- an orphaned teen boy is forced to cheat the very people who are his first true friends
- using his gift of shorthand, he tries to copy down a play from another theater company
- convo: drinking and drunkenness, a ghost mentioned (as a character in a play), frequent lying, occasional rough physical treatment, boys joke about a man having an affair (a rumor), three men are killed in separate sword fights, common practice of men acting as women and jokes that proceed from that, mentions a bear being chained up and attacked by dogs as a sport, a few disparaging remarks against Jews
- language: damned x1, G*d x3, mild name calling, the devil take me/you x2, butt x1, ass (name call) x2, stupid x1, Gog’s bread (as a swear) several, Mother Mary (as a swear) x1
Type: historical fiction chapter book
Ages: 12-16
Author: Gary Blackwood
If you can navigate the uncouth vocabulary on occasion and your children are old enough for some more intense scenes, this surprisingly makes a pretty good read-aloud. The word choices are often delightful and infuse humor at just the right places. We get a glimpse “behind the scenes” of theater life in the late 1500s and even interact with Shakespeare himself a few times. I would have said it’s a great read-aloud if it weren’t for the language.
One of the underlying intensities is this dark, hooded man who is in charge of the main character boy. He’s very mean, an expert swordsman, and sometimes violent. The boy is torn between keeping his new friends and obeying this man. All I will say on this is that the ending will take you by surprise!
If you’re studying Shakespeare or his general time period, the book might be a good fit for your family. Just beware that it’s gritty in parts and some might bristle at the way Jews are described in a couple places (infrequent).
Hope this review helps!