Newbery Reviews: The Whipping Boy || Out Of The Dust || Dear Mr. Henshaw

One of my long-term goals is to read all of the Newbery winners. Here are a few I read recently.

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

Pages: 90

Genre: Historical Middle Grade

Publication Date: 1986

A Prince and a Pauper . . . Prince Brat and his whipping boy inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws. The two boys have nothing in common and even less reason to like each other. But when they find themselves taken hostage after running away, they are left with no choice but to trust each other.

The Good: A Newbery winner that kids might actually like? Who knew it was possible? There are a lot of Newbery winners that I wouldn’t have been able to get through as a kid, but this isn’t one of them. I might have actually enjoyed this story. It’s a lightning-fast, humorous adventure about a prince and his whipping boy who accidentally run away together. At first they hate each other, but when they’re taken hostage by thieves, they have to put their differences aside to escape.

This novel is only 90 pages, but the characters change a lot over the course of the story. They learn to listen to each other. They also learn that sometimes you’re forced to work with stupid, pompous jackasses. You can’t change those people, so you have to find ways to succeed in spite of them. That’s a valuable life lesson.

“What was he looking for, a prince in fine velvets and a crown cocked on his head? Was it clothes that made a prince, Jemmy wondered, just as rags made a street boy?” – The Whipping Boy

The Bad: The plot isn’t the most original. I feel like there are a lot of bored-prince-lives-among-commoners stories in the world. The characters aren’t particularly original, either. The prince is a spoiled brat. (He’s even nicknamed “Brat.”) The whipping boy is the quick-witted one who gets them out of trouble. I’ve seen this all before.

The Bottom Line: There’s something in this book for everybody. Kids would like the quick pace and slapstick humor. Adults would like the themes and the lively writing style.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Pages: 227

Genre: Historical Middle Grade Novel-In-Verse

Publication Date: 1997

When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it is inspiring.

Written in free verse, this award-winning story is set in the heart of the Great Depression. It chronicles Oklahoma's staggering dust storms, and the environmental—and emotional—turmoil they leave in their path. An unforgettable tribute to hope and inner strength.

The Good: This story is written in free verse, so even though it’s 227 pages, you can finish it in an afternoon. There aren’t many words on a page. The author is a talented poet. The poems are straightforward and easy to understand. What I love most about novels-in-verse is that they get right to the heart of the story. This book has a lot of action and not a lot of extra fluff.

The narrator, Billie Jo, is a tough character. Her life in dust-bowl-era Oklahoma is relentlessly awful, but she finds ways to survive. After each new disaster, I wondered how she was going to keep going. She always manages to adjust, even when it’s hard.

“The way I see it, hard times aren't only about money, 

or drought, 

or dust. 

Hard times are about losing spirit, 

and hope, 

and what happens when dreams dry up.” – Out of the Dust

The Bad: If you don’t like depressing books, then you should definitely avoid this one. There’s not much in Billie Jo’s life to bring her joy. I love depressing books, but even I was like, “Damn, this is bleak.” I guess it’s historically accurate. The dust bowl wasn’t a particularly happy time for farmers.

The book is aptly named. There is a lot of dust. Actually, I got sick of poems about dust. They got repetitive quickly.

The Bottom Line: I like the author’s other book, Witness, more than this one, but I understand why Out of the Dust won the Newbery. It’s well-written historical fiction.

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (Leigh Botts #1)

Pages: 144

Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary

Publication Date: 1983

After his parents separate, Leigh Botts moves to a new town with his mother. Struggling to make friends and deal with his anger toward his absent father, Leigh loses himself in a class assignment in which he must write to his favorite author. When Mr. Henshaw responds, the two form an unexpected friendship that will change Leigh’s life forever.

The Good: When I was in middle school, I adored the Ramona Quimby series and read approximately a zillion of those books. It was good to be back in Beverly Cleary’s “world.” I think she really understands kids. She knows that they can be funny and insightful, infuriating and annoying. Leigh’s personality in Dear Mr. Henshaw rings true. He got on my nerves, but in a realistic, childlike way.

My opinion of Leigh changed as he matured. At first, I kind of hated him. He writes tons of rude letters to an author and demands that the author answer them. As someone whose email inbox is constantly flooded with unsolicited emails, I understand how annoying it is to have a stranger making demands of you. Luckily, my opinion of Leigh changed drastically as the book went on. Once he stops harassing Mr. Henshaw and starts keeping a diary, I became a lot more understanding of his behavior. The author does a nice job of showing Leigh’s loneliness and his frustration over his parents’ divorce.

I like that Leigh’s writing “career” follows a realistic path. He decides that he wants to write stories and learns that writing is hard. I love that he’s not immediately good at it.

“I am sort of medium . . . I guess you could call me the mediumest boy in the class.” – Dear Mr. Henshaw

The Bad: This is one of those books that make me wish I could question the Newbery committee. Why is this the Beverly Cleary book that won the Newbery? Because it’s more serious than some of her others? I don’t know. I like the early Ramona books more than I like this one. I guess I find quirky Ramona more compelling than troubled-and-demanding Leigh.

The Bottom Line: It’s good. I don’t think there’s anything really wrong with the book, but it didn’t blow me away. I probably won’t read the sequels.

Have you read any of these? What did you think?