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    Trouble at Table 5 #3: The Firefly Fix
    Trouble at Table 5 #3: The Firefly Fix
    Trouble at Table 5 #3: The Firefly Fix
    Audiobook48 minutes

    Trouble at Table 5 #3: The Firefly Fix

    Written by Tom Watson

    Narrated by Caitlin Kelly

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    From the author of Stick Dog comes the third book in a highly illustrated early chapter book series about three best friends whose plans, missions, and schemes are sure to shake up their school.

    Molly, Simon, and Rosie are determined to build the best science fair project in school history. To do that, they’ll need to attract tons of fireflies.

    Will their bright idea get them a glowing grade or will it flicker out before the fair even starts?

    HarperChapters build confident readers one chapter at a time! With short, fast-paced books, art on every page, and milestone markers at the end of every chapter, they're the perfect next step for fans of I Can Read!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateAug 18, 2020
    ISBN9780063005723
    Author

    Tom Watson

    Tom Watson lives in Chicago with his wife, daughter, and son. He also has a dog, as you could probably guess. The dog is a Labrador-Newfoundland mix. Tom says he looks like a Labrador with a bad perm. He wanted to name the dog ""Put Your Shirt On"" (please don't ask why), but he was outvoted by his family. The dog's name is Shadow. Early in his career Tom worked in politics, including a stint as the chief speechwriter for the governor of Ohio. This experience helped him develop the unique, storytelling narrative style of the Stick Dog books. More important, Tom's time in politics made him realize a very important thing: Kids are way smarter than adults. And it's a lot more fun and rewarding to write stories for them than to write speeches for grown-ups.

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    Reviews for Trouble at Table 5 #3

