In a mystery set in Elizabethan London, 14-year-old Richard Malory joins Shakespeare’s theater company and discovers a Catholic plot against the queen. When his mother dies, Richard travels to London to search for his long-absent father. As he struggles to survive he falls into acting with the Lord Chamberlain’s Players and learns that he has real talent. He also learns that his father has been involved in a dangerous conspiracy that leads to the torture and beheading of those whom the Queen’s agents can catch. The double plotlines of the conspiracy and of Richard’s development as an actor illuminate two interesting aspects of Elizabethan history. The political intrigue points to the passions then prevalent against Catholics, and the lively view from inside Shakespeare’s theater demonstrates the excitement and tensions experienced by the actors. Cheaney manages dialogue that rings true to the times, as does his richly flavored writing style. Altogether, the suspense and historical details add up to a spirited introduction to one of the most fascinating periods in history. The book includes a “prologue” and a historical note that discuss the basic history of the period, with a map of Elizabethan London. It might be read as a companion to Gary Blackwood’s The Shakespeare Stealer (1998). (Fiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-375-80577-X
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Aimed at readers who have already encountered Anne Frank, this riveting historical novel from Mazer (Missing Pieces, 1995, etc.) is based on a little-known chapter of WWII history. Karin Levi’s story begins in a tiny attic room in Paris in the 1940s, where she is hidden away with her brother, Marc, and their mother, practicing the art of quiet. German soldiers are conducting house-to-house searches, rounding up Jews, and the small family is soon on the run, depending on strangers for scraps of food and shelter. When Maman falls ill, Karin and Marc head for Naples without her; the children board the Henry Gibbons, a ship full of European refugees bound for Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York. Upon their arrival in America, their story turns from one of flight and danger to the happiness and sorrow associated with adjusting to a new language, customs, and schooling, and making new friends. Although it is a shock to Karin, it comes as no surprise to readers when Marc reveals that Maman is dead. Mazer skillfully paints Karin as brave and independent, yet depicts her devotion to Maman throughout, writing unsent letters and never losing sight of her belief that one day they will be reunited. Rather than relying on events and facts of the war and its atrocities to create sympathy, the author paints her central character’s thoughts and feelings, her moments of weakness and her strength, so that the story is stirringly understated. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201468-3
Page Count: 189
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An orphan loses one home and travels far before finding another in this bustling tale, set in 17th-century England and America. Her father dead for years and her mother suddenly drowned in a spring flood, Pen joins a group of orphans hiding out in the cellar of an abandoned London house. Barely has she become attached to the children before a gang of anything-but-ethereal “spirits” seizes them, throws them into Bridewell prison, then months later bundles them aboard a ship bound for Jamestown as indentured laborers. Though filthy conditions, bad food, and general mistreatment have taken a grim toll by the time they arrive, Forrester lightens the atmosphere by having Jamestown turn out to be far less hellish than the children had been led to expect. In fact, Pen finds herself working for such a kindly couple that, when a chance comes to escape a year later, she opts to stay. Forrester (Dust From Old Bones, 1999, etc.) gives Pen’s experiences a historical basis by noting that in 1627 alone more than 1,400 English children were shipped off to Virginia. Readers will appreciate Pen’s resilience in the face of one terrible loss after another, and will applaud her steady courage. (Fiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2000
ISBN: 0-688-17149-4
Page Count: 176
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
