The Devil and His Boy

by Anthony Horowitz

BOOKS

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Adventure, Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy

183 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Anthony Horowitz, OBE is ranked alongside Enid Blyton and Mark A. Cooper as "The most original and best spy-kids authors of the century." (New York Times). Anthony has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty. In addition to the highly successful Alex Rider books, he is also the writer and creator of award winning detective series Foyle’s War, and more recently event drama Collision, among his other television works he has written episodes for Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders and Murder Most Horrid. Anthony became patron to East Anglia Children’s Hospices in 2009.

On 19 January 2011, the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle announced that Horowitz was to be the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement from them and to be entitled the House of Silk.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/anthon...

Reviews

[Bodosika Bodosika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had been in my TBR shelves since 2015.
I woke up three days ago looking for something new to read I picked it up reluctantly but to my greatest surprise it was well written and fun.
THE DEVIL AND HIS BOY
Though it was supposed to be children book it could also be called a historical non-fiction for young adults.Many of the events were true and it was base on real names but reading it as a middle aged adult I really enjoyed it.I like Tom, Moll Cutpurse (a famous thief during the Elizabethan era) and Gameliel Ratsey. It was interesting, funny, suspenseful and short and I strongly believe that I will soon be hunting for Anthony Horowitz books in bookshops.

[[ J o ] · Rating 1 out of 5]

From time to time I enjoy a book written primarily for children. They are usually fun, mostly written with a slight adult leaning that means the author doesn't think the child reading it is an idiot and are quite often written better than a lot of adult books I read.

This, however, wasn't really any of it. I enjoyed that it was mostly based on true people from the Elizabethan period, but other than that I found it absolutely abysmal. There were typos all over the shop, the story itself was rather dire and the characters I found unbelievable and quite flat.

I don't think I am expecting too much from a "children's book", because I have read plenty that are wonderful, magical and sublime. This one is not any of those things.

[Mohamed Yahia · Rating 5 out of 5]

''The Devil and His Boy'' is a good book for several reasons. First, I find this book good because its about a queen that was sleeping and then she went through a secret passage. I love stories with secret passages. Second, I find this book good because their is a magician who tells the queen of England secrets that he can see in his magic ball. i love magic and adventures. These are the reasons why i think this book is good.


I gave the book ''The Devil and his Boy'' 3 stars for several reasons. First, I gave this book three stars because they still didn't get into the adventure. My favorite part of all books is the adventure. Second, I gave this book 3 stars because the book just started so I still don't know a lot about it. If I don't know a lot about the book then I cant get into the book that much. These are the reasons why I gave this book 3 stars.


I like whats happening in this book for several reasons. First, I like whats happening in the book because their is a wizard cat, that can talk. A talking cat is weird, and i love weird things. Second, I like whats happening in this book because the queen asks the wizard to tell a very private secret that know one in the world knows. I like books that have private secrets. Those are the reasons why I like whats happening in this book.


I also don't like this book for several reasons. First, I don't like this book because when the queen asks the wizard to reveal the secret, their is so much suspense. When their is too much suspense, I just want to break the book in half. Second, I don't like this book because sometimes the person who is talking doesn't get to his point. When the person who is talking doesn't get to his point, the story becomes confusing. Those are the reasons why I don't like this book.


This book is very scary for several reasons. First, the adventure was very scary. It was scary because tom and the queen were going to die. Second, in this book a lot of people get hanged and killed. For example, in the end of the book, they show the five heads to Tom and that is very scary. Those are the reasons why this book is very scary.


I added to stars of rating for several reasons. First, I added this book two stars because the adventure started. The adventure of this book was pure scariness. Second, I added this book two stars because it became so exciting. When a book becomes so exciting you cant put it down. Those are the reasons why i added two stars to this book.

[Zygintas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pirmas sakinys: Kaip tik prieš vidurnaktį karalienė Elžbieta iššoko iš lovos ir nuėjo ieškoti savo burtininko.

Prieš tapdamas kultiniu detektyvu rašytoju Anthony Horowitz'as buvo garsus vaikų rašytojas.

"Velnias ir jo berniukas" – viena iš retesnių ne serijoje parašytų knygų, originalo kalba pasirodžiusi 1998 m., o lietuviškai – 2004 m. (tragišku viršeliu).

