Let This Steal Your Attention

The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood

I have long been a fan of novels set in medieval times. While it has not at all surprised me that there are an increasing number of books written in those periods, I have been surprised at the growing number of children's books set far back in time. It's a trend I'm all in favor of-perhaps history will start to become fascinating to people at an even younger age.

I was in Barnes and Noble earlier this week looking for a gift, when this book caught my eye in the children's section. OK, I'll confess, I'm slightly obsessed with Shakespeare at the moment. Blame it on my husband-he makes a great Shakespearean actor.

I read the back of the book and it sounded mildly interesting and had a low price tag, so I bought it. This was one case where the book could be judged by its cover-it was mildly interesting, worth reading, but nothing to make it a bestseller.

What is The Shakespeare Stealer?

It's the story of a young orphan whose never had life treat him very well. Indeed, his life situation for the first several chapters just gets worse and worse. No one knew his name, but the head of the orphanage called him a poor pidgewidgeon when she first saw him and the name stuck. He was ever after called Widge. He's taken from the orphanage to be the apprentice to a doctor. The doctor teaches him a special version of shorthand that allows him to take dictation as quickly as a speaker speaks. He's then purchased by an unfriendly man named Falconer who takes him to a new master. He is told he must go to London and copy word-for-word Master Shakespeare's latest play-Hamlet.

Widge then falls in with the players and learns much more than he ever expected to.

What Kids Will Like About This Book

The hero, Widge, is very likeable. He's far from perfect and has all the insecurities that a young man in his situation is likely to have. He's had very little education and only one real skill. That one real skill is really only useful for dishonest purposes. For most of the book, Widge lives his life doing just what he's been told to do. As the book progresses, he learns how to listen to his conscience and make his own decisions based on what is right.

It's a book with lots of secrets and disguises. There is plenty of suspense without crossing over into the nightmare-quality that some suspense books have. Although adults are likely to figure out several of the secrets before they are revealed, children who do will simply feel proud. Those that don't figure it out will enjoy the surprise.

The book has a wonderful portrayal of Elizabethan theater. We get to meet a lot of the players and see how they prepare for their roles. We see the props room, the script, and the costumes. There's even an explanation about why royalties are important, though that word is never used. I think many readers will also enjoy the boys/apprentices having to play female characters and the struggles some of them have with taking on those roles. The book also portrays the mesmerism of the theater. It aptly illustrates the lure it has on many people.

What Kids And Adults May Not Like

The book has a few flaws in it. They don't take too much from the overall quality of the book, but they are annoying nonetheless.

Big names that we recognize from history such as Shakespeare and Burbage played only a peripheral role in the book. It's almost as if the author were afraid to mishandle such well-known characters. They walk through the page, but they have minimal dialog and absolutely no characterization.

There are some inaccuracies in the history. The book refers to Rodrigo Lopez, the Jewish physician of the queen who was executed for plotting to poison her. It said that her execution took place a few years before the action of this novel. Yet, they make reference to a production of Merchant of Venice nearly 10 years before the events of the novel. Merchant was very definitely written after the execution of Lopez. Some even believe that Shylock was based on Lopez.

This leads to another weakness of the book. It touches on a huge issue with the treatment of the Jews. The characters act very true to form for Elizabethan English citizens. Yet, there is no framework offered so that kids reading the book can understand why or how the English viewed Jews at the time. I think it would be confusing and the attitude characters take seem hateful. The book would have been better off either explaining the extreme emotions people had about Jews at the time or leaving out the issue entirely.

The book is slow moving at times and Widge will remind you of Hamlet as he vacillates over what the right thing to do is. I was also left scratching my head at the behavior of the villain, for it seemed there were many times he should have taken actions that he did not.

Should You Get This Book?

Sure. There are very few books that are completely useless and this book isn't even close. If you or your child is interested in history, Shakespeare, theater, or anything medieval, it's not a bad book. Neither, though, would I expect it to win any awards or make a lasting difference in anyone's life.

--B. Redman