    3.5/5

    590 ratings36 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      A childhood favorite with memorable characters and exciting adventures. An award winner for a reason. Recommended for children and former children.
    • 3/5
      I decided to read this as part of my Newbery challenge: to complete all the Newbery winners and honor books. As I turned each page I kept asking myself "This is a Newbery??" Not impressed with the writing or the story. I've read much better tales.
    • 4/5
      Prince Brat is a spoiled prince who chooses to purposefully do wrong in order that his whipping boy Jemmy receives his punishment. The prince decides to runaway and take the whipping boy with him. The two boys get into many situations including being taken hostage by two men who want to use the prince as ransom. Jemmy is the mastermind behind the getting out of all the situations they get into. The prince learns a lot as they venture on together realizing in the end that the Jemmy does care for his well being and he too should be treated with respect and dignity.
    • 4/5
      Jemmy is the Whipping Boy at the castle for the worst prince in history - Prince Brat. When Jemmy and the Prince leave the castle one night they are kidnapped by a highway man and Jemmy must use all of his brains to get them out of the mess...especially when the prince is determined to be just as stubborn and annoying as ever. Between the cast of characters and the old time feel of the narrative, this feels like a forgotten folk tale or fable. Maybe better as a read aloud to talk about characters...kids might get distracted by the made up words and different language.
    • 4/5
      Delightful refashioning of "The Prince and the Pauper".
    • 4/5
      This is a really fun story of the boy who gets whipped when the "brat" of a prince misbehaves. Fun ensues when the prince runs away from the castle for an adventure taking the whipping boy with him. He is only saved by the whipping boy's street savvy and learns a few lessons along the way. Recommended for ages 8-12, but fun for all! ;)
    • 2/5
      Sometimes these Newberry winners baffle me. This was not a bad book. But it's written for 2nd or 3rd graders, which I thought was a bit below the age range for Newberry consideration. The story is very simple, as are the characters. They have no depth. It would have been better suited to a longer picture book than a novel format.That said, the story is of a dreadful prince, who, being the prince, cannot be spanked. So when he is naughty, they bring in the "whipping boy", who is a servant child who is punished in the prince's place. The prince decides to run away, and take the whipping boy with him. In the scant 90 pages, they run into murderous brigands, a girl with a dancing bear, soldiers, a kindly potato seller, and a sewer full of rats. The prince returns to the castle afterwards a changed boy and everyone (except the brigands) live happily ever after.
    • 3/5
      I listened to this book, the 1987 Newberry winner, over the course of about a month. Every time I started listening, I fell asleep. I am not exaggerating when I say I listened to the first 10 minutes about 20 times. I loved the voices and accents of some of the characters and I enjoyed listening to it again and again just to hear the prince say, "Pish-posh, I can always get someone to write my name for me." Other than that, the story was just okay.
    • 4/5
      I read this in 5th grade and I remember liking it. As an adult, I think it's a delightful story, a perfect read-aloud to an upper-elementary child or classroom.
    • 5/5
      Summary: This story is about a boy, Prince Horace he is often spoiled, a brat, and misbehaves. He is nicknamed "Prince Brat". Horace cannot be whipped or have hand lied on him so they hire an orphan boy to be whipped instead when Horace misbehaves. The two boys escape their hime and go on many adventures and meet a lot of people.Personal Reaction: This was an interesting book because I've never read anything like it or heard of someone getting hit or whipped in place of a prince. I thought this was definitely the wrong way to punish someone being a prince, or an orphan. I felt really bad for the orphan and I can't believe the parents were okay with this.Classroom Extension Ideas:1) Have the students write in chronological order the events that happened in the book,2) Have the students write out the the characters that appeared in the book.
    • 4/5
      A gripping tale. It is a fun read with a fast pace and satisfying end. The Characters are full and relatable. I really enjoyed this children's/YA story.
    • 3/5
      Mehhh. For a book that I've been meaning to read since I was in elementary school, when I finally got around to reading it with my EL410 class, I was decidedly unimpressed. The dialect of the narration felt unnatural. I wanted to see more change in Jem and the prince, but I guess I felt that less than 100 pages wasn't enough room to convincingly show me the development of their respect for one another. Also, what the HECK was the point of Betsy and Petunia the dancing bear?!?Wish I could've read this when I was 7 or 8...
    • 3/5
