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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.
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Jemmy dreams of running away, but is surprised when the prince announces one night that both of them are running away. Before they know it, the outlaw Hold-Your-Nose Billy has kidnapped them. Can Jemmy keep them both alive and get them back to the castle? Or will the oblivious Prince Brat spoil his every plan?
I'd been intrigued by this book for some time, and finally had a chance to read it. The story is quite fun. While I saw the ultimate end coming, there were plenty of fun twists along the way that kept me engaged. And I truly came to care for the characters; I'd love to know what happens to them next.
Kids will love this tale of adventure set in a time long gone, and adults will enjoy sharing it with them. Get this book today for some good family reading time.
One thing that occurred to me in reading this story is the way that Anglo-American literature turns the traditional fairy tale of mistaken identity on it's head. The emblematic story of European tradition would be the Frog Prince, wherein the royal personage lies buried beneath a facade, but inevitably is discovered and accedes to his birthright. American stories like this one and Prince and the Pauper have as their premise that the regal upbringing has left the heir somehow unfit to rule and only after experiencing life as a commoner can they rightly ascend to power. The contrast obviously owes much to the underlying political philosophy of the respective cultures--the former supporting the idea of nobility being a function of birth, the latter premised on, if not consent of the ruled, at least a requirement of worthiness on the part of the ruler and an informed understanding of the plight of his subjects.
Kids needn't be concerned with all that though, they can just sit back and enjoy this amusing adventure for it's own sake. We savvy parents will keep the subliminal democratizing message to ourselves.
GRADE: B+
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