The Whipping Boy

Extremely engaging, fast paced adventure that includes lots of violence and system inequity, but no mortal violence. Secondary to the engaging story are themes of learning to care about other people and how to be a friend.

In The Whipping Boy, Jemmy is the one who is punished when the Prince misbehaves, since a prince cannot be beaten for misbehaving. When Jemmy and the Prince first meet, they dislike one another, but after they are both kidnapped, they have to work together to get home.

I really liked this one. The language was reminiscent of the era, but easy to read for children. The way the two main characters play off of one another is sometimes pretty funny. The dialogue is enthralling.

This would be a great book for a physical activity, in which children are paired or grouped and have to depend on one another to complete tasks in a competition (ex: being bound back to back or using both of their bodies to move objects. Or, since this book is just show more long enough, it would be perfect for studies in story elements: plot, climax, problem, solution, setting... show less

Prince Brat decides to run away from home and takes his whipping boy, Jemmy, with him. They don't get very far before they're lost in the fog, and then captured by that notorious highwayman, Hold-Your-Nose Billy. Jemmy’s plots to escape are spoiled by his spoiled master, who doesn’t seem to want to escape. The prince is having too much fun! A wildly funny adventure ensues.

A didactic fable-like story about a boy named Jemmy who's whipped in place of Prince Brat (what everyone calls him, I'm not sure we are told his real name) whenever the spoiled prince pulls pranks or acts out. When the prince decides he's had enough and leaves the palace, he brings Jemmy along with them and the two of them fall in with outlaws. The outlaws can't quite believe that the prince is really who he says he is, so they treat Jemmy as the prince instead. Will the boys band together or will Jemmy make a break for it?

Meh. The story was pretty bland, predictable and well, kinda dumb. I listened with half an ear to the narration, and that wasn't a great production either. Spike McClure does a reasonable job of all the voices, but he show more sounds very much like an old man trying to sound like a boy, I could hear the effort of the narration (breathing or swallows, perhaps), and the thing that sticks with me most is that he pronounced the voiceless "w". I didn't hate it, but I'll probably forget most of it by the end of the month. show less

I picked this up at the library for my daughter after I read a much earlier adult novel by Mr. Fleischman, Shanghai Flame, published in the 1950s as one of those classic Gold Medal originals (http://www.librarything.com/work/6739087). Interested in the writer, I dug up his bio on the Internet and discovered his later, highly successful career as a children's book author. So, I thought I'd see what my 7-year old thought about his writing. She hasn't gotten around to this one yet, for some reason, but now that I have read it myself, I will recommend it to her highly. It has humor, it has adventure, and it has meaning as it tells the story of whipping boy, a poor lad from the streets who must take the punishment any time "Prince Brat" does show more something wrong. However, after a few years (but only a few pages), Prince Brat gets bored and runs away from home, taking the whipping boy with him. And that's where things get interesting, as they run into a couple of highwaymen, a girl and her bear, and a traveling potato seller. Along the way, both boys begin to change, and that is the heart of the story, which Fleischman tells exceedingly well. It's a short, effortless read, but a story that will stick with you for quite a while. Very highly recommended for children AND adults. show less

Been a long time since I read this book, but I remember enjoying it. It's hard to not sympathize with the whipping boy, and hard to not feel gratified when he and the prince fall into a difficult situation and the prince learns some much-needed lessons.

Definitely a book I would recommend to kids in elementary or middle school, though I am also sure that adults could also enjoy this story even if it would be a quicker read for older folks. 4.25/5 stars.

Gr 3 – 6—This story takes place back in a time when corporal punishment was the norm. But there was one person no one was allowed to touch—the prince. When Prince Horace, a.k.a. Prince Brat, needed to be punished, they called for the whipping boy, Jemmy. One day, having done every naughty thing he can think of in the castle, Prince Brat decides he’s going to run away, and he’s taking Jemmy despite their mutual animosity. It isn’t long before they’re captured by two villains, Hold-Your-Nose Billy and Cutwater. To escape, Prince Brat and Jemmy will need to learn to trust each other. With The Whipping Boy, Fleischman continues to provide a successful combination of humor, lively plot, and lessons learned.