The Whipping Boy
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| Author | Sid Fleischman |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Greenwillow Books |
| Released | April 1986) |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 96 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-688-06216-4 |
The Whipping Boy is a Newbery Medal winning book by Sid Fleischman, published in 1986. Jemmy stands in for the punishments of Prince "Brat" and the story takes off along the lines of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper though the plot twist is not based on a physical resemblance.
[edit] Plot summary
Prince Horace is known to others in his father's kingdom as Prince Brat, and although he delights in being nasty, he is saddened later to find out this truth. He should not be surprised, though. He's always plotting pranks (such as nailing dinner guests' wigs to chairs and filling the moat with frogs), and when he's bad, he never gets punished. He gets to pick a street boy to take his beatings for him.
The plot thickens when Prince Horace acquires a new whipping boy. In the film version (known as "Prince Brat and the Whipping Boy" in both the USA and the UK), the prince selects his whipping boys personally, but it is unclear if he does so in the novel. Jemmy, a gritty and witty orphan who catches rats and loves to exclaim "Gaw!" is the new pick, and this means that when Horace is naughty, Jemmy will be punished. (This is based upon real events in history.)
Prince Horace, tired of the castle life, descides to run away and forces Jemmy to join him to carry his picnic basket. While on the run, the lads are picked up by two notorious highwaymen, known as Hold-Your-Nose-Billy and Cutwater. The murderers decide to ransom the prince, but soon identities become befuddled and Jemmy is taken for Prince Horace.
So begins a classic buddy-book designed for the kids, but sharp and biting enough for adults to enjoy.
| Preceded by Sarah, Plain and Tall |
Newbery Medal recipient 1987 |
Succeeded by Lincoln: A Photobiography |
