The Whipping Boy

The Whipping Boy is a children's novel by Sid Fleischman.

Prince Horace, better known as "Prince Brat", runs away from home, and forces his servant Jemmy (whose job it is to be whipped in the prince's place whenever the prince misbehaves, since it's illegal to whip royalty) to accompany him.

Winner of the 1987 Newbery Medal.

Tropes used in The Whipping Boy include:

• Break the Haughty: Prince Horace.
• Butt Monkey: Jemmy, which kind of comes with the territory of being a whipping boy.
• Character Development: Prince Horace towards the end. Jemmy to a certain extent as well.
• Fluffy the Terrible: Betsy's dancing bear, Petunia.
• Lonely Rich Kid: Prince Horace.
• Mistaken for Servant: When the prince and Jemmy are abducted, the abductors believe Jemmy is the prince and Horace is the whipping boy, because Jemmy has better manners and hasn't been shirking his education.
• Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Hold-Your-Nose Billy and Cutwater.
• Pride Before a Fall: Prince Horace.
• Royal Brat/Spoiled Brat: Prince Horace.
• The Runaway: Prince Horace runs away out of sheer boredom and drags Jemmy along for the ride.
• The Scapegoat: Jemmy's role as the whipping boy.
• Street Smart: Jemmy.