Prince Horace is a spoiled brat, one who’s constantly
causing trouble in an attempt to get his father’s attention. He’s a kid who’s in serious need of a good
spanking, but since he’s the prince no one can raise a hand against him. Instead, his family has taken in an orphan boy
named Jemmy, whose sole purpose in life is to receive punishments on behalf of
the prince whenever Horace misbehaves.
It’s a horrible life and Jemmy longs for his freedom, which suddenly comes
one day when Prince Horace decides to run away from the castle!
I read this book for the first time in second grade, and one
of the main reasons it appealed to me back then was because of how Prince
Horace’s unfair arrangement was laid bare from the beginning. Imagine, being punished for doing absolutely
nothing wrong…or even worse, having someone intentionally do something wrong in
order to get you in trouble! This unjust
way of life is immediately identifiable for anyone who’s ever had the thought
that “life isn’t fair”, and it’s no wonder that Mr. Fleischman was presented
with the Newbery Award for his great story.
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