The Whipping Boy
by Sid Fleischman

4th grade (below-grade level)

The Whipping Boy

This is the story of Jemmy, the royal Whipping Boy.  He was pulled off the streets to be the prince's scapegoat for punishment.  No one in the entire kingdom likes the prince, whom they call Prince Brat.  The prince demand that Jemmy run away with him.  Jemmy reluctantly agrees, and the adventure begins.  The two boys are captured by two thieves--then, they manage to escape.  They meet many new people throughout their adventure, all the while, Jemmy is acting as though he were the prince (in order to protect the real prince).  Through many difficulties and hard realizations, the prince and Jemmy become friends and return to the castle.  Jemmy is placed under the prince's protection and is no longer the Whipping Boy.
 
 

Summary

The Knight at Dawn

This is a fanciful tale of a magical tree house, in which Jack and Annie travel to different times in history.  Their ticket to this time travel is a book (which ever one they pick) and that book's pictures.  One book takes them to a medieval castle.  They are captured inside the castle, and sent to the dungeon.  Annie uses "magic" (her flashlight) to scare the guards into letting them go, and the two are off to find the knight on the horse.  Their adventure ends when the knight delivers them back to their tree house, and they return home to Frog Creek.