Istorinis-nuotykinis detektyvas apie Tiudorų laikus (Elžbieta I, Viljamas Šekspyras). 1593-iuosius, jeigu tiksliai.

Istorija skaitosi pagauliai, nuotykių daug, įdomių istorinių detalių dar daugiau. Detektyvinė linija silpnesnė, tačiau pabaigos žodis viską paaiškina: Anthony Horowitz‘as istoriją (angl. history) siekia pateikti įdomiai ir kartu išlaikyti istorinį tikslumą.

Tikėjausi daugiau humoro (1998 m. ar dėl to, kad knyga paaugliams?), tačiau rašytojo meistrystė pasakoti istoriją (angl. story) akivaizdi jau ir tada.

4.3/5✰

[Chaitra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this book as a kid and I literally enjoyed it the most. The speaking cat, Queen Elizabeth with a secret which she couldn't disclose anywhere although her search for her long lost unknown son, Shakespeare and everything about the book was thrilling and amazing. Anthony Horowitz since then, became one of my favourite writers. After rereading it recently I wasn't amazed as much as I was for the first time and whatever incredible stuff I believed this book had wasn't there anymore.
But I always consider how the book makes me feel when I read for the first time and the first time I read this book I enjoyed every page.
A great book for kids!

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can Anthony Horowitz be any more talented? I first stumbled across him with the adult murder mystery Magpie Murders, and, I must admit, I did not piece together he was the same author of this harrowing tale of historical fiction for young readers until I read the author biography at the book’s back. (Embarrassing, I admit.) The Devil and His Boy follows the life of Tom Falconer in the Elizabethan era. Readers will learn about daily life wherein London reeks of literal offal, orphans are exploited servants, where highwaymen lurk with robbery and murder in mind around every bend, and where a young playwright by the name of Shakespeare starts his career. Readers will learn about plots to foil Queen Elizabeth the First and the mysterious thread that ties this orphan boy to royalty.

[Turkan Taskin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can always rely on Anthony Horowitz to write an entertaining book. I wouldn't say Devil is my favourite book by him, but it was so fun. I love how Horowitz describes every character in such a detailed, original way that they become more believable and you love/hate them even more (usually the latter). Although I found it quite predictable (hence the three-star rating), I was actually pretty invested in the story. It's a very short, fast-paced novel, and I would definitely recommend it to younger readers, especially those whom enjoy historical-mystery type books.

[Rogerio · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story looks like a movie script. It is set in the 1600 in England. I like the plot and also the afterword chapter which is very funny.
specially I like the sentence "I put some mistakes in the book to make the teachers happy" (since the book is meant to teach some facts from the 1600 by means of this story).

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book to read aloud with my 7 and 10 year olds. This book is a little "edgier" (scarier?) than some children's lit, but I love the real historical characters and references and the attempt to (somewhat) accurately place it in the Middle Ages.

[16pedreiraj · Rating 3 out of 5]

adventure/thriller

i think this book could be a horror or a more of a thriller it has the effort to do that but it was a shame that they didn't put more thriller or horror

[Fayyaz Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short read, one I never really thought I would read, but I gave it a shot. The ending was quite gruesome with the heads on spikes and all. Anyway it was a nice and frankly quite simple book to finish. I zoomed pass this book, because of all the note taking and everything. After finishing it, I realized this could be a book I take notes on in the future, as it has a deeper meaning. Truth. All in all it was a good book, a fun read, and I recommend it to people who want something simple but at the same time complex.

[Boy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Devil and His Boy" is one of the best and most outstanding books. I really love all of the drama and action between Ratsey chasing Tom Falconed. From a scale of 1 out of 10, i rate it an 11. If I had 7 dollars laying around in my pocket, guess what I would do, buy this book because it helps ,me escape my reality.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book but not my favorite book.

[WhatShouldIRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun tale, written with real historical persons and atmosphere. This is an adventure from cover to cover and I think any younger person would enjoy spending the afternoon with this tale. I enjoyed it!

