1. Read Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper. In Twain's book Prince Edward goes out alone into the streets of London and must deal with situations that nothing in his experience has prepared him for. Do Twain's purposes differ from those of Fleischman? How?

2. In the thirty books he has written for young readers, Fleischman has made a reputation as an outstanding humorist. He is especially good in a traditionally American type of narrative, the tall tale. Read some of his stories about Jos h McBroom. Are there any similarities with The Whipping Boy?

How do these stories compare with nineteenth-century tall tales such as Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" (1865)?

3. Urban street life has always fascinated readers, many of whom find criminals especially interesting. Research the lives of real-life highwaymen, rat-catchers, and street vendors in eighteenth-...