The Whipping Boy

Title: The Whipping Boy
Author: Sid Fleischman
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, April 1986
Reading Level: 3rd and up
Pages: 89
Genre: Realistic Fiction





Summary:

Prince Horace is spoiled and, he is always being bad. As a prince, no one raises a hand against him, so his family provids him with a whipping boy, Jemmy, an orphan. He is beaten all the time and wants to be free. The prince decides to run away and he makes Jemmy come with him to be his servant. The boys run into two bad man, Hold-Your-Nose Billy and Cutwater, who want to ransom the prince. Jemmy makes them believe he is the prince and plans an escape. Horace doesn't understand so he ends up betraying him. They do escape and find a girl searching for her dancing bear. She directs them to the river where they find a kind man with a wagon full of potatoes. The boys get the wagon from the mud, and the potato man gives the boys, the girl and the bear a lift to the fair. They are intercepted by the highwaymen. Still believing Jemmy is the prince, and believing it to be a crime worse than murder to beat the prince, they beat Horace instead. The bear scares the men away, and everyone arrives at the fair. They hear people talking about the missin prince and how they don't like him. Horace is sad, but doesn't let anybody know. When the boys learn that the king has posted a reward for the whipping boy, they go into the sewers where they see the highwaymen. They tricked the highwaymen into a dangerous sewer where rats attack them. Horace decides that he wants to finally to go home. When they return to the potato man, Horace reveals himself as a prince and suggests that the potato man collect the reward for the whipping boy. When the prince explains the whole thing to the king, Jemmy is pardoned, and the two boys live in the palace as best friends.



My Reaction:

I thought this was a good learning book. Horace was stubborn and rude, but after his adventure he learned to be more kind and he even became best friends with Jemmy. I think that is a great thing for young kids to read.

Potential Problems:

Jemmy, and at the one point Horace, are both whipped, and there are bad men that try to kidnap them.

Recommendations:

I would recommend this book to be read to everyone, especially young children. They could learn from Horace that they need to be nice to everyone and that it's not all about them.