The Neverending Book

**Once there was a wise king who loved books.**But the king was very old, and he couldn't see well enough to read anymore. So the king summoned two men to his castle to send them on a quest:

I adore books. You wouldn't believe how many I've read in my life. I command the two of you to wander the world for the strangest, most interesting, most wonderful books. And I want you to return in one year to tell me what you have found. . . .

The two men set out on their journey. A year later they returned. By then, the king could no longer so much as sit up in bed. Night after night, the two men took turns telling him the stories they collected--tales of detective novels, romances, comedies, diaries, and quests.

The book in your hands is the story of the books they found--and of what happened next.