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Shakespeare's Secret
by
Elise Broach
Starting sixth grade at a new school is never easy, especially when your name is Hero. Named after a character in a Shakespeare play, Hero isn’t at all interested in this literary connection. But when she’s told by an eccentric neighbor that there might be a million dollar diamond hidden in her new house and that it could reveal something about Shakespeare’s true iden
...morePaperback, 272 pages
Published
August 21st 2007
by Square Fish
(first published January 1st 2005)
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Shakespeare’s Secret’s main character is Hero Netherfield, a 6th grade girl who is trying to adjust to a new school. She is an outcast that contrasts greatly to her outgoing, pretty sister Beatrice. Both girls get their names from the Shakespearian play Much Ado About Nothing, which is a favorite of their Shakespearian scholar father. Hero is miserable because of the teasing of classmates, but the friendship of an elderly neighbor and a neighborhood boy who confides the details of a famous mi...more
I listened to this book while doing my tri-state pre-Christmas driving tour. That is to say, I listened to the whole thing while driving from Williamsburg to Leesburg, then to College Park, MD, then to Alexandria, then back to Richmond where I shuttled between my parents' house and Judson's parents' house. Lots of driving, lots of time to follow along with the mystery.
I liked the main character - something that rarely happens - and I liked the premise. This is a story about a lonel...more
I liked the main character - something that rarely happens - and I liked the premise. This is a story about a lonel...more
Joanna. (:
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
ages 10-14, boys +girls.
Recommended to Joanna. (: by:
MsThomas
This book is quite intresting. So far, this girls called Hero has moved house, yet again, and is setteling into a new school, but with a name like Hero - she was named after a person out of one of shakespear's plays because her dad has some job that involves Shakespears's plays - and a sister who is perfect in every single way, starting a new school isnt the easiest thing to do. She has just found out from an old lady that lives ner them that the house she lives in once was very famous because t...more
Named after a character in William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”, Hero has been teased about her name her whole life and expects more of the same when she starts sixth grade at a new school in a new city. She does indeed get teased, but things aren’t quite as bad as she expected as she starts to make friends both young and old. Not only that but she finds herself in the middle of a mystery – there may be a diamond hidden somewhere in her house – a diamond that may hold the key to Shakes...more
This was a fun and quick read that I was previewing as a possibility for Sarah to read. I think I've decided to let it wait another year or so--mostly because I just think she'll enjoy it more then. She's going into third grade next year, and the main characters are in sixth and eighth grades, so the context is just a little bit older for her.
Anyway, this is the story of Hero (named after the character in Much Ado about Nothing) and her family who move into a new town and a house...more
Anyway, this is the story of Hero (named after the character in Much Ado about Nothing) and her family who move into a new town and a house...more
Hero's family has moved. Again. That means another new school where older sister Beatrice will fit right in while Hero will be, at best, ignored. It's bad enough that Hero has a funny name, thanks to her parents' interest in Shakespeare, but Hero doesn't have the personality to quickly make friends either. Things are different in this town though - Hero makes friends with her elderly next door neighbor (good), gets teased for having a dog's name (bad), catches the attention of the cutest boy ...more
Hero dreads starting at a new school again. She's never been popular like her sister Beatrice and she knows that the first day will be the worst. This first day is the worst she's ever had. When introduced to her new class, a girl in the class blurts out that her dog's name is Hero. Henceforth, Hero is known as the girl named after a dog. With no friends at school, Hero begins spending time with her neighbor Mrs. Roth who is telling her about the mystery of the large diamond that is suspected to...more
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Shakespeare’s Secret
By Elise Broach
2007-2008 Mark Twain Award Nominee
September 3, 2007
Wow! I am not a Shakespeare fan, but thought I would try this book because others told me it was good. It is historical fiction. The facts about the famous people in the story are (as far as we can tell) true facts. Hmm, now I may need to read some Shakespeare.
Hero is a new girl in town, and has some tension about the first day of school. Hmm, it probably could have be...more
By Elise Broach
2007-2008 Mark Twain Award Nominee
September 3, 2007
Wow! I am not a Shakespeare fan, but thought I would try this book because others told me it was good. It is historical fiction. The facts about the famous people in the story are (as far as we can tell) true facts. Hmm, now I may need to read some Shakespeare.
Hero is a new girl in town, and has some tension about the first day of school. Hmm, it probably could have be...more
There was so many different aspects of this book that appeal to different people. If you like mysteries then there's that aspect of the book. If you like history, then there's the Shakespeare angle. If you like realistic fiction about middle school angst, then there's that angle too. My only criticism of the book is that sometime Broach used her description to excess and she also made it appear as if the mystery that was solved at the end of the story was historically accurate. Of course, t...more
This is a fun read about Hero Netherfield, a young girl saddled with an improbable name because her father is a Shakespeare scholar.
When Hero moves to a new town, she dreads starting a new school, and the constant ribbing she'll get about her name. Her worst fears are confirmed when a fellow student blurts out that she has a dog named Hero, and the torment at school begins.
