Author: Sid Fleischman
Illustrator: Peter Sís
Genre: Historical Fiction
Major Awards: Newbery Honor
Age Group: 5th - 6th
Summary: Jemmy was just a poor boy who lived on the street, but one day he got picked up and now lives in the castle. He serves as the whipping boy because the prince is forbidden to get punished when he misbehaves. The two boys never met eye to eye, had nothing in common, and didn't like each other. One night, the prince told Jemmy that he wanted to escape in the night because he was bored. Along the way, the boys get into trouble with two big men and get held hostage. They had nothing left with them, so they had no choice but to trust each other. Jemmy had learned all his manners, letters, and got mistaken that he was the prince which made the real prince angry. When they got back to the castle, the king dismissed them to go change their clothes that were all dirty and ripped up. Next time they wanted to escape the castle, the king had told them to bring him as well because he wanted to escape.
Evaluation & Comments: This book wasn't really my style of literature, but I could see it used in class. Towards the end of the book, there was a couple book group questions that I could have the book groups answer as discussion topics. Along with that, we could have the students point out the similarities and differences between the two boys, for example how they solve the situations they are in. Overall, I think some students will find this book interesting as the two boys encounter many adventures and situations together, despite their dislike of one another and have to find solutions to survive it. From this, the students will be able to learn some valuable lessons while reading the book.
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