The Whipping Boy (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

Jemmy, once a poor boy living on the streets, now lives in a castle. But as the whipping boy, he bears the punishment when the prince misbehaves, as such, the two boys have little in common and even less reason to like one another.

Publishers Weekly

With his flair for persuading readers to believe in the ridiculous, Fleischman scores a hit with his new creation. Sis's skillful pictures emphasize events in the adventures of the orphan Jemmy, kept in his king's palace to be thrashed for the offenses committed by the royal heir, known as Prince Brat. It is forbidden to punish Brat, whose tricks multiply until Jemmy is tempted to escape the daily round of flogging. But the prince himself takes off and forces the whipping boy to go with him. As they get into and out of trouble on the outside, Jemmy hears that he has been accused of abducting Brat. When the prince arranges for their return to the palace, poor Jemmy fears the worst, but things turn out for the best at the story's satisfying close. Colorful types like a thief called Hold-Your-Nose Billy, Betsy and her dancing bear Petunia, et al., increase the fun. (7-11)

"I'm too lazy to retire," says Sid Fleischman, author of more than sixty books for children, adults, and magicians. His tales have been translated into nineteen languages. Among his many awards is the Newbery Medal for his novel The Whipping Boy.

The author described his wasted youth as a magician and newspaperman in his autobiography, The Abracadabra Kid. His most recent books are The Entertainer and the Dybbuk, a novel, and two biographies, The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West and Escape! The Story of The Great Houdini.

Sid Fleischman lives in Santa Monica, California.