Shakespeare's Spy

The Shakespeare Stealer #3

by Gary L. Blackwood

Things are disappearing mysteriously from Will Shakespeare's acting company, and it looks like an inside job. Everyone's eyes are on Widge, the orphan boy turned actor, and former thief. Widge knows better than anyone that Shakespeare's plays must be protected at all costs. In order to prove his innocence and clear his name, Widge must learn a new role: spy. But can he dig through the suspects and skulduggery and catch the true culprit?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Shakespeare, Fiction, Mystery, Historical

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2003

About the author

He grew up in rural Cochranton, Western Pennsylvania, where he attended school in a one room schoolhouse. He graduated with a B.A. in English from Grove City College in Pennsylvania. While a college student, Blackwood published his first short story, Cliffs of Gold, in Twelve/ Fifteen magazine.

He has sold dozens of stories to children's magazines, and has published thirty-five novels and nonfiction books for adults, young adults and middle readers.

Blackwood is also a widely produced playwright.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

So yes, and unfortunately, with regard to Gary L. Blackwood’s The Shakespeare Stealer series, the third book, Shakespeare’s Spy, is most definitely also rather the weakest. Because to tell the truth, although Gary L. Blackwood does once again delightfully and verbally shine with his textual descriptions of historical time and place in Shakespeare’s Spy (and yes, that the entire The Shakespeare Stealer series most definitely provides for middle grade readers an in my opinion quite wonderful and educational historical fiction introduction to late Elizabethan England and Elizabethan theatre, including portraying just how much jealousy, subterfuge and thievery of ideas existed amongst the various groups of actors), I also do have to admit that for much of Shakespeare’s Spy, I was feeling rather annoyingly frustrated with the specific contents of Gary L. Blackburn’s featured and presented narrative.

For one and most problematically, I do think that there are in Shakespeare’s Spy far too many varying story threads being presented at once and that in my opinion, quite a number of these feel rather unimportant, rather insignificant for the series itself and seemingly just tacked on. I mean, does the arrival and in London of Shakespeare’s daughter Judith and Widge consequently becoming infatuated with her for a time before she simply disappears again (is sent back home to Stratford-Upon-Avon) really do much to move the plot of Shakespeare’s Spy along (as no, the whole Widge and Judith scenario mostly just seems to distract readers for a while and then totally wither way, and conversely, rather similar issues also tend to plague the arrival back from France of Julia later in Shakespeare’s Spy and indeed that she then ends up being outed as the Earl of Essex’s illegitimate daughter and becomes a Lady in Waiting for James I wife, this really to and for me seems totally a deus ex machina and ridiculously fairy tale like).

And for two, considering that the title of this third series book, considering that Shakespeare’s Spy quite strongly appears to assume that Widge (and yes, he does end up changing his name to James) will in fact be actively spying for William Shakespeare, that Widge infiltrating another theatre company to figure out, to discover who has been stealing costumes and such from The Lord Chamberlain’s Men is actually (in my opinion) only a very minor and very rapidly resolved thread, I do indeed and in fact think that the title Shakespeare’s Spy is both a trifle misleading and also wrongfully claiming that the action will or should be non stop mystery and cloak-and-dagger like, something that does not really happen all that much and something that Shakespeare’s Spy as a heading (to and for me) certainly does seem to insinuate, with this definitely having left me with a bit of disappointed assumptions and expectations (and also only a two star rating for Shakespeare’s Spy and to recommend it only for those readers who have read the first two The Shakespeare Stealer novels and feel that they should complete the series, as yes, Gary L. Blackwood’s concluding novel about Widge and his life as a player in late Elizabethan England really does leave quite a bit to be desired).

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

"So it was the thing I had feared the most-more than the death of the queen, more than the plague itself-had come to pass." P. 195 This is how that main character, Widge, feels when he is accused of stealing costumes from his own acting company, The Lord Chamberlain's Men. This book Shakespeare's Spy of the sequal to Shakespeare's Stealer and Shakespeare's Scribe by Gary Blackwood. Widge is a boy of about twelve who finds himself in the most well-known acting troupe in all of London in the 1600's led by William Shakespeare. Widge is an aspiring playwriter with a secret way of short-hand writing known only to him.

