The Whipping Boy (by Sid Fleischman)

Reviewed by Elizabeth Funkhouser

 

Background and Summary

            The Whipping Boy, a novel by Sid Fleischman, won the Newbery Medal in 1987. Fleischman authored over 60 children’s books, several of which were turned into movies, but none is more famous than The Whipping Boy. It is a charming story of an orphan named Jemmy set in England in the 1700’s. Jemmy has been plucked off the streets to serve as the whipping boy (a boy who takes the punishment meant for another) of Horace, better known as Prince Brat. The prince is unusually naughty, but it is Jemmy who is constantly taking his punishment. Jemmy does however receive the perks of living in the castle and having clean clothes, good food, and a good education.

            One night Prince Brat is bored and decides to run away. He enlists Jemmy to help him, quite against Jemmy’s will. They leave on horseback, but are soon kidnaped by two notorious highwaymen, Cutwater and Hold-Your-Nose-Billy. The highwaymen quickly realize they hold the prince captive when they see the royal stamp on the horses’ saddle. They tell the prince he must write a ransom note for them because neither of the men can write. Prince Brat never learned either, but Jemmy did. Because Jemmy knows how to write, the kidnappers mistake him for the prince. This highly upsets Prince Brat, who ends up getting whipped when Jemmy refuses to write the letter. Jemmy eventually agrees to write the letter. While Cutwater and Hold-Your-Nose-Bill are sending it to the castle on the horse, Jemmy tries to escape the cabin they are being held in. Horace of course follows. Jemmy dreams of returning to the streets to take up his former occupation, rat catching.

         As the boys are on the run from the two villains, they are helped by Captain Nips, a potato seller; Betsy, a young gypsy; and Petunia, a dancing bear who belongs to Betsy. Together they are able to scare away Cutwater and Hold-Your-Nose-Billy. At this point Jemmy realizes he no longer belongs on the street and Horace realizes how awful he has been, both to his father and to Jemmy. Together they return to the castle and fulfill their respective duties, and Horace finally learns to write.

Interest

            This book is geared towards very early readers with its short length and simple structure. The target audience is the ages 8-10, but the book could definitely be enjoyed by younger, more advance readers. Both genders would enjoy this story. It has a small set of characters, which is more attractive to girls. There are only two main characters, Jemmy and Horace, and only six other minor characters. Boys, however, would like that the story does not have a definite timeline. The story takes place in various exciting settings such as the king’s castle, a forest, rat-infested sewers, and a traveling fair.

Developing Mature Readers

 

This book deals with several tasks that young people must accomplish as they attain healthy adulthood.

            Developing relationships with people of the same age: Through the course of the book Jemmy and Horace (A.K. A. Prince Brat) learn not only to get along, but also to work together. At the beginning of the story they do not trust each other, but by the end of it they are able to see eye-to-eye and scare off their two kidnappers. They do this by luring them into the sewers under the city and setting a false trap towards the dangerous grain fed rats. Without Jemmy’s knowledge of the sewers and Horace’s willingness to listen to his “inferior” the two villains would have captures the boys again. This story shows children that they can become friends with children who they don’t get along with upon first meeting them.

            Growing independent from one’s parents: Jemmy is an orphan on the streets when he is picked to be the whipping boy for Prince Brat. Obviously both his parents are dead, but within the story Jemmy thinks about his father and how they used to catch rats together. He realizes that while he enjoyed that profession with his father, it no longer fits his life. He is given a chance to run away and live in the sewers, but realizes that his is no longer a street urchin; he is now an educated whipping boy and doesn’t belong on the streets. Through Jemmy’s story children can learn to make decisions based on their own feelings and not their parents. Children can see through Jemmy that they don’t have to follow their parent’s footsteps in everyway, and they don’t have to be exactly like them.

