The Whipping Boy // by Sid Fleischman (1986)
Newbery Winner (1987)
Genre: MG, Fantasy/Classic
Rating: 5 Stars
Basic Plot: When Prince Brat decides to run away, he takes Jemmy (his whipping boy) with him, only to be captured by two ruffians. Jemmy keeps his head and, in order to rescue the prince, arranges to swap places with him. But Prince Brat is so bratty and self-focused that he doesn’t catch onto Jemmy’s plan… which leads to complications and danger.
MY THOUGHTS…
Wow! Just, wow! I read this book in a single sitting and boy, was it powerful. I love Jemmy and his quick-witted brain. As for Prince Brat, I was ready to throttle him over the head several times. He truly is such a despicable character until… well, until he isn’t. I love his transformation!
The humour is spot-on. The chapter titles are fun. The character names are just perfect. It’s a simple story that is truly delightful. Really, I don’t often gush about a book, but I’m gushing about this one!
NEWBERY VERDICT…
This book won the Newbery back in 1987. Did it deserve it? Absolutely!
YOUR TURN…
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!
Newbery Verdict Reading Challenge: This is a personal challenge for me to read books that have either won the Newbery Medal or are a Newbery Honor book. The Newbery is named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. Since 1922, this annual award has given to the author of the “most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” A Newbery Honor book is given to the runners-up.
Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…
Of Maria Antonia 
When my library reopens, I’ll have to try to find this one. I have done several book reviews of Newbery Medal Winners on the Scriblerians. (www.scriblerians.com). It’s always fun to see a review on one I haven’t yet read.
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I do remember reading this book back in the early 90s. It kept me turning the pages and your review has me anxious to read it again. Thanks for bringing this one back on MMGM.
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I first read this book about 20 years ago. I knew everything that was going to happen, and I still couldn’t put it down. Hope you enjoy it as much the second time around!
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Sounds like a winner if you read it in one sitting. Since you and Greg both liked it, I’ll have to check it out.
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It’s a nice quick read. But it’s perfect!
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I love this book as well! I think it’s one of the best Newberry Medal winners in my opinion. One of the things I think that’s so special is it’s an excellent story, but also very easy to read. So it’s a great introduction to adventure/fantasy since it has all the elements but in a highly condensed format.
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Absolutely! I think it’s one of my favourite Newbery winners as well. The simple story has enough twists and turns to keep you reading.
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I picked this up a long time ago, but didn’t like Prince Brat or maybe I wasn’t in the right mood, so I didn’t finish it. But thanks to your review, I’ll check it out again. I love a good transformation!
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Prince Brat IS annoying! (Reminds me of Eustace Scrubb in the Narnia books.) But, yes, there is a transformation which makes the book so good. 🙂
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It’s always great to see great books from the past getting brought back into the spotlight, since it often seems like books have a shelf life of a few years before they vanish. Thanks for the great post!
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I have never read this book.But, it sounds like an awesome story! Must check out more of the past Newbery book winners that I’ve neglected to read.
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This one sounds very promising. I usually have a love-hate relationship with Newberry books with most of them not on the love side. But this one sounds like one I would be interested in. (Crossing fingers my small town library has it)
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I haven’t read this one, but it sounds like I should. Thanks for the heads up.
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I hope you like it! And it’s a nice quick read.
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I think I might have read it a long time ago? But it also sounds like one I should pass on to my kids, so a good reminder!
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