The Whipping Boy

Main Characters: Jemmy, Prince Brat, Hold-Your-Nose Billy

Setting: A castle in the countryside and the sewers

Summary: Prince Brat decides to run away from the castle and has the whipping boy, Jemmy, go with him.  They end up getting kidnapped by Hold-Your-Nose Billy and have to work together to get out of the situation.  The two boys couldn't stand each other when in the castle together, but develop a friendship through the time spent outside of the castle running from Billy.  

I would use this as a lesson about how just because two people are different, it doesn't mean that someone is better than another person.  It is a great story about how you can come from different backgrounds and still be friends.  I would also use this book as a vocabulary lesson, as there are a lot of words in the book that students might not have heard before.  I would have students pick three words that they didn't know, look them up, and complete a paint card about each word including how to use it in a sentence, characteristics, the definition, and facts about the word.

Questions to consider:

• When, if ever, is an adventure book too "real life" for your students? How will you determine the appropriateness for your students?
• Recently the number of realistic adventure books seems to be much less than fantasy adventure. Why do you think that is true? Compare their place in your classroom library and instruction.

Reference: 

Fleischmann, Sid. The Whipping Boy. Green willow Books. New York, N.Y. 1986. Print.