The Shakespeare Stealer

Blackwood, Gary. 2000. The Shakespeare Stealer. New York: Puffin. ISBN:0141305959.


(first published in 1998)


This is not a new book, but since it still appears on school summer reading lists, I thought I'd try it.


The Shakespeare Stealer is a historical fiction adventure, featuring Widge, a poor orphan boy, recently apprenticed to first one, and then another unsavory master. As a "prentice," Widge is unfamiliar with the concepts of freedom, choice, honesty, and friendship. For Widge, life is merely a series of events over which he has no control; he survives them, or he does not.


When Widge's new master gives him the task of stealing William Shakespeare's latest play, The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, he thinks of it as nothing more than another of life's turns. He will steal the play or be severely beaten. Only after Widge ingratiates himself with the Lord Chamberlain's Men, Shakespeare's acting company, does he realizes that, while life may be a grand stage upon which we are all actors, we have the ability to play our part as we choose.

The historical details are threaded into the story creating a rich tapestry which includes period dialogue, anecdotes about Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and an insider's view of theater life in Elizabethan London. The message of honesty, loyalty and friendship may be a bit heavy-handed, but the story line is full of intrigue and adventure; the action is fast-paced and exciting. My library has this book in the young adult (YA) section, but it would make a fine choice for grade 6 and up.

An ALA Notable Children's Book Award winner

There are two more books in this series: Shakespeare's Scribe and Shakespeare's Spy

Minn and Jake's Almost Terrible Summer

Wong, Janet. Minn and Jake’s Almost Terrible Summer. 2008. New York: Frances Foster.

This is the second in a series of books about two unlikely friends, Minn – a tall, lizard- loving girl, and Jake, a very small boy. Separation, misunderstandings, and Jake’s often meddlesome little brother, Soup, almost combine to ruin Minn and Jake’s fifth grade summer; but honesty and a little dose of humility help to save summer.

This book has a lot going for it, including the humorous sketches by Geneviève Côté. Its short length and minimal text on each page make it a good choice for reluctant readers. Additionally, protagonists of both sexes make this series appealing to boys as well as girls. The revelation that Jake is part Korean, adds a hint of multiculturalism and interest.
When Minn meets Jake’s grandmother,

“She whispers,
You didn’t tell me you were Asian!
Jake whispers back,
Did you ever tell me that you’re white?

Jake explains his hapa heritage.
Hapa = slang for half-white, half-Asian.
His mother is half-Korean, half-Norwegian.
His father is half-German, half-French.

Minn points out that Jake is not hapa, then,
but three-quarters white,
and only one-quarter Asian.

OK, then, Jake says. Quarpa, I’m quarpa.
Jake likes the sound of quarpa.
It sounds like something with superpowers.”

The best feature of Minn and Jake’s Almost Terrible Summer, though, is humor that children can relate to – as when Jake vomits at the all-you-can-eat buffet and is forced to wear his mother’s pink shirt.
“MINN: Yup. (Your mom’s shirt?)
JAKE: (Can you believe my mom?)
She put the stupid pink shirt on me,
she buttoned the buttons (daisy buttons!),
she wiped my chin like a baby. PINK!
(I can’t even stand to think about it now.)”

The free-verse style is appealing, but the choice of punctuation distracted me. In most instances, dialogue (including unspoken thought) is differentiated solely by the use of italics. However, Minn and Jake’s phone conversations and conversations between Jake and the boys from his old neighborhood, are written in script format,

Of course, maybe I’m just showing my age! Today’s kids are not hung up on punctuation – or spelling, and perhaps they’ll find Wong’s format refreshing. Minn and Jake are believable fifth grade friends.

The first title in this series, Minn and Jake was a Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year and A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book.

The Get Rich Quick Club

Gutman, Dan. 2004. The Get Rich Quick Club. Read by Angela Goethals. Harper Children's Audio.

The Get Rich Quick Club, or GRQ as its members call it, is formed for the purpose of making a million dollars over the summer vacation. Friends Gina, Rob, and Quincy, with tag-alongs Eddie and Teddie make up the roster of the GRQ. (Eddie and Teddie, being only 8 years old, are assigned the role of company drones) The story of their hair-brained plan to sell a faked UFO photo is told in the first person by Gina, read by Angela Goethals. Goethals is the voice of all the characters and does a great job in making each one distinct. Quincy, from Australia, has a great Aussie accent, although the incessant explanation of Aussie terms becomes annoying, particularly when the context makes them unnecessary. In the print version, the Aussie terms are footnoted. In the audio version, each is added to the dialogue,

'"Oh choof off, Rob." Quincy smirked. "You're a fruitcake." or "Oh, get out of here, Rob. You're crazy."'

The children carry out their plan with amusing results and a surprise ending.

The overall message of this book is honesty; but the constant wise-cracking, clueless parenting, and Gina's "helpful" advice, (always assume that your parent's first offer is negotiable, always claim "I forgot" if you're caught in a lie, always get someone older than 10 to lie for you, etc.) makes the message hard to find until it's dropped in the reader's lap in the last chapter or two.

Kids should like it. It's short (only about 2 hours on audio) and funny, but not high on my recommended list.

The Secret Olivia Told Me

Joy, N. 2007. The Secret Olivia Told Me. Ill. by Nancy Devard. East Orange, NJ: Just Us Books.

Although some of the rhymes flow awkwardly,

"Tony leaked the secret to Jalen. Jalen's sister, Anita, overheard.
It didn't take long for Anita to start spreading the word,"

this book has more positives than negatives. The storyline is an age-old dilemma. Olivia tells a secret to her best friend on the playground. The story is told as a first person account by Olivia's friend. As much as she wants to keep the secret, it just slips out. The story follows the secret as it grows and spreads.

This is artist Nancy Devard's first picture book with Just Us Books, and her illustrations are compelling. Her previous career as an engineer is exhibited in the perfection of these dramatic illustrations, done primarily in white, black and red. To ensure the reader's focus , Devard chooses a red balloon to represent the secret while the children are all presented in exquisitely detailed silhouettes in black and white. The balloon grows ever larger and its string lengthens and twists as it passes from child to child.

In addition to the illustrations, the plot and its resolution are perfect for introducing the hazards of gossip and the concept of personal responsibility.