Fleischman's: The Whipping boy

Sid Fleischman writes a very quick read: The Whipping Boy. It is surprising this simple book received as much attention as it did, winning the Newbury Medal in 1987. With foretelling titled chapters reminiscent of Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, this book also tells the story of two unlikely travel companions: a runaway prince and a son of a rat trapping pauper turned servant/whipping boy. Along the road, the two encounter a gypsy girl, a dancing bear, a sight-impaired potato salesman, and a couple of bumbling thieves. The thieves conspire to ransom the prince who escapes with the help of the servant and the chase is on. Several great holes in the historical premise of the story greatly diminish its impact. Whipping boys were usually of high birth themselves, raised with the prince so a bond was formed, and were not punished in the King's presence, thereby defeating the purpose of having a whipping boy. So, the reader is left with a spoiled brat prince, jeopardizing someone else's life at his whim, learning a lesson and making a friend in the end. All in all, with its historical inaccuracies and annoying repetitious exclamations, not quite worth the space it takes on the library shelf.

Avi's: Crispin: The Cross of Lead

From the day I finished reading the Newbery Medal winning Crispin: The Cross of Lead I've reached for it every time I've led genre discussions in our library. Not only is this book a very good example of historical fiction, it's a very good book. A highly enjoyable action adventure from Avi who seems to know this time period well and knows how to make it accessible for the middle school reader. The story follows a recently orphaned thirteen year old peasant in 14th century england. After news of his Lord's death, Crispin is suddenly the center of attention and thrust into a series of dangerous events which force him to flee the only home he's ever known. He carries around his neck the answer to his mysterious past and the cause of all his misfortunes. He later meets his mentor in the form of a great mountain of a man called Bear. The two cross the country making friends and facing deadly enemies. I look forward to reading the other books in this trilogy.

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