Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
The Shakespeare Stealer (The Shakespeare Stealer #1)
High jinks and high adventure fill every page of this exciting, panoramic novel set in Shakespeare's time. Widge, our hero, is a young orphan indentured to a cold, unscrupulous master because the young boy has a special talent--the ability to write a secret shorthand. The master is bent on getting hold of the script of Hamlet at any cost, so it becomes Widge's task to tran...more
Hardcover
Published
May 1st 1998
by Dutton Juvenile
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
Sep 24, 2008
The other John
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
schoolbook
Despite it's klugy beginning, this one's a pretty good book. The premise is that there's this orphan lad, Widge, who's apprenticed to this odd doctor who had developed a form of shorthand. Widge is the guinea pig in this project and indeed is the only one who knows how to write in this unique script. Another man, one Simon Bass, reads about the good doctor's method and arranges to buy out Widge's apprenticeship. You see, Mr. Bass owns a company of players and he's looking for some good material...more
I felt that the Shakespeare Stealer was not a good book because I usually did not understand what was happening in the scenes. This is a book about a boy who is taken to a new master who gives him the task of stealing the play Hamlet from Shakespeare himself, but the boy gets caught doing so and has to pretend to have been an interested actor wanting to become an actor(So he would not get hit). Over the coarse of the book he finds himself falling in love with acting and wants to be apart of the...more
A combination of childhood wonder, different accents, and the wonder of the theatre! This book tells the story of an orphan boy with a curious name to fulfill a curious task; to copy down and stow away with Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Tormented by a mysterious man, and trapped within a group of actors, his goal in frequent sight, what will he do?
One reason I liked this book was the ever-present wonder of the theatre. The mysterious actors, the beautiful dialog and scenes presented, and the often drama...more
One reason I liked this book was the ever-present wonder of the theatre. The mysterious actors, the beautiful dialog and scenes presented, and the often drama...more
The last book i read this summer is shakespeare stealer by Gary Blackwood. This was about a young boy Widge that was placed in orphanage at a very young age when his mother died, the orphanage was ran by Mistress MacGregor. Widge desired for someday a real family to claim him as there own, as and orphan child would have. At the age of seven widge's desire became reality, a rector named Dr. timothy Bright from a nearby village was looking for a apprentice and mistress macgergor suggested widge an...more
This is a very nice young adult read about honesty and trust, loyalty and friendship, family and home. Widge is plucked from the orphanage at age seven and apprenticed to Dr Bright – a parson and apothecary. His life there is better than at the orphanage, but mostly that of a servant/apprentice. Still, he learns to read and write in English and Latin, and learns basic medicine. He is also taught a form of “charactery” (i.e. stenography) that Dr Bright has invented, and with that skill Widge is s...more
I had to read this book for school and I was like uggggg!!! This is going to be HORRIBLE!!! I was already bias and trying to nit pick everything and dislike every little detail. It had a slow and slightly confusing beginning. I was really unsure what to think. Slowly, the book began to unravel and I found myself reading faster. Trying to figure out what was going to happen next and root for my favorite character to win the nex fight!! I was intrigued and excited!! I wanted to yell at some charac...more
Widge is delighted when Dr. Bright takes him away from the orphanage in Yorkshire at age seven to be his apprentice. Vain, melancholy and unaffectionate Dr. Bright educates Widge to read and write in English, Latin, and a kind of shorthand of Dr. Bright’s invention called “charactery,” and then sells his apprenticeship to a brooding, gruff, mysterious, silent, and deadly stranger when Widge is fourteen. Eventually Widge comes to know him as Falconer. Without hesitation Falconer marches Widge off...more
I chose the Shakespeare Stealer to read because it sounded interesting and action packed. I was not disappointed. The book had me intrigued as there were unexpected surprises in almost every chapter. This made me want to read on. Although there was lots of action, it was also well paced so I wasn't confused. The author also put a lot of effort into making the characters and their personalities,so even though this story took place long ago, they didn't sound fake or cheesy. I felt like I knew the...more
NOTE TO SELF: You love MG historical fiction. Read more of it. That's an order.
