THE WHIPPING BOY
Fiction
by Sid Fleischman
Reviewed by Joseph Benjamin
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Prince Brat, who is a brat, has just gotten in trouble again and is about to be punished. The Prince is bad luck and always gets in trouble. Also since he was a prince he couldn’t be punished. In the nineteenth century, where castles, anarchy and hardships were, princes are forbidden to be punished. Therefore every prince has a commoner, a whipping boy, to be punished in the prince’s place. Prince Brat’s whipping boy’s name is Jemmy, but Jemmy is so used to being whipped he doesn’t cry. So after a useless whipping he is sent to his room only later he is visited by, surprisingly, Prince Brat. He has the craziest plan yet. He is going to run away and is asking Jemmy to come along with him. After Jemmy got talked into running away, knowing the ‘concquences’ if they are caught, they head off. So with a horse and a basket of food and the Prince’s crown they are in the forest but it’s not to long before the are caught by two bandits and are held for ransom. Now Jemmy and Prince Brat have to escape. The Whipping Boy is for anyone who likes adventure, some suspense and to be free. It is a good short read and I highly recommend this book. The author does a good job of letting you know what’s going on. The book is funny, historical and very good to read.