[Lucas Callies · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Devil and his boy is about a boy named Tom Falconer, who was born in England in the 16th century. Tom goes through alot in this book, A knight went up to tom and wanted tom to go with him to london to a place called Millville. The caretakers didnt like this because they wanted to keep tom to treat him wrongly and abusively, but then when they talked with the criminal Ratsey, they decided to let tom go with him to later Rob and kill him. The reason why i liked this book is because how Anthony Horowitz really Replicated 16th century England, Even the Charecters were real people back in the day. The Rising action is when Tom met Moll CutPurse, A girl dressed like a boy, Moll decided to help Tom find where to go and find the place Mellville.

After they fail to find an actual reason to be in Mellville, Moll leaves Tom with a man called Dr. Morbius, He runs a Acting group, the Garden players. Dr Morbius and the garden players help teach Tom acting, He finds out that they are going to perform infront of the queen and after hearing that Tom gets a little nervouse but tries extra hard. Moll is like the only friend in the book, Dr Morbius isnt a friend, he's more like a strict boss than anything and Ratsey is trying to kill him so yeah.

It was easy to read because i was genuinely intersted in the genre, I knew I wanted to read the Historacle Fiction and it acompalished just that. I finished my book early because i wanted to finish the book. It has a good and very surprising ending. I gave this a 5 Stars, because Its a really good book and a acomplished author.

[Noelle Rohovit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally chose to read this book to meet some requirements for a project. However, it immediately went from reading this for a grade to reading it for enjoyment. This book captures you from the first page. I would recommend this book pretty much to anyone who likes all the ugly qualities sometimes found in books. There’s a little bit of everything: deceiving, suspense, murder, rivalry, plotting and lying. It really is a book no one should want to read, based on moral conscience but ends up becoming addicted to because it goes against that very reason. I also would recommend this book to anyone who likes history. While the events in this book aren’t necessarily true, most of the characters are, which adds a layer of depth to this book.
In a future classroom of mine, I would definitely teach this book in relation to history. I would have my students research before hand the 16th century and make a list of some of the qualities of that time period. Then I’d have them decide afterwards what was true in the book and what wasn’t. Once the book was over, I’d further my students understanding as they researched a character from the book, noting the truths Horowitz maintained in the book. I think it would be a fantastic way to teach history without putting everyone to sleep.
Warning:
• Drugs: N/A
• Sex: N/A
• Language: 2 H words, 1 D word
• Violence/Gore: In the beginning, 2 characters who have suffered from the Pox are disturbingly described. There is killings and torturing described rather grotesquely. At one point, a man wishes to saw off a boy’s legs.
*Rock and Roll: The whole story creates this sense of paranoia and urgency. To some readers, this may be rather stressful.
*All of these things help set the setting for the book.

[Tammie Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun book that I'm sure younger readers who love adventure would enjoy (and whose parents want to sneak in a bit of history with their kids' swashbuckling tales).

But reading it as an adult, I found the character of Tom (the main character) a bit too passive. All the other characters, from villain to hero, were gobs more interesting and complex than Tom, who (except in one or two scenes) seems to simply "let" things happen to him. The other characters truly do steal the show.

Still, as Mentioned above, it is a really fun tale, especially for anyone who craves books set in Elizabethan England. Easy to read, excellent setting work, keeps you wondering what will happen next, and definitely full of fast-paced action.

[Arrash Mazdai · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Words Learnt - 0

Anthony Horowitz strikes again with another wonderful story, this time in Elizabethan times. It took me a while to get in to the story, but I found myself enjoying it once I did. London is filthy and full of peasants as always, while the upper class do their best to really show of that wealth (Nice to see that never changes).

TBH Tom didn't have that big a personality, but everyone else did, from the Slopes, to Ratsey and Moll, to the Garden Players. So I guess the reader could just substitute themselves as Tom that way and it be fine. Descriptions were vivid and detailed, and the humour was a supporting actor, rather than the main, which suited the story well.

[Kathleen Whitter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom, a poor boy in Tudor age England, gets swept up in a plot to overthrow the queen of England.

Going into this book, I had expected it to be more like Anthony Horowitz's other books (like Alex Rider). However, it was quite different. I realized it is intended for a bit younger audience. Because it was intended for a younger audience, I did not relate well to the characters. This helped determine my experience with the book. Overall, I did like the book, and I would recommend it to someone looking for an easier but good read.

