This is from amazon.com:
I think the point that Asha's class was reading it was that it was a tale of adventure, and maybe she struck out on her own as an adventure? Just a thought.
As far as location, as far as I recall from the story, it is all very ambiguous, just a kingdom in a make-believe land. But it's been a long time since I've read it. I don't remember any cities, though. Not modern ones, anyway.
The Whipping Boy is not a story about abduction. It's about a bratty prince who keeps getting spanked, but the one who actually gets the spanking is Jemmy, the palace whipping boy. So when Brat runs away, he takes Jemmy with him. He learns a lesson about caring for other people.From Publishers Weekly
With his flair for persuading readers to believe in the ridiculous, Fleischman scores a hit with his new creation. Sis's skillful pictures emphasize events in the adventures of the orphan Jemmy, kept in his king's palace to be thrashed for the offenses committed by the royal heir, known as Prince Brat. It is forbidden to punish Brat, whose tricks multiply until Jemmy is tempted to escape the daily round of flogging. But the prince himself takes off and forces the whipping boy to go with him. As they get into and out of trouble on the outside, Jemmy hears that he has been accused of abducting Brat. When the prince arranges for their return to the palace, poor Jemmy fears the worst, but things turn out for the best at the story's satisfying close. Colorful types like a thief called Hold-Your-Nose Billy, Betsy and her dancing bear Petunia, et al., increase the fun.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
I think the point that Asha's class was reading it was that it was a tale of adventure, and maybe she struck out on her own as an adventure? Just a thought.
As far as location, as far as I recall from the story, it is all very ambiguous, just a kingdom in a make-believe land. But it's been a long time since I've read it. I don't remember any cities, though. Not modern ones, anyway.