Advanced Children's Literature: Historical Fiction

Fleischman, Sid. THE WHIPPING BOY. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1986.

Fleischman's Newbery medal story is high adventure and will be especially beloved by boys. The illustrations by Peter Sis cannot go without mention, as they are almost as essential to the text as is the case in a traditional picture storybook. Jemmey is the whipping boy and Prince Brat is, well you know who. Tired of the confines of castle life Prince Brat sneaks out into the forest and brings Jemmey along. How could they have known that right away they would run into two fierce and legendary highwaymen, Cutwater and Hold Your Nose Billy? Neither Jemmey nor Prince Brat have respect for each other before their sojourn in the deep recesses of the forest but they become loyal companions in the end. The tables are turned when Jemmey pretends to be the Prince and is admired for his intelligence, skills with letters, pen, and ink and Brat proves that he can learn to work hard, catch rats in the sewers, and practice bravery. Though not a true cautionary tale, it is worth noting that all the education Prince Brat has shunned are lessons that Jemmey having learned and learned well uses to save the day. Prince Brat could not even pretend to write a ransom note for the bandits. Jemmey does so deftly. The titles of the chapters are clever such as,"Of assorted events in which the plot thickens thicker," or "Wherein the prince neither bawls nor bellows." Fleischman's end note is both humorous and educational, "Some royal households of past centuries did keep whipping boys to suffer the punishments due a misbehaving prince. History is alive with lunacies and injustices. As Jemmey would say, "Gaw!" Bloody good show.