Fortunately for Hero, she has a kindly next door neighbor who alerts her to a mystery she must solve -- a ...more
When Hero moves to a new town, she dreads starting a new school, and the constant ribbing she'll get about her name. Her worst fears are confirmed when a fellow student blurts out that she has a dog named Hero, and the torment at school begins.
Fortunately for Hero, she has a kindly next door neighbor who alerts her to a mystery she must solve -- a ...more
Bonnie Gayle
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of ya mysteries and Shakespeare authorship stories
This was an okay book.
It's about a girl named Hero, named after a character from Much Ado About Nothing, who has moved to a new town again, and has to go through the ordeal of starting at a new school. Because of her name, she finds it hard to make friends and fit in. Sure enough, the same thing happens again, but this time she doesn't mind as much, because the old lady who lives next door tells her about a diamond that might be hidden in the house Hero is living in. Suddenly there is more...more
It's about a girl named Hero, named after a character from Much Ado About Nothing, who has moved to a new town again, and has to go through the ordeal of starting at a new school. Because of her name, she finds it hard to make friends and fit in. Sure enough, the same thing happens again, but this time she doesn't mind as much, because the old lady who lives next door tells her about a diamond that might be hidden in the house Hero is living in. Suddenly there is more...more
Eleven year old Hero Netherfield (named after a character in "Much Ado about Nothing") just moved into a house whose previous owner was involved in a possible insurance scam concerning a missing diamond with links to Anne Boleyn, Queen Elizabeth 1st, and William Shakespeare. Interesting twist on one of the mysteries of history. I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes Elizabethan fiction, Shakespeare, or mysteries. Some good guidelines for group discussions a...more
Hero and her sister Beatrice – named after characters in one of Shakespeare’s plays – have moved to yet another new town. They move around a lot, and Hero is dreading the beginning of school because something always goes wrong. Her fears are confirmed when, as the new girl, she introduces herself and a classmate says, “Hey, my dog’s name is Hero!” That, of course, is all anyone bothers to remember about her.
Hero manages to distract herself from this inauspicious beginning by spe...more
Hero manages to distract herself from this inauspicious beginning by spe...more
Hero has just moved to a new place and seem to be not the odd girl out. She hates her name and her classmates make a joke that their dog is name Hero. But then she goes next door to Mrs. Roth. Then, Mrs. Roth tells a story of the missing "Murphy Diamond" and is missing inside where Hero is staying. The rest of the necklace is found by Mrs. Roth. Danny comes into the picture and is intrigued at the mystery. He and Hero make a point to find the diamond. During their discovery, they also ...more
Yet another knock off—this time from Balliett’s Chasing Vermeer and The Wright 3. The heroine, Hero, and her sister, Beatrice, are named after the women in Much Ado About Nothing, as their father is a Shakespeare scholar. The mystery to be solved involves a lost diamond, and the literary history connected with it is the question of whether someone other than William Shakespeare wrote the plays. Elizabethan and pre-Elizabethan British history is thus a learning component of the story, but while...more
GENRE: Fiction, mystery, adventure, historical fiction elements.
SUMMARY: Hero's family is heavily into Shakespeare; her father's work is even related to Shakespeare. She was not interested in it, especially not after being saddled with a name from one of Shakespeare's plays that also happens to be the name of a classmate's dog. Her interest in history changes after she becomes friends with their new next-door neighbor, an elderly lady that tells Hero a story about a diamond that used...more
SUMMARY: Hero's family is heavily into Shakespeare; her father's work is even related to Shakespeare. She was not interested in it, especially not after being saddled with a name from one of Shakespeare's plays that also happens to be the name of a classmate's dog. Her interest in history changes after she becomes friends with their new next-door neighbor, an elderly lady that tells Hero a story about a diamond that used...more
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Hero struggles with her Shakespearian name—why couldn’t *she* be the one named after Beatrice, instead of her sister? Her father is a fanatic, and has recently taken a job as an archivist in Washington D.C., so that means the whole family is starting over, and Hero isn’t excited to be at yet another new school. Her name manages to get herself in trouble right away, as a classmate blurts out that Hero is the name of her dog. Hero finds refuge in her next door neighbor, Mrs. Roth, who tells her...more
Because of her father’s job as a Shakespeare researcher, sixth-grader Hero and her family move around a lot, and Hero has a lot of trouble making friends at each new school (her strange sounding name, from Much Ado About Nothing, doesn’t help matters). But when Hero finds out that her newest home might be the secret hiding place of a 500 year old diamond, once owned by Queen Anne Boleyn, she decides this move might not have been so bad after all. Throw in a cute eighth grade boy who is interes...more
Shakespeare's Secret is a fun read. In my opinion, that's the most important thing for a kids book.
The characters are interesting. I identified with Hero, the 6th grade girl who never quite fits in anywhere. I suspect most preteen girls will understand that feeling as well. I never had as cool of an adventure, as she does, though!