      Whipping boys are boys who are whipped wen someone royal does something wrong, rude, or what they might have called inappropriate manners. This whipping boy plans to run away because he does not like the life he has. When he runs away the Prince, Prince Brat, follows him and they are kidnapped by some criminals. The criminals make the whipping boy write a ransom to the king because the criminals believe the whipping boy is Prince Brat, however the tutor recognizes the whipping boy's handwriting and claims the whipping boy is holding the prince ransom. The boys escape the criminals and when the king finds them he asks them, next time they run away , to take him too.This book was okay. It kind of had a descriptive beginning and a straightforward ending. The author described the whipping boy well enough to visualize him. Often there were parts where conversations went like this: Whipping boy :"Don't tell them I'm hiding under the hay Prince brat." Criminal:( Speaking to prince brat) "Where's he hiding whipping boy?"Prince Brat: "Under the hay."And just like that the whipping boy jumped from the hay and ran away. This was often the paragraph in the book.
    • 3/5
      Another Newberry winner. I liked this book. A fast read - I read it on my lunch break. It's a little more childish than other Medal winners. And the point of the book is a bit ham-fisted. It's altogether pretty silly, but I'm glad I read it.
    • 4/5
      A good, easy story for lower readers.
    • 5/5
      I read this book a long time ago yet the images and the story remains a memory I can see and feel. Prince Horace is spoiled and unimaginable, however, as a prince; no one may raise a hand against him. His family needs a way to punish him and so they find a whipping boy, orphaned Jemmy, to take the Prince’s punishments for him. It is hoped that wicked Horace will feel some empathy from the other’s pain. This is not the case and Jemmy longs for the streets he lived on. Horace has ideas of his own and decides to run away from home demanding Jemmy come along as a servant to him. The boys escapades barely begin before they are kidnapped! Horace has to learn to trust, care, and quit being such a brat in order to escape alive from their kidnappers and become a real Prince that his people can look up to. This is a story of friendship first and foremost. It is also a story about learning to trust and what honour, courage, and being a Prince really means. A wonderful book for children who are bridging from picture books into the world of short stories and novels this is a great jumping off place.
    • 4/5
      The story is familiar - spoiled prince, mistaken identity, a growing understanding of the meaning and value of friendship. What makes Mr. Fleischman's story different is that it is fun! The bad guy is "Hold-your-nose-Billy" and though the prince and his whipping boy get into some tight spots, there's always a sense that things will turn out o.k. Perfect for a bedtime story.
    • 3/5
      Cute. A little moralistic, but pretty good for something that short. Somewhat more realistic than The Prince and the Pauper, too - the confusion between them is entirely engineered (intentional fraud), not just based on appearance. I doubt I'll read it again, but it wasn't bad. And plenty of Fleischman's signature odd characters, good and bad.
    • 4/5
      It's about an orphan boy who is put into service of a royal family to do service as a "whipping boy". A "whipping boy" is someone who stands in place of a prince and takes his physical punishments, ie whippings, for the prince. It is forbidden to "...spank, thrash, cuff, smack, or whip a prince." The prince is a brat and never does what he is told and is always getting into trouble. One night the prince decides to run away because he is bored and takes his "whipping boy" with him to be his "man servant". They encounter outlaws and have an adventure but in the end they go back home and the prince becomes a changed person. A much kinder, compassionate and respectful prince. This book caught my eye because of the title. I thought what in the world is this book about and why is the author titling it "The Whipping Boy". As I began to read it, it really intrigued me from beginning to end. I hate to say it but "the whipping boy" kind of reminded me of a time when I refused to cry when my dad was whipping me and I stood there in defiance not crying. Maybe that's why I was intrigued I guess. The difference is, of course, the boy didn't deserve it and I did. So, anyway, I liked the story illustrations. Very good.I definitely would use this in social studies, history, and English class. I would probably use it starting with 3rd graders up to 8th grade. I also think the book, again, would be a great source and way of teaching and talking about morals and virtues with the children.
    • 4/5
      This is a great little story of a young prince who is a brat and can never be whipped so the king provides a peasant boy to be whipped whenever the prince does wrong. Naturally, the whipping boy, Jemmy, had to get many licks for the wrongs of the prince until one night the prince decides to run away from the palace because he's bored. They are abducted by ruffians who want a ransom for the prince, but are hoodwinked several times because Jemmy outwits them. There are several times when Jemmy could have left the prince, but he didn't. The end of the story has the prince and Jemmy going back to the castle along with the people who helped them along the way. The prince promised Jemmy he wouldn't get into anymore trouble so Jemmy wouldn't get whipped anymore.This story would be a great lesson for 2nd-4th grade. Students at this age tend to want to run away from home and they could learn from the two boys and the dangers they faced while out on their own.
    • 3/5
      If I was 12 years younger, I would definately love this book. It was a simple story about a prince, called Prince Brat behind his back, and his whipping boy, Jemmy. Basically, Jemmy gets beat everytime Prince Brat does something which deserves a punishment, hence the job of whipping boy. Basically, the two boys run away and hilarity ensues.
