Children's works of historical fiction often suffer from a common malady. If the writer is not completely comfortable with the time period they're writing about, they'll hang everything on a famous person and leave it at that. When I saw that this book was entitled, "The Shakespeare Stealer", I was sure that it would be a book in which a young boy befriended the great William Shakespeare and had an impact on history, yadda yadda yadda. But Gary Blackwood's not your everyday run-of-the-mill writer. There's a truly interesting story at the heart of this tale and a truly talented hand behind the writing. Blackwood doesn't just place his book in the past. He authenticates it by drawing you back into a fully realized historical moment in time. The result is a whole lot of fun and a book that I'll be shoving into the hands of any kid forced to read something realisitic for a book report.
Widge received his odd name when the mistress of an orphanage took one look at him as a babe and said, "Och, the poor little pigwidgeon" (thereby surprising anybody who thought that J.K. Rowling had made up the name). Since birth the boy has been either an orphan or a lowly apprentice. He was put under the thumb of one Dr. Bright when he was seven, and through this master he learned a form of shorthand that no one else in the world knew. Such a talent is bound to attract interest, however, and at the age of fourteen Widge is bought by a man who needs the boy's talents professionally. Sent to London, Widge is told to watch a performance of Hamlet and take down every word. A series of small mishaps land him not in the audience, however, but as a member of the acting troupe. Now the boy who never had a family must learn about courage, trust, and friendship from a group of people who prance about in silly clothes all day. The only question is, will his old master give him up so easily?
The book plunges you headfirst into the late 1500s/early 1600s without further ado. Reading Blackwood, you become acutely aware of just how dirty, dank, and smelly England was during that time. Because Widge is such a greenhorn to the sophistications of London, Blackwood has a perfect excuse for explaining everything. Our hero doesn't understand the presence of drainage ditches alongside busy streets, or how to fence, or what a duel constitutes, so kids can learn alongside him. What was most impressive in my eyes, though, was Blackwood's command of language. Poorly written novels set during Elizabethan England like to throw around a lot of "thees", "thys" and "thous" for good measure. Widge, for his part, is from Yorkshire, so his words and accent are different from even those Londoners he comes to join. The book remains readable for 9-year-olds but also feels authentically Shakespearean. No mean task.
At its heart, the book is really about the beauty of performing on a stage. If you know any kid that's lured time and again to the glory of the limelight, they'll have little problem identifying with Widge. This is a book that celebrates the stage, while couching its tale in murder, fast-paced action, likable characters, and a certain amount of dramatic tension. And for those of you who'd be disappointed if Mr. Shakespeare didn't appear in a book bearing his name, rest assured that he does put in a couple appearances when the fancy strikes. Altogether, this is one of those rare titles that'll appeal to both boys and girls equally. Fine reading.
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