Hero and her older sister Beatrice move into a house with a mystery. Hero finds out about the diamond rumored to be hidden somewhere in it ...more
The characters are interesting. I identified with Hero, the 6th grade girl who never quite fits in anywhere. I suspect most preteen girls will understand that feeling as well. I never had as cool of an adventure, as she does, though!
Hero and her older sister Beatrice move into a house with a mystery. Hero finds out about the diamond rumored to be hidden somewhere in it ...more
This book is about a missing diamond that is suppose to connect to a broach. The investigation concluded that they believe the husband hid it to do an insurance scam to gain loads of money, because his wife fell ill. This girl called Hero and her family move to the house where the husband lived, who eventually moved out because his wife died. Hero finds out about the diamond from her neighbour, who was infact the husbands ex-wife. Hero is very keen to figure out everything, and eventaully finds ...more
One of 15 middle school Sunshine State books. A mystery story about a couple of teenagers trying to track down a family's lost jewel. An intriguing friendship develops and a mystery unravels. I thought there were some parts that were a little too slow but by the time I finished, I was glad that I read the story. Many girls in my classes have read the story and said they enjoyed it. I think it is more fitting for girls than boys.
In "Shakespeare's Secret" by Elise Broach, Hero Netherfield has moved once again and must once again start a new school. Not so easy to do with such an unusual name. She doesn't really care that she's been named for a character in the play, "Much Ado About Nothing" by Shakespeare. But she finds out that history can be a lot more interesting than she thought. After talking to her neighbor, elderly Mrs. Roth, Hero discovers that she is living in the "Murphy Diamond" h...more
Hero is the main character of the book, she is a new girl starting at a new school, and is already being made fun of because one kid says that hero is her dog's name and that ends up making everyone laugh. Hero has made friends with her next door neighbor Mrs.Roth who later tells Hero that the the housse she lives in is a house that is said to have had a diamond left there by the people before them. So that begins the journey for searching for the diamond in the search for the diamond Hero makes...more
TCL call number: J Roach
no rating
"A missing diamond. A 500-year-old necklace. A mystery dating back to the time of William Shakespeare..."
The main character, Hero, is named after a character of William Shakespeare's, as her father is a Shakespearean scholar and professor. When Hero's family moves to a new town for her father's work, the house they move into is infamous in the area for the legendary diamond hidden there by the previous owner. Hero expe...more
no rating
"A missing diamond. A 500-year-old necklace. A mystery dating back to the time of William Shakespeare..."
The main character, Hero, is named after a character of William Shakespeare's, as her father is a Shakespearean scholar and professor. When Hero's family moves to a new town for her father's work, the house they move into is infamous in the area for the legendary diamond hidden there by the previous owner. Hero expe...more
A very good, quick read. Very good characters, although there is some 'speed it up' factor, ex- Hero wouldn't have gotten teased so soon so much, I mean, they're in sixth grade, and Elise Broach had them acting like six-year-olds. Still, very satisfying.
A student suggested this book to me and I enjoyed reading it very much. Hero Netherfield has just moved to a new town and dreads trying to make friends and fit in especially with her unusual name. Hero and her sister Beatrice are named for characters from a Shakespeare play. Hero's father is a Shakespeare expert. But much to Hero's surprise she becomes friends with her elderly neighbor, Miriam Roth who tells her that a famous diamond is hidden in her new house. Hero and her new friend Danny and ...more
This was a fun and quick read that I was previewing as a possibility for Rio to read. I think I've decided to let it wait a while--mostly because I just think she'll enjoy it more then. She's going into third grade next year, and the main characters are in sixth and eighth grades, so the context is just a little bit older for her.
I enjoyed the historical aspect of this story as well as the characters' development. The mystery, while not difficult for an adult to figure out, is fleshed...more
I enjoyed the historical aspect of this story as well as the characters' development. The mystery, while not difficult for an adult to figure out, is fleshed...more
This is one book I'll remember. The plot was good; I loved how the ending was unexpected (to me, at least, haha). I also liked how it sounded like it was from a real kid's perspective and not like an adult trying to sound like a kid. I think the best part, though, were the actual words in the story. Broach has an amazing vocabulary and she put just the right amount of it in the book, not too little and not too much (because I've found that, although a wide vocabulary is always nice, it's much be...more
i started and finished it 2day...lol! i read it 4 my LA book talk. its a good book but here are the cons:
- too short
- consequently there arent really as many details
- so it seems less of a 'story' that you can kind of get into and more of just an ordinary BOOK.
pros:
- very believable (the mystery, the kind of things that happen, with the exception of [read above:])
- very interesting mystery
- realistic mystery and accurate history which makes it a lot more...more
- too short
- consequently there arent really as many details
- so it seems less of a 'story' that you can kind of get into and more of just an ordinary BOOK.
pros:
- very believable (the mystery, the kind of things that happen, with the exception of [read above:])
- very interesting mystery
- realistic mystery and accurate history which makes it a lot more...more
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