''The King's Fifth'' (1966) is a

children's A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''child ...

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...

Scott O'Dell Scott O'Dell (May 23, 1898 – October 15, 1989) was an American people, American writer of 26 novels for young people, along with three novels for adults and four nonfiction books. He wrote historical fiction, primarily, including several chi ...

It describes, from the point of view of a teenage Spanish

Conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

, how the European search for gold in the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

of the Americas affected people's lives and minds. The title refers to the one fifth share of spoils expected by the

Spanish Crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

Plot

The story takes place in a time when the Spanish

adventurers An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

, known as

Conquistadors Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

colonised 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples fo ...

the

of the Americas, in search of the mythical gold treasures of the dethroned Native Americans. Characters: * Estéban de Sandoval: a teenage mapmaker to the expedition to Cibola to find the gold. * Zia Troyano: a younger teenage Native American guide. * Captain Blas de Mendoza (very loosely based on

Antonio de Mendoza Antonio de Mendoza (1495 – 21 July 1552) was a Spanish colonial administrator who was the first viceroy of New Spain, serving from 14 November 1535 to 25 November 1550, and the second viceroy of Peru, from 23 September 1551, until his d ...

) - an

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

in search of gold. * Father Francisco: a priest to the expedition who joined as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

and an

explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

. * Roa and Zuñiga: part of a trio of musicians who are Mendoza's cronies.

Influence

While the book is sometimes cited as the inspiration for the cartoon TV series ''

The Mysterious Cities of Gold , known outside of Japan as the first season of ''The Mysterious Cities of Gold'' ( French: ''Les Mystérieuses Cités d'Or''), is an animated series which was produced by MK, NHK, DiC Audiovisuel, CLT and animated by Studio Pierrot. Th ...

'', that show's creator,

Jean Chalopin Jean Chalopin (born 31 May 1950) is a French businessman, banker and former television producer. In 1971, he founded the production company DIC Entertainment, which specialized in children-oriented television and film productions. Through the ...

, has stated that only the names of its primary characters were drawn from the book. The book is also a slight influence in the

Choose Your Own Adventure ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actio ...

Time Machine's 1987 book ''Quest for the Cities of Gold,'' as the reader meets Esteban at different points.

Awards and nominations

Newbery Honor The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

Book, 1967 * Federal Republic of Germany ''Jugendbuchpreis'', 1970

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kings Fifth, The 1966 American novels 1966 children's books American children's novels American novels adapted into television shows Children's books set in North America Children's books set in the 16th century Children's historical novels Houghton Mifflin books Newbery Honor–winning works Novels set during the Conquest of the Americas Novels set in California Novels set in the 16th century Spanish conquests in the Americas