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Book Review: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleishman

Title, Author & Publisher:The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleishman (Troll Associates, 1986).

Length: 90 pages with a dozen or more illustrations. Short and sweet!

Print size:Slightly bigger than 'standard' - more comfortable but not *too* childish looking. If the students seem to be thinking the book looks 'babyish,' tell them that Newbery award books are not for little-kid books & show them some of the other winners.

Other readability issues: takes place in an imaginary kingdom, and is an exploration of class differences and perceptions. There are ample explanations of the roles of the prince and the whipping boy, but some discussion or perhaps even role-playing could really help a student visualize the setting and understand the characters of the book. The opening scene involves playing pranks on lords and ladies by sabotaging their powdered wigs -- so some pictures and discussion of the time and place would be a good idea. In fact, it's an ideal book for learning about 'character' and 'settings,' as well as an easy-reading vehicle for discussions of highly abstract ideas.

The plot is linear -- but the setting and many of the characters will have to be explained or clarified. Asking students to explain the illustrations, including details in the background, is a good way to get students connecting the words to the pictures and ideas.

Generally, the book is not as easy as it looks -- would be best suited for a student with good comprehension skills, willing to pause and reflect while reading.

Summary: Jemmy is "the whipping boy" -- when the Prince misbehaves, he gets whipped. He and the Prince run away together, and each finds out a lot about the other boy's world.

Typical words: Typical multisyllable/irregular words - you may want to see how many of these words your students can identify before expecting them to read independently. The unfamiliar setting may make accurate readng more challenging.