A shout comes echoing up the stairway "Fetch the whipping boy!" A young orphan named Jemmy rouses from his sleep. "Ain't I already been whipped twice today? Gaw! What's the prince done now? It was forbidden to spank, thrash, or whack the heir to the throne. Jemmy had been plucked from the streets to serve as whipping boy to the arrogant and spiteful Prince Brat. Dreaming of running away, Jemmy finds himself trapped in Prince Brat's own dream--at once brash and perilous. In this briskly told tale of high adventure, taut with suspense and rich with colorful characters, the whipping boy and Prince Brat must at last confront each other. Award-winning author Sid Fleischman again blends the broadly comic with the deeply compassionate in this memorable novel.

About the Author: 

Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in San Diego, California, Sid Fleischman began his professional life in vaudeville and as a newspaperman—adventures described in his autobiography, The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer's Life. Mr. Fleischman is regarded as a master of the comic novel. He was awarded the Newbery Medal for The Whipping Boy, and his stories have been translated into the languages of nineteen countries. The father of three children (one of whom is Newbery Medalist Paul Fleischman), he lives in Santa Monica, California.