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has adopted the FISH philosophy.


07/30/2004    
S. M. Smoller     e-mail

Published by Puffin Books, 1999
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

     The book I read is The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood.  It is about a boy who lived at an orphanage all his life.  Then when a man adopts him as his apprentice he must learn to write.  About three years after he was adopted, he was sold as an apprentice to a man named Simon Bass.  Simon Bass then sent Widge, the boy, to steal Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Hamlet.  This book's genre is fiction mystery.
     This book took place during the Shakespeare era in the 1500's.  This story's setting takes place in four cities: London, Yorkshire, Berwick, and Leicester.  Since the story mainly takes place in London, that's the city I'm going to describe.  London has a few theaters, one of which is the Globe Theater, the theater that is playing Hamlet.  It also has the queen's palace and some fields in the country spots.  In some parts of London there are beggars.  London also has the Thames, a river, and its roads were made of pebbles.  It also had a stream and curfew that everyone must be in their homes by 9:00 p.m.
     One of the main characters is Widge.  He is short, has a ratty pair of clothes for most of the story, and has short hair.  He never knew his mother nor his father and lived in an orphanage until he was 7.  He had two other masters until he came to Mr. Pope.  When Widge was sent to steal Shakespeare's play, he didn't copy everything down at first.  Then he was sent to copy it again, but this time he was sent to the balcony where he was discovered.  So, his excuse was that he wanted to become a player.  If there was one thing he was good at it was lying.  So eventually, he performed in plays and even played in Hamlet as Ophelia.  Then when Falconer, the person sent to bring Widge there and back, showed up, he put a rapier to this throat and demanded the script.  When he said he didn't have it, Falconer told him to have it by sundown or else.  Then when he didn't show, Falconer got Nick, a player at the Globe Theater, to steal it himself.  When Widge told Mr. Armin what was going on, they set out to get Nick before he gave the script to Falconer.  When they found Falconer with the script, Mr. Armin and Falconer had a duel over who gets the script. Finally, Mr. Armin wins and they get the script back.
     An exciting and unusual part of the story was when Mr. Armin killed Falconer in the duel.  This was unusual because the man who was supposed to be Falconer took off a mask, and it turned out it was Mr. Simon Bass, Widge's old master.  Before he took of his mask he said, "I suppose you have a right to see the true face of the man you've slain."
     I loved this book!  It was one of the best book I've read all year!  I think that people between the ages of 11 and up would enjoy this book because some of the vocabulary is hard to understand.

       The Shakespeare Stealer is a historical fiction book written by Gary Blackwood.  It is about an orphan called Widge and his assignment to steal "Hamlet" from a performance of it at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.  Widge's first owner, Dr. Bright, had taught him a form of writing he had developed, which he descriibed as, "an art of short, swift, and secret writing, by which one may transcribe the spoken word as rapidly as it issues from the human tongue."
     This writing was heard by Simon Bass, a man who often stole plays from other theatrical companies.  Bass purchased Widge from Dr. Bright and planned to use him to do his dirty work.  But, when sent to the theatre to start copying, Widge got entranced by the performance and stopped writing. Falconer, Bass's servant, got angry.  Widge was sent again, but this time he was almost caught, and he lost the tablet he had copied into. When he searched the theatre for his tablet, his captor found him. So Widge lied and lied and lied, creating a whole new, false world for his own sake...while he continued his orders.
     The Shakespeare Stealer has a few different settings.  First, in Yorkshire, England and secondly on the streets of London and at the Globe Theatre.  This story takes place in the Shakespearean Era, around 1600 A.D.  I will describe London and the theatre, because that is where most of the story takes place.  London was a place of class and dignity, but it had its dark, grimy slums; and people of the different classes did not socialize with each other. In London, the Globe Theatre stood, and was where Shakespeare's plays were performed.  This city is near the River Thames, so a boat was needed to access the city on one side.  London was considered the center of the world, was the place for business, and was advanced in industry in many ways.  Homes were tightly packed along the streets and were often cramped and narrow.  The buildings lined the long, maze like streets in which many out-of-towners got lost in.
     Widge was an orphan.  He had no real family or friends, and I would consider him a loner.  He was humble and gracious and didn't take good things for granted.  But, in the orphanage, the average sized boy had picked up some valuable traits that helped him survive: lying, trickery, and sneakiness.  Widge could tell perfectly beleivable lies, without a sign that he wasn't telling the truth, and could trick most everybody into believing anything he made up.  Widge had dark brown bowl-cut hair, and was average sized yet weak.  I felt it sad that Widge had never understood love, friendship, or family until the end of the story because of his years at the orphanage and with his masters.  Widge was important to the story because he was the main character and the book was about himself and his realization of love and friendship.
     An intersting event that occurred in the story was a fencing duel between Julian, an actor and Widge's friend, and Nick, a harsh, bully figure.  It took place in a training room in the theatre.  They wore sheep bladders filled with sheep's blood to create effect while performing, and often practiced with them on.  Nick, being harsh and violent, got frustrated because he couldn't break the bladder on Julian.  He thrust his sword in anger.  The tip hit a protective metal plate and bounced off, straight into Julian's chest. The players in the room rushed over to help, but Julian pushed them away.  Then Mr. Armin, an instructor, hurried over. "I'm all right, I tell you!", Julian cried, but Mr. Armin opened his shirt to inspect the wound.  Everyone gasped at what they saw, but their attention was not on the wound...Julian wore a cloth under his shirt.  He was soon rushed to the doctor, but Widge stood staring in disbelief, while Nick complained about Julian not needing a doctor and that he could mend the wound himself.  He hadn't realized it yet.  Julian was Julia.  Julian was a girl.
      Girls weren't allowed to be players, so Julia held her secret and didn't let that stop her goal.  Yet it would.  Julia would not be on stage in London ever again.
      I enjoyed The Shakespeare Stealer very much.  I found it very intriguing and well written.  I think it's a great book that you won't want to put down.  While reading it, I found myself having anxiety and worry for the characters.  Gary Blackwood created characters that seemed real.  A bit like the story in which Widge creates a new world for himself, the book does the same for the readers.  Mr. Blackwood has created a land that is truly believeable and almost real.  I would recommend this book to readers aged 10 and up.  Deciphering some Old English words is one of the reasons I feel this book suitable for that age.  I feel this book would be great for all kids that are intersted in Shakespeare, that time period, or in rading about a kid their age.