The Shakespeare Stealer is the story of Widge, an orphan boy in Elizabethan England who's had it pretty rough his whole life. He is the charge of a somewhat unpleasant and lazy doctor who has taught him a unique form of coded shorthand that can be written as fast as words are spoken. This makes Widge a valuable asset to an unscrupulous man called Falconer who wants to steal Shakespeare's newest play, The Tragedy of Pr...more
The Shakespeare Stealer is the story of Widge, an orphan boy in Elizabethan England who's had it pretty rough his whole life. He is the charge of a somewhat unpleasant and lazy doctor who has taught him a unique form of coded shorthand that can be written as fast as words are spoken. This makes Widge a valuable asset to an unscrupulous man called Falconer who wants to steal Shakespeare's newest play, The Tragedy of Pr...more
The book is an interesting read and keeps you on the edge of your seat, but is not very realistic at the end. A boy named Widge is hired, by Simon Bass, to steal Shakespeare's play Hamlet. He is taken in to the threader family as a prentice after being caught trying to copy down the play. He has the conflict to steal the script or stay with the family he loves, but it is not an easy choice when the script is locked up and Falconer, Simon Bass's servant, is on Widge's tail. Simon Bass ends up hir...more
Just as actors would agree that comedy is hard, authors would agree that historical fiction is hard. One modern expression or viewpoint and you've risked losing your audience through slip-shot work. Luckily, Blackwood expertly navigates the world of Elizabethan England to create an exciting and well-written novel. "Widge" is prentice to an alchemist-cum-doctor who has created a form of shorthand for easy note taking. As Widge is the only person Dr. Bright has ever been able to successfully teach...more
At first glance, this novel would seem a fine middle-grade introduction to Shakespeare. And it would be, save for one massive omission: Shakespeare himself. This first novel in a series promises much, but delivers on very little. The orphaned Widge is forced to learn a kind of shorthand by his first master, and is soon bought by the manager of a second-rate acting company. Widge is next charged with an important task: copy Shakespeare’s Hamlet. A passive main character, Widge attempts to comply...more
An orphan is tasked by his new master with stealing the text of Hamlet from the Lord Chamberlain's Men but instead ends up apprenticed to the theatre troupe. This is a good story, but it's also rather beige. The writing style bugged me (e.g., the unnecessary inclusion of period phrases and dialogue that required explanation), and it reminded me of the books I read as a kid where I felt like the author was 'talking' down to me just because I wasn't an adult. One thing I'm increasingly noticing is...more
Picked this up one afternoon when covering a class period for a coworker who had to abruptly leave his classroom.
Anyway, as the students were taking their quiz, I started reading this book to pass the time. I was immediately hooked and drawn into Widge's 16th century world. The use of language, the pluck that Widge must develop and maintain as he goes from one Master to another, the insight into Shakespeare's London and Globe Theater, all made for thoroughly enjoyable reading. Perfect for ages 1...more
Anyway, as the students were taking their quiz, I started reading this book to pass the time. I was immediately hooked and drawn into Widge's 16th century world. The use of language, the pluck that Widge must develop and maintain as he goes from one Master to another, the insight into Shakespeare's London and Globe Theater, all made for thoroughly enjoyable reading. Perfect for ages 1...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Jun 27, 2011
Caren
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-fiction,
adventure
Widge is an orphan who becomes an indentured servant to a Doctor who has developed his own shorthand. (Dr. Bright)
He is sold to who he a at the Globe so that he himself can produce the play in his area without paying Shakespeare any money.
Falconer: the big, scary, dark cloaked man who is in charge of watching Widge.
Widge loses his shorthand book that contains the script. He then becomes a part of the theaters players.
Falconer is still after him.
They perform "Hamlet" to Queen Elizabeth's court.
Fa...more
He is sold to who he a at the Globe so that he himself can produce the play in his area without paying Shakespeare any money.
Falconer: the big, scary, dark cloaked man who is in charge of watching Widge.
Widge loses his shorthand book that contains the script. He then becomes a part of the theaters players.
Falconer is still after him.
They perform "Hamlet" to Queen Elizabeth's court.
