From Goodreads,"A shout comes echoing up the stairway. "Fetch the whipping boy!"
A young orphan named Jemmy rouses from his sleep. "Ain't I already been whipped twice today? Gaw! What's the prince done now?" It was forbidden to spank, thrash, or whack the heir to the throne. Jemmy had been plucked from the streets to serve as whipping boy to the arrogant and spiteful Prince Brat.
Dreaming of running away, Jemmy finds himself trapped in Prince Brat's own dream at once brash and perilous.
In this briskly told tale of high adventure, taut with suspense and rich with colorful characters, the whipping boy and Prince Brat must at last confront each other.
Award-winning author Sid Fleischman again blends the broadly comic with the deeply compassionate in this memorable novel."
Goodreads - The Whipping BoyAwards and Nominations:
- Newbery Medal (1987)
- Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (1988)
- Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (1989)
- Nene Award (1992)
I've had this book in my classroom library and the title has always steered me clear of this book. I've never had an interest in reading a book called The Whipping Boy. I just figured it would be about a person getting whipped, but I was very wrong.
In The Whipping Boy, no one is allowed to whip the prince, but they are free to whip his royal whipping boy. The prince is constantly causing trouble, but he never pays the price for it. One night the prince decides he is running away and taking his whipping boy with him. They set off on an adventure together to see what trouble lies ahead.
This book was very short and very to the point. While the title seems the book is about the whipping boy, it is really about the friendship that develops between the prince and Jemmy, his whipping boy. I absolutely love that the prince learned acceptance and that he isn't so high and mighty. It is great for young kids to learn that we are no greater than anyone else and that we should accept people for who they are. This book really focused on both Jemmy and the prince learning acceptance.
I also love that there's an author's note at the very end of the book that explains the book is fiction, but that princes used to have royal whipping boys. As a teacher I think it would be great to use this book as the springboard to start a project based learning about the time period in which this book takes place. I would have students research and learn about what life was like then as a whipping boy or as a prince. This would be a great book to utilize in any classroom.
I really wish that this book had been longer and had more adventure and detail. I feel like it would have had an even better story if there had been more that had gone awry when they ran away. However, I understand that it was written for kids and it needed to get to the point. I would love to read a second book that takes place years later when the prince is a king. It would be wonderful to discover how the friendship continued between Jemmy and the prince.
This book was very good and I think most kids would enjoy it. I would definitely use it as the start of a project based learning project. I give this 4 stars and recommend it to teachers and to students in third through fifth grade.
In The Whipping Boy, no one is allowed to whip the prince, but they are free to whip his royal whipping boy. The prince is constantly causing trouble, but he never pays the price for it. One night the prince decides he is running away and taking his whipping boy with him. They set off on an adventure together to see what trouble lies ahead.
This book was very short and very to the point. While the title seems the book is about the whipping boy, it is really about the friendship that develops between the prince and Jemmy, his whipping boy. I absolutely love that the prince learned acceptance and that he isn't so high and mighty. It is great for young kids to learn that we are no greater than anyone else and that we should accept people for who they are. This book really focused on both Jemmy and the prince learning acceptance.
I also love that there's an author's note at the very end of the book that explains the book is fiction, but that princes used to have royal whipping boys. As a teacher I think it would be great to use this book as the springboard to start a project based learning about the time period in which this book takes place. I would have students research and learn about what life was like then as a whipping boy or as a prince. This would be a great book to utilize in any classroom.
I really wish that this book had been longer and had more adventure and detail. I feel like it would have had an even better story if there had been more that had gone awry when they ran away. However, I understand that it was written for kids and it needed to get to the point. I would love to read a second book that takes place years later when the prince is a king. It would be wonderful to discover how the friendship continued between Jemmy and the prince.
This book was very good and I think most kids would enjoy it. I would definitely use it as the start of a project based learning project. I give this 4 stars and recommend it to teachers and to students in third through fifth grade.
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