Joe the Fourth and the King’s Crown

Joe the Fourth has four older siblings—Joe the First, Joe the Second, Joe the Third, and a sister, who is just called Jo. As the youngest, Joe the Fourth is often overlooked by his family. He has a deep longing to travel and see the world, and when an old professor stops to ask for directions to the city of Dawnlor, Joe the Fourth decides to leave home and find his own adventure.

And find it he does: upon arriving in the city, Joe the Fourth is sent on a quest by a young and rather obnoxious king. He’s sent into a dark and unpleasant forest where—despite being captured by a witch—he eventually finds a group of new friends, other young boys who were sent on similar missions.

Their adventures and the help of a wise professor lead the boys to discover that the king may not really be the king at all, and the only way to find the true king is to get the King’s Crown.

Coming November 2025

About the Author

Mary Barrows is a writer and illustrator from Maryland. Since she was old enough to hold a pencil she had been illustrating her favorite stories and creating little worlds of her own. For the past decade, she has been illustrating stories for other authors as a full-time job and has now illustrated over sixty books. Her favorite stories involve dragons and little forest creatures. You can find more of her work at her website.