Fa...more
Orphan Widge is apprenticed to a doctor who teaches him shorthand, which comes in handy when Widge is sold to another guy who wants him to transcribe Hamlet DURING the play. But Widge loses his notes and, through a series of coincidences, finds himself apprenticing the Lord Chamberlain's Men, William Shakespeare's company of actors.
Rather than portray Shakespeare as a jolly genius, the author makes him sort of a melancholy sourpuss. Maybe Hamlet was affecting him. I liked the backstage stuff.
I k...more
Rather than portray Shakespeare as a jolly genius, the author makes him sort of a melancholy sourpuss. Maybe Hamlet was affecting him. I liked the backstage stuff.
I k...more
I read this book in English at school and I'm surprised that I really liked it. Usually the books they tell us to read are horrible and boring but this one wasn't.
Widge changed so much throughout the entire book, reading his thoughts was great. In the end, he was a boy who valued life, friendship and love. Widge didn't know or recognize any of those things at the beginning of the book. He was a boy who didn't value life and did things just to pass a day which basically meant following his maste...more
Widge changed so much throughout the entire book, reading his thoughts was great. In the end, he was a boy who valued life, friendship and love. Widge didn't know or recognize any of those things at the beginning of the book. He was a boy who didn't value life and did things just to pass a day which basically meant following his maste...more
In Gary Blackwood's "The Shakespeare Stealer" we meet the orphan, Widge, who, taught a form of shorthand by the cold-blooded clergyman who takes him from the orphanage, is then sold to the mysterious Falconer to transcribe Shakespeare's "Hamlet" so that the the head of a regional theater company can have a well-written new play to present to provincial audiences.
Widge manages to follow the play, but loses the tablet on which it is transcribed. He stays with the company in hopes of recovering his...more
Widge manages to follow the play, but loses the tablet on which it is transcribed. He stays with the company in hopes of recovering his...more
This is like stealing
away to the circus
Poor underprivileged orphan
is apprenticed to a master
who beats him
into learning a primitive shorthand
Then sends him off
to the Globe Theatre
to the stageplay
of Shakespeare's Hamlet
Somehow he winds up
as an actor
maybe because
the actors are like a family
Best parts are
the historical references
Boys taking female parts
London's sewer ditches
The apprentice system
The Globe itself
with its thatched roof
Wherrying across
not the Mercy but the Thames
My Kindle dictionary
even...more
away to the circus
Poor underprivileged orphan
is apprenticed to a master
who beats him
into learning a primitive shorthand
Then sends him off
to the Globe Theatre
to the stageplay
of Shakespeare's Hamlet
Somehow he winds up
as an actor
maybe because
the actors are like a family
Best parts are
the historical references
Boys taking female parts
London's sewer ditches
The apprentice system
The Globe itself
with its thatched roof
Wherrying across
not the Mercy but the Thames
My Kindle dictionary
even...more
Dec 29, 2008
Heather
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
middle-ages,
school-books-kid-books
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Set in England during Shakespeare's time we follow Widge as he leaves rural England and goes to London. Along the way we learn how life worked back then and it's not always sunshine and roses. Once in London he ends up working at the Globe so we learn more about Shakespeare and how plays are put on and about London life itself.
There is some mystery and danger and sad times and happy times. I loved the historical elemen...more
Set in England during Shakespeare's time we follow Widge as he leaves rural England and goes to London. Along the way we learn how life worked back then and it's not always sunshine and roses. Once in London he ends up working at the Globe so we learn more about Shakespeare and how plays are put on and about London life itself.
There is some mystery and danger and sad times and happy times. I loved the historical elemen...more
This was a really great book. I wish there was an option for 3.5. I really liked it. I didn't LOVE it, but I really liked it. There are two more that follow and I'm sure I'll get around to reading them. It was a super fast read and a fun story. I think that elementary school boys would really enjoy this book. It has a young, male protagonist and a decent amount of sword wielding.
