Since it is forbidden to spank the heir to the throne, Jemmy has been taken from the streets to serve as whipping boy to the arrogant and spiteful Prince Brat.

Jemmy is smart, and learns to read and write while living in the castle with Prince Brat, but he is also resentful and thinks about escape. Both he and Prince Brat leave the castle, but in a fateful encounter they are kidnapped and their identities are mistaken. Jemmy is treated like the Prince and Prince Brat like the servant. In the end Prince Brat learns from his experience, and Jemmy’s lot in life is forever changed as well.

Sid Fleischman was awarded the 1987 Newbery Medal for the most outstanding
contribution to American literature for children for The Whipping Boy. 
This Newbery Library collector’s volume of the Award winning novel, The Whipping Boy, will make a fine addition to any growing library.

The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.