Content Warning: Violence

[Enrique Escalona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cet ouvrage est très documenté (ne serait-ce que sur les bandits de grand chemin, Gamaliel Ratsey tient un rôle important dans l'intrigue) et peut facilement donner envie de poursuivre ses lectures par les grands classiques du théâtre de l'époque.
Ouvrage à part dans la bibliographie d'Horowitz puisqu'un de ses seuls romans historiques, il l'est aussi d'un point de vue stylistique, même si l'on retrouve son talent pour les scènes d'action.

[Lyric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked 4 stars for this book because I really enjoyed reading it. Someone else should read this book because it shows that no matter where you came from you can always reach your goals and do what you want to do in life. Some parts of this book did upset me because it was upsetting how Tom grew up and how he got treated. But I was happy when Moll started helping out Tom.Something that would make this book better is in the end telling if Tom and Moll got closer or fell off.

[Georgiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

That book was pretty good , was not something very captivating, I must say that I am not a fan of this type of stories -reinterpretation of historical times in a own way - I rather prefer classic history books, but I understood the point of view of the author and what he meant in this story. Also, for a children's book I think it is interesting. So I give to this book 2.5 ⭐️( P.S that’s my first book in English that I’ve read )

[Christopher Marchand · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gifted this to a schoolroom so figured I’d better check it. One of the few Anthony Horowitz kids books with a Tony Ross cover I hadn’t read. Didn’t like it as much as The Switch or Gruesome Grange, but I’m not the person I was when i encountered those. Nice use of history, very Dickensian, but didn’t find myself engaging with the concept, and the signature Horowitz dark touches weren’t nearly dark enough. Glad it exists though, kids should learn how not to assassinate a monarch early.

[Emziethebookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed with all the characters throughout the Devil and his boy, I listened to the book through audio which gave it more of a depth with the characteristics and the books plot.

I did enjoy this book as it was really fun to listen to, some parts did drag on a bit but it didn't stop me from listening to the book.

I will be reading more books from this author this year to see what his other works are like.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

J’ai trouvé ce roman intéressant, même si je lui mets 3/5 ⭐.
J’ai aimé découvrir le Londres élisabéthain et l’ambiance mystérieuse autour du théâtre.
Mais ce qui m’a le plus marquée, c’est de me rappeler que les femmes n’avaient pas le droit de monter sur scène à cette époque. Heureusement, les mentalités ont évolué avec le temps ✨.
Moi qui fais du théâtre aujourd’hui, je me rends compte de la chance que nous avons de pouvoir exprimer notre passion librement 💜🎭.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pacey adventure, firmly rooted in history, with a couple of good [old] jokes and at least one phrase worthy of Dickens ...“He was an orphan.” Henrietta’s eyes filled with tears. “I have two sons of my own, sir. I took him in out of the goodness of my heart.” She tapped her chest which seemed too thin and hollow to contain any heart at all.

[Falina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an entertaining book, but it didn't have anything in it for adults. That isn't really a criticism per se -- I just mean that some children's and YA books have layers that make them timelessly interesting, but Horowitz directed this entirely to young people. The best parts were the very charming introduction and afterword.

[Lolita iš Kauno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neįtikėtinas leidimas Lietuvos padangėje (ir jau senas) - A. Horowitz knyga vaikams. Perskaičiau labai greitai, iš pradžių gal atrodė ir per sodri, bet knygos gale esantis autoriaus žodis viską paaiškina. Tad karalienės Elžbietos (I) laikai jums ir vaikams prasiveria lietuviškai. Rekomenduoju smalsiems 4-5-okams.

[Kat!e Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. I do enjoy a dark children's book. Kids like grisly stuff, and this is definitely grisly in spots. It didn't feel like historical fiction, which is high praise from me. Historical details were sprinkled in naturally. There were definitely spots I wanted to edit, but overall I found it well-written and engaging.

[Stuart McPherson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love to see someone writing about this period, and though lightweight it shows the unpleasant underbelly of the Tudor era, with beggars, cutpurses and highwaymen. AH shows his customary skill in creating an adventure with an unusual background (Bill Shakespeare makes a brief appearance) which still can be an enjoyable read for children.