet.com)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll LOVE these books!, September 20, 2007

By 

Texas Mom "Texas Mom" (Bedford, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Brave Apprentice: A Further Tales Adventure (Paperback)

All these after-the-tale fairy tale books by P.W. Catanese are great! I bought for my 9-year-old daughter and after seeing her reaction, "Mommy! This book is so good! I can't put it down!", I started reading them. They are great and each a very interesting perspective of a well-known tale. BUY THEM ALL!