The loathesome Prince Brat and his whipping boy, Jemmy, are caught up in a series of adventures and misadventures when the two run away from home and exchange identities for a while. The familiar plot devices of a prince and pauper tale are revitalized with tongue-in-cheek humor. Although Fleischman uses a relatively simple vocabulary and simple sentence structure, the text is marked by eloquence, and numerous distinctive black and white drawings add to the overall richness of a fine, episodic novel. (Ages 8-12)

A Prince
and a Pauper

Jemmy, once a poor boy living on the streets, now lives in a castle. As the whipping boy, he bears the punishment when Prince Brat misbehaves, for it is forbidden to spank, thrash, or whack the heir to the throne. The two boys have nothing in common and even less reason to like one another. But when they find themselves taken hostage after running away, they are left with no choice but to trust each other.