Review Detail

4.0 2

The Shakespeare Stealer

Middle Grade Fiction 515

The Ultimate Decision

March 19, 2012

Overall rating

3.5

Plot

N/A

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

N/A

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

If I were to rate this story on a scale of one to ten, I would give it a six, not because of the dullness in some parts of the story but because of the dragging moments. Mentioned above, the story may have been fast written but some parts, for example, Widge hiding and trying not to be caught, took almost ten pages. Although it is crucial to create a good scene, it is redundant to create a really long-written one. All in all, I would recommend this book for people who like to read casual books that are adventurous at the same time.

Good Points

Imagine a lion hunting you down, and you are in a crossroad where you do not know which way to go. Intriguing as the title suggests, The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood portrays an orphan, Widge, who travels to London with a decision to either follow his master, the “lion”, to steal Shakespeare’s Hamlet, or to escape and join the players in The Globe, Shakespeare’s theater. The interesting side of this novel is when the climactic point of the story turns the plot upside down, but in a good way. When he decided to run away, Widge has to fight the internal conflict of escaping his master’s supervision. Although he tries to escape, part of him continues to be in search for the playbook. In my opinion, the plot was somewhat predictable, but I believe it is fascinating to see how authors twist their stories, especially this one.

Albert Liao

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