THE WHIPPING BOY

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fleischman, Sid. 1986. The Whipping Boy. Ill. by Peter Sis. New York, NY: Scholastic. ISBN 0439441420

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Living in a castle was far from what Jemmy, an orphaned rat catcher’s son, expected from his life. He finds himself dressed in fine clothes, receiving a good education, but dreaming of a carefree life away from the castle. Jemmy served as the Royal Princes whipping boy, receiving thrashings for any bad behavior of the Prince. The Royal Prince, known far and wide as Prince Brat, had earned his reputation well. The two boys have an ever growing exasperation for each other. When Prince Brat decides to run away Jemmy is forced to follow. Soon they find themselves in a hostage situation being held by two murderous highwaymen. The two face many comical adventures as they try to return to the castle which compels them to trust and find friendship in each other.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Sid Fleischman has written a Newbery Medal Award winning book about finding friendship under the most unlikely circumstances. Fleischman’s short chapters are full of wit such as the names of his characters, Prince Brat, Hold your Nose Billy, Cutwater, and Petunia the bear. Fleischman’s sentence construction is full of fun and witty word choices that align with the era of the book. For example, the Prince is held hostage and does not like the ransomed demands of the thieves and declares, “Dimwits! Catchpenny rogues! I will not be exchanged for such a trifle…A paltry treasure you could carry on your shoulder? How dare you insult me!” As enjoyable as the words can be, they could prove to be difficult for children with limited vocabulary due to uncommon terminology choices of today.
The adventures take place outside of the castle when the boys are nabbed and taken to a cabin in the woods. The kidnapers have a case of mistaken identity believing that Jemmy is the prince because he’s the one who can read and write. This forces Prince Brat to reevaluate his life and circumstances. This comical event helps other children to evaluate the mishap that occurs when forsaking studies for play. Even Jemmy reevaluates his situation when he meets up with his old friend Smudge in the sewers and realizes, “he’d lost his taste for ignorance.” Jemmy and Prince Brat personalities begin to evolve. They turn from a very disagreeable belief of each other to one of friendship of trust.

Peter Sis illustrated the pages with pointillism. The black and white pictures offer a comical look into the lives of the characters. Sis managed to evoke the feeling for the era by the selection of clothes, hair styles, and the settings he drew. Each illustration depicts the life of the time either with horrific or comical situations that the boys encounter together.
As the book closes, Fleischman offers a note explaining that the characters were fictional but that whipping boys did in fact exist in history. A series of Literature Circle Questions are offered for class discussion time. Overall Fleischman was able to capture an era of time with rip laughing adventures that yield a story of pure pleasure.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Newbery Medal Award
ALA Notable Book
School Library Journal Best Book
Kirkus Review: A rollicking tale of adventure and mistaken identity.
Publishers Weekly: With a flair for persuading readers to believe in the ridiculous, Fleischman scores a hit with his new creation.
School Library Journal: This whimsical, readable story delights…

5. CONNECTIONS
*Research whipping boys. How were they obtained and would that be acceptable today?
*Discuss friendship. How is it formed and must there be a level of trust?
*Discuss what the students believe happened to the boys after the story ends. Did Jemmy still serve as the whipping boy? What kind of King would the Prince make now?
Other books by Sid Fleischman:
Fleischman, Sid. Escape!: The Story of The Great Houdini. ISBN 0060850965
Fleischman, Sid. The 13th Floor. ISBN: 0688142168
Fleischman, Sid. Bandit’s Moon. ISBN: 0440415861