A quick YA read that reminded me of Shakespeare in Love. It would be a great introduction to Shakespeare for a middle school kid. Widge is an orphan who has yet to find a kind family. He is tasked with stealing a script of Hamlet and discovers a love of acting instead. There’s a quick pace with a few twists and it’s an easy read. I’d recommend for 5th or 6th grade. ( )

Adventure in Elizabethan England! Shakespeare! The Globe!
SPL Global Reading Challenge 2016 ( )

This is an exciting and twisty story about a scrappy orphan boy called "Widge" who gets the job of stealing Mr. Shakespeare's newest play.

There are so many surprising twists about characters that it's hard to write about the book without giving things away! Lots of action in this tale of fencing, boats shooting the bridge, and crossing country by night. Costume props like sheep's bladders full of blood take care of the special effects and a secret kind of writing makes the theft of a play possible.

The famous Globe theater comes to life in this winning story. Widge learns all kinds of new skills and puts them to use, while making new friends, even when he has to keep some big secrets. Enjoyable read! ( )

This quick and easy first person coming of age (almost?) story was almost fun, a little bit Oliver Twist-ish, and very moralizing. The interesting flip-side to the benign neglect of his orphanage was the recurring theme of right-from-wrong having been whatever filled one's belly, and learning how or why loyalty and not lying were good things. And not stealing. Felt a bit judgmental without trying to look judgmental, and the lucky orphan finds family story felt a bit off to me, for some reason. Maybe just my cynical anger; sorry. ( )

This one has been recommended to me in a few places, so when I saw it at my local library sale, I snatched it up immediately. Other than the leading title, I had no idea what the book was about, so it was a nice little mystery finding out. Plus, my copy has no details on the back page, where summaries and reviews can often give too much away, so that was nice.

I find it interesting that this and the movie Shakespeare in Love were both released in 1998, considering some of the similarities between them, including {SPOILER}. Those of you who know the book and the movie know exactly what I'm talking about. Plus, I like how that particular twist was foreshadowed just enough so that you were gently guided without it being overly obvious, while the reveal at the end comes almost completely out of nowhere (at least, it did for me until I thought about earlier moments).

Being on a Shakespeare kick of late, this one fit right in with my reading, and it's well worth it if you're a fan of Shakespeare, Elizabethan history, or thrilling young adult mystery tales. ( )