Sid Fleischman, children's author, dies; won Newbery for 'The Whipping Boy'

Sid Fleischman was a successful suspense novelist and screenwriter whose credits included the screenplay for his novel "Blood Alley" when he decided to write a book that his children could read so they would understand just what it was he did at home all day.

"I seem to have written a children's book," Mr. Fleischman wrote to his agent in New York. "If you're not interested, just drop it in the wastebasket."

The lighthearted tale of an Old West traveling magician and his family, "Mr. Mysterious & Company," sold to the first publishing house that read it, launching him in 1962 into a long and much-honored career as a children's book author.

Mr. Fleischman, whose book "The Whipping Boy" earned him the prestigious Newbery Medal in 1987, died of cancer March 17 at his home in Santa Monica, Calif., the day after his 90th birthday.

"Sid was a national treasure in the field of children's books," said Lin Oliver, a children's book author and executive director of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. "It really is a monumental loss for the field."

Known for his humor, love of language, adventuresome plotting and nose for history, Mr. Fleischman wrote more than 50 children's books in many genres, including novels, tall tales, picture books and biographies.

He was inspired to write "The Whipping Boy" after discovering the practice of the royal houses of Europe, where, he told the Los Angeles Times in 1987, "the prince, the heir to the throne, couldn't be punished. So if they had a rotten prince, they installed a commoner off the streets, and he took the punishment for the prince.

"The injustice of it enraged me. The lunacy of it!"

Mr. Fleischman came to enjoy writing for children.

"Adult novels are as ephemeral as newspapers," he said. "Children's books stay in print for decades."

The list of Mr. Fleischman's books includes two biographies for young readers in recent years, "Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini" and "The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West." A biography of Charlie Chaplin, "Sir Charlie," will be published in June.

Mr. Fleischman was a founding member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and had been on its board of advisers since its inception in 1972. In 2003, the organization named an award for him that honors humorous writing for children.