The Shakespeare Stealer
Common Sense Note
With a little luck, children may want to know more about the Shakespearean plays mentioned here, as well as the period. Also worth discussing is the ethical dilemma Widge is in: to risk his life or betray his new friends.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
What more could you want in an adventure: a plucky orphan finally finding a home, some swashbuckling swordplay, Elizabethan theater, a girl posing as a boy, and a dastardly villain who is not what he seems? As a nice bonus, Blackwood's book also illuminates an interesting problem: the stealing of plays in Elizabethan England. With its fast pace, unusual setting and even more unusual crime, this has found a ready audience among the upper elementary and middle school set.
From the Book:
When the ghost of Hamlet's father appeared upon the balcony and beckoned him, I gasped and shuddered but kept on writing. When Hamlet thrust his sword through the draperies, slaying Polonius, who was concealed there, I was lost. I no longer noticed the press of the crowd, nor its unwashed smell for I was no longer there among them, but in a castle in Denmark.
Plot Summary:
When orphaned Widge is apprenticed to Dr. Bright, he learns the doctor's method of shorthand and is bought by Simon Bass, who wants Widge to steal Shakespeare's newest play, Hamlet, by transcribing it secretly.
Once inside the Globe Theater, Widge is enthralled by the play and taken in by the company as an apprentice. Soon Widge is torn by his fear of his master, his loyalty to the people who have treated him as a friend, and his growing desire to continue as an actor.
Related Books:
Sequels
Shakespeare's Scribe
Shakespeare's Spy
Other Novels with Shakespeare
King of Shadows by Susan Cooper
The Playmaker by J. B. Cheaney
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Sexual ContentIt is mentioned that the married Shakespeare may be having an affair. |
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ViolenceSwordplay leads to wounds, blood, and death. |
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Social BehaviorAnti-Jewish sentiment in Elizabethan London is alluded to. Widge lies often, and plans to steal Shakespeare's work, but decides not to. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoAn older teen drinks to excess on several occasions. |
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