The Whipping Boy

I meant to do my blog tomorrow, because I was all set today to head out to the Baltimore Aquarium and Ravens Stadium. <Anyone who wants to clue me in on where to get tickets for the Giants Ravens game in December please message me!> . The weather didn't want me down there, with four inches of rain expected and lots of thunder and lightening. 
So what's a girl to do?  Head to the bookstore of course!
Today I found a book that took me maybe 45 minutes to read but was extremely enjoyable none the less.  The book was called "The Whipping Boy". This Newbery award winning book is written by Sid Fleischman
This is a great book for boys or girls around the age of 7 to 11 depending on their ability to read. 
The book is about a boy named Jemmy who was a poor boy who made his living as a rat catcher. But one day he is chosen by the king to become whipping boy to the Royal Prince, that everyone calls Prince Brat.  The prince is a spoiled. obnoxious boy who does anything he wants. No one can whip the prince because that would be treason, so instead they have the whipping boy who is punished in his place. Jemmy's job is to be whipped every time the prince misbehaves. The prince's behavior assures Jemmy of job security, but Jemmy isn't too happy as you can imagine.
One day the prince decides to run away. Jemmy is at first reluctant, but then realizes he can ditch the prince. Jemmy's plan is to run away back to his home in the sewers where he was happy. But when Jemmy and the prince are kidnapped by two villainous highwaymen, the two boys discover new things about one another that they never realized existed. Both boys are changed for the better.
Sid Fleishman, who died in 2010 at age 90 was truly a child in a man's world. He started out life as a magician and traveled the vaudeville circuit in the 1930s. Then he became a newspaper writer, and from there a children's writer. His son, Paul Fleishman is also a Newbery Award winner.
Sid Fleishman writes with a child's point of view in mind, but he doesn't write childishly. His stories are clear, crisp and imaginative without being fluffy.  Boys will really enjoy this story, but don't be surprised if your girls can't put it down either. If you are stuck inside on a rainy day "The Whipping Boy" is definitely the kind of book that you want to enjoy!