I liked the way that Blackwood entwined history with his fiction, very believable. One thing that I found to be a bit...more
I liked the way that Blackwood entwined history with his fiction, very believable. One thing that I found to be a bit...more
A nice little "steal" at the local library sale, this young readers book is about Widge, an apprentice in Shakespearean England who is sold to a thief wanting him to use the shorthand his first master taught him to transcribe William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" during a performance of the play at the Globe theatre. His new master will then use the transcribed play for his own troupe to perform. Widge's adventures with the Chamberlain's Men company and his dilemma made for a surprisingly entertaining...more
In the book, The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary L. Blackwood a boy named Widge who had been living in an orphanage for half of his life, faces a journey of suspense, action, and mystery after he is adopted by Dr.Timothy Bright. He lives there for a few years and learns the shorthand that is the speciality of Timothy Bright. Soon after that he is sold off to a mysterious man who covers his face with a cloak and has a long beard showing. His job is to use the shorthand he had mastered to help the man...more
Widge is an orphan that was apprenticed to a doctor/minister that used him to copying other people's sermons. He taught Widge a type of shorthand that allows him to quickly copy a sermon as the minister is delivering it. This talent leads Widge's apprenticeship to be sold to a man that wants to use him to steal Shakespeare's latest play, Hamlet. Widge is sent to London with Falconer, a henchman that is to keep an eye on him while Widge attends the play at the Globe and copies it. The first perfo...more
The book The Shakespeare Stealer, by Gary L. Blackwood, was a decent book. It was not bad, nor was it great. The book was about a boy names Widge who gets adopted by a man named Simon Bass. Bass has Widge go into London to "steal" the play Hamlet. In a twisted turn of events,Widge gets a job with the company that is putting on the play. The book was good, but it has a tendency to almost repeat itself in different ways. There were some parts of the book that really could of been left out, but the...more
I thought that The Shakespeare Stealer was a good book. In the book we follow the protagonist, Widge who is an orphan and slave. His master sends him to steal Shakespeares play Hamlet, but Widge finds himself posing as a prentice and acting on stage. I thought that the book was good. The characters were colorful, and the book does a good job of showing how stressed Widge is. The one thing that I disliked about the book was how Widge talked. Instead of the words with and think, he would always sa...more
I liked the Elizabethan period details and the characterization. I noticed that there were a few commonalities with the movie Shakespeare In Love, but it didn't bother me. I actually thought The Shakespeare Stealer was less romanticized. It wasn't all glory and swashbuckling. There was just enough gritty texture to make it seem more real than a Hollywood product. Unfortunately, I had a problem with the villain which bothered me enough that I would have downgraded this to 2.5 stars if half stars...more
The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood
Historic Fiction
The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood, Scholastic Inc. copyright 1989, Cambridge N.Y. ISBN 0439113105 (soft cover) $9.99
Travelling back in time to England in the late 1500’s we find ourselves immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of the city of London. Think bed pans being dumped into drain ditches that run right along the sidewalk! The saying “heads up” takes on new meaning for me. Know that while reading this story there are tim...more
Nov 23, 2008
Andy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Andy by:
School Librarian
Recently read this, forgot to add it. It was an okay book -- I thought the suspense up front was kind of fun. It had me hooked, but the second half of the book just didn't hold my interest even though I read it faster than the first half.
Basically, a boy who has grown up in an orphanage is taken by a cruel master who teaches him how to read and write -- the skills are to be used to benefit the master of course.
A new master buys the boy, also to use the boy's writing skills and the boy gets a cha...more
Basically, a boy who has grown up in an orphanage is taken by a cruel master who teaches him how to read and write -- the skills are to be used to benefit the master of course.
A new master buys the boy, also to use the boy's writing skills and the boy gets a cha...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
He grew up in rural Cochranton, Western Pennsylvania. He attended school in a one room schoolhouse. He graduated with a B.A. in English from Grove City College in Pennsylvania. While a college student, Blackwood published his first short story, Cliffs of Gold, in Twelve/ Fifteen magazine. Blackwood's first book was The Lion and the Unicorn, which he published when he was nineteen. Blackwood sets h...more
More about Gary L. Blackwood...
Share This Book
“This business of friendship was a curious thing, almost as difficult to learn as the busuness of acting. Sometimes you were expected to tell the truth, to express your thoughts and your feelings, and then other times what was wanted was a lie, a bit of disguise.”
—
8 people liked it
More quotes…
Sep 25, 2008 07:08pm
Sep 26, 2008 08:04am