    • 3/5
      In this book a boy and a prince going to change places because the prince is in trouble.  
    • 2/5
      I didn't like the book really much but it is ok for people that like adventure books.
    • 3/5
      Jemmy, an orphanced son or a rat catcher, is chosen to become the "whipping boy" for the King's son, Prince "Brat."When the Prince becomes bored with castle life, he runs away from the palace and takes his whipping boy with him for company. Quickly picked up by brigands who want to ransom the prince for gold, Jemmy must use all his wits to escape both the criminals and the king's soldiers who are looking for him.The Prince gets a taste of "real" life as he moves among the common people unrecognized.
    • 4/5
      Oh, to be a prince! To do any sort of mischief and to have a whipping boy to bear the burden of one’s punishment…to have servants dress one, to feed one, to clean up after one…What a life!But, perhaps, the life of a young prince is not the idyllic life others might imagine. For what does the prince, Prince Brat, as he is called by his people, want but to run away from his life. And away he runs, following his whipping boy, Jemmy, into a series of adventures involving cutthroats, kidnapping and ransom, a dancing bear, a hot-potato man, a rat catcher, and a chase down into the sewers.
    • 4/5
      Catching up on older classics, I recently read Sid Fleischman’s Newbery Medal winning book from 1986, The Whipping Boy. I’m not sure if it would win a Newbery Medal if it were published today, because later stories (like Kate DiCamillo’s, The Tale of Despereaux and The Magician’s Elephant), perhaps inspired by this comical, yet moving adventure story, have set a new standard for this style of writing. Nevertheless, The Whipping Boy is an amusing tale with plot twists and turns, as the kindly whipping boy is forced to accompany the hated, Prince Brat as he flees from King and castle. Lies and deceptions, murderous thieves, and compassionate peasants will keep the reader guessing about fates of Prince Brat and his whipping boy. Unlike DiCamillo’s stories, The Whipping Boy is a tale of historical fiction, revealing the lifestyles of both medieval royalty and peasantry. And yes, if you’re wondering, according to the author’s end note, “some royal households of past centuries did keep whipping boys to suffer the punishments due a misbehaving prince. History is alive with lunacies and injustices.”A quick read with black and white illustrations by the renowned Peter Sis, The Whipping Boy is still relevant today, more than 20 years after its debut.
    • 5/5
      The story takes place in England in the 1800's.The tale is about the adventures of a whipping boy,someone who takes punishment for royalty,and his master, Prince Brat. Througout their incounters and escapes from two highwaymen, they began to understand each other. Their attitudes change from hate and mistrust to friendship and respect.
    • 5/5
      As a fantasy story, The Whipping Boy is a tall tale of robust action that is written in simple prose and rhythmic language. Its use of repetition and the prose's rhythm are reminiscent of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, and the plot borrows heavily from Mark Twain’s The Prince and The Pauper. But, this is no mere reiteration or tired retelling; the author infuses this story with humor and a fast-paced, interesting plot. In this reworking of Twain’s tale, the poor lad is the whipping boy who is kept on hand at the palace to take the punishments for the prince's misdeeds. This is a fresh and breezy adventure tale; compared to many other Newbery-winning books, it has no heavy morality, Puritan didactics, or challenging language.
    • 3/5
      This book is a wonderful fairytale that allows readers to see the difference between good and evil through the characters of a spoiled prince and his whipping boy, who takes all of the punishment for his prince's bad behavior. The prince and the whipping boy end up having some wild adventures together, which enlightens the prince and changes these two boy's opinions of one another. Finally, this fairytale rapidly takes readers from the climax of the story to a resolution that will leave everyone feeling satisfied and hopeful at the possiblitity of unlikely friendships forming in the real world.
    • 4/5
      This historical fiction book is about a prince, Prince Brat, and an orphan boy, Jemmy, who is his whipping boy. The prince is not to be disciplined, so the king has a whipping boy that receives the prince's punishment. Prince Brat decides to run away and takes Jemmy with him. Along the way, the two boys are kidnapped by two murderers that hope to get a large amount of gold for the prince. The adventures begin and the boys friendship grow.I enjoyed this book from start to finish. The suspense kept me reading until I was too tired to read any more. This reminded me of my childhood with my younger brother. My mother had the brilliant idea to discipline both of us even if the other was not involved. My brother would get in trouble just to see me get the same punishment. This did not work the way my mother wanted it to, we just ended up fighting more.As an extension, I would have the students write the unfamiliar words down as we read each chapter. I would have the students write a story about themselves if they were a prince or princess. I would also have the students compare/contrast the book to modern day.