            Finding a vocation: This step is slightly stretched because the main character of this story, Jemmy, is so young. At the end of the story, however, after trying the whole book to escape to catch rats, he realizes his old life and job is no longer appealing to him. Jemmy understands he serves a purpose in the castle as the whipping boy; he is a positive influence to the prince. If Jemmy hadn’t stood up to the prince and refused to cry when he was whipped the prince never would have run away and learned how awful he truly was. Besides that, Jemmy is receiving an education, which will only benefit him for the future. Young people sometimes get so set on one dream that they grow up and think it is their only option. They need to open up to the possibilities around them, and find the perfect fit for them, like Jemmy did. Sometimes the job they choose is one they never would have imagined having.

            Gathering a sense of achievement: Both Jemmy and Prince Brat gain a sense of achievement at the end of the story. They are able to escape two kidnappers by hiding from them and escaping when the kidnappers go looking for them. The boys also find their way through the sewers of the city and are able to avoid the dangerous grain fed rats that would harm them. Captain Nibs, Betsy, and Petunia become their friends and they enjoy getting to know people outside of the castle. Most importantly Jemmy and Prince Brat scare Cutwater and Hold-Your-Nose-Billy away for good by sicking the grain fed rats on the unsuspecting villains. They achieve all of this by working together and learning from each other and those around them. Children reading this will most likely be at the age where they have more freedom and are doing things on their own. Jemmy and Horace show them they can achieve what they never thought possible and be proud of what they have accomplished.

            Becoming aware of and living consistently with his beliefs and values: Jemmy is an independent character and wants nothing more than to escape his job as whipping boy. However when he and Prince Brat are fist kidnapped, he steps up and writes a ransom note to save both of them, even though Horace can’t understand why. Jemmy also helps Prince Brat escape multiple times when he could have left him behind and been free at last. Jemmy comes to believe there is good in Horace even if no one, especially the prince, wants to see it. By saving the prince when Horace knew he didn’t deserve it Jemmy gives him a second chance and shows Horace he believes in him. Readers will see that it is okay to step up and do what is necessary. Even if their friends are against what they are doing or discouraging them, children can still learn to do what is right.

Potential issues with the book

            This book is fairly old and written for young children so there are few objectionable elements. The most problematic aspect of the book is the whippings of Jemmy and Horace. These are a minor part of the book and are in no way graphic, but in today’s society whippings are certainly frowned upon.

Recommendation

            I would absolutely recommend this book to any young child. It would also be a good book to read aloud, whether in a classroom setting or at home. The story is engaging but not totally predictable as is typical in books for younger children. Nothing in this book gives me pause in handing it out to any person- whether from a highly conservative background or not. My favorite part about the book is the language. Children will love the words like “pish-posh” and “gaw” that are thrown in throughout the story. They will also enjoy the history behind the title, how a whipping boy was an actual position. The story will help them think about how different life would be in a different century.

 Resources for Teaching or Research

             Several websites offer useful information on The Whipping Boy, whether young people are reading it in a classroom setting or at home. Scholastic has a printable handout with discussion questions taken from the book, which is useful in encouraging conversation. The website The Literate Mother is also useful when trying to gauge the content of the book. The website has a five-point scale on which they rate different aspects of the book such as language, adult themes, and violence. This is especially useful if you are unfamiliar with the book and/or author and want to know if it would be safe for children to read. Brian Thornton, Head of Capo Creations, a company that makes novel studies for teachers, has a detailed study guide that goes chapter-by-chapter asking questions, defining vocabulary, and giving enrichment projects to complete. Last, Book Rags, another website, has a downloadable study pack and lesson plans for use in classroom or in a home.

 Works Cited

Book Rags. "The Whipping Boy Summary." Web. 01 Apr. 2013.

Fleischman, Sid. The Whipping Boy. New York: Greenwillow, 1986. Print.

Scholastic Teachers. "Whipping Boy Discussion Guide." Scholastic Inc., Web. 01

Apr. 2013.

The Literate Mother. "The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman: Content Rating and

Review." 2010. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.

Thornton, Brian. "The Whipping Boy Student Study Answer Guide." Nt.net. N.p., n.d.

Web. 1 Apr. 2013.