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Young
Widge, an orphan, has never had an easy life, first
being placed in an orphanage and then as an
apprentice to Dr. Bright. At the orphanage he
learns how to care for and defend himself. From Dr.
Bright, a clergyman and healer of sorts, he learns
how to write a form of shorthand, which he uses to
steal sermons from other ministers for the lazy
doctor. This skill makes him valuable enough to be
sold to a new master, a theatrical manager, who
orders him to attend a performance of Shakespeare's
Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark to transcribe the
play. Failing to do so on his first try, Widge
accidentally joins the theater company and for the
first time in his life, enjoys real friendship and
camaraderie. Widge learn much more than acting,
things such as humor, loyalty, and values.
Will Widge's master exact some evil vengeance for
his failure to deliver a copy of Hamlet? Or, will
Widge betray his new friends by delivering it?
Swordplay and wordplay, cliffhanger chapter
endings, rich period details, and one very plucky
protagonist make this book pure fun to read.
(Jeannie Bellavance bellavance@erols.com
for Pennsylvania
Young Reader's Choice
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SUBJECTS:
Theater --
Fiction
Orphans -- Fiction
Actors and actresses -- Fiction
Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603 --
Fiction
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 --
Fiction
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