Children's Books Too Cool for School

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman (A "Top 50 Post")

 I am of two minds about the length of The Whipping Boy. On the one hand, it really annoys me when any kid asks me, "What's the shortest book on this list?" As a library worker-bee, I love to be asked, "What is the best book on this list?"

On the other hand, The Whipping Boy gets read by a lot of kids, as it deserves to be! I actually came to this one as an adult, but even a grown-up reader will remember the sense of childhood frustration that Fleischman invokes in this great Prince and the Pauper-like tale.