Things are not going well for the acting troupe when profits are low and talk of acting being shut down in Britain is rumored. Also, costumes that the troupe uses in their plays are being stolen one-by-one, and no one knows who to blame. But Widge and his two friends Sam and Sal Pavy seem to keep on a happy face thorughout the di-lemma. On their day-off, Widge and his friends go to see a fortune teller to find out their future. The fortune teller tells Widge that he will come into a fortune soon. All three of them think that the fortune teller is making it up, be they each individually ponder on the predictions.

Widge in this book witnesses acts of persecution, romance, and betrayal, which I think is interesting because those where that main themes going on in London during that time period. I greatly enjoyed the plots in this book and i would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about Shakespeare and his times.

[Micah-Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the real playwright William Shakespeare, Gary Blackwood produces a picture of what urban play life was like in the 16th century in London, England. Widget the main character goes throughout the story trying to prove his skills on the stage as an actor.
Shakespeare’s Spy begins with the introduction of what play life was like for Widget, an orphan boy turned actor. He lives day by day with his acting companions in the Lord Chamberlain Men. The Lord Chamberlain Men constantly battle for the popularity of the people with the Lord Admiral’s company, a rival theatre.
When the Queen of England becomes sick and is in critical condition, the problem of the theatre being closed becomes a greater chance. “No amount of paint or dye or elegant clothing could conceal the painful truth: the queen was wasting away”(11). Since the Queen enjoyed plays very much, she declared protection overall play theatre. “He tells me that Her Majesty grows weaker with each day that passes”(100). When there’s a chance that her nephew the King of Scotland will take the throne and the protection against the theatre will be gone. Play being practiced in England will become nonexistent. Mysteriously some costumes become lost and plays start to disappear. The obvious suspect is Widget, due to his thief past. Throughout the book, Widget’s innocence is questioned and his patience is tested. “They suspected me of being a spy for you and Mr. Henslowe,”(201).
Shakespeare’s Spy constructs a stimulating impression of what play life in the 16th century. Gary Blackwood’s sheer amount of detail, suspenseful scenes, and plot development make Shakespeare’s Spy a novel that is worth reading. If someone has ever been curious about what play life was like in the Elizabethan era this book is a perfect fit for them.

[Maria Antonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic plot: Widge is one of the theatre prentices at the Globe Theatre when young boys played the roles of characters like Juliet and Ophelia. He's also Shakespeare's scribe. When Shakespeare has a case of writer's block, he gives a play to Widge, telling him that he can do with it as he pleases. Widge decides to try to finish the play! But, there are other problems. Good Queen Bess is dying and all theatre is canceled. And to make matters worse, there's a spy among the players, but Shakespeare doesn't know who it could be...

WHAT’S COOL…

1) This is the third book featuring Widge. I haven't read the second book, but I have read the first book in the series⁠—The Shakespeare Stealer. I'm glad Widge gets a new name in this one!

2) I felt like we were in Elizabethan London! I enjoyed the setting. And I liked the history behind the book... like the death of Queen Elizabeth I. It happened at a time of plague. And then, the theatres are shut down! (Actually, this sounds like 2020, not 1603!)

3) I liked the relationship between Widge and the fatherly Mr. Pope. He's more of a father to Widge than his real father. My favourite scene with Mr. Pope has to do with the return of Julia!

4) The mystery of the spy in Shakespeare's troop is set up quite nicely. Although the resolution is a bit too quick for my tastes (see below).

5) Seeing William Shakespeare in action is fun! I like how he relies on Widge. And I like how his "rejected" play comes into the story. Gary Blackwood explains why he wrote these parts in this way in his author's note at the end.

WHAT’S NOT COOL…

1) Julia shows up at the end of this book. She's mentioned earlier, but everything about her feels like a backstory being told. It almost felt like she didn't really belong in this story. And yet, she does. It just felt... awkward.

2) The whole thing about Shakespeare's spy? It happens close to the end of the story. And it's WAY too easily solved. It hardly took a chapter! I was disappointed in this part. I wanted at least a little danger of the characters being found out!

3) Why is Judith Shakespeare in this book again? First of all, her name is far too similar to Julia's name. Secondly, nothing seems to come from her being in the story!

FINAL THOUGHTS

My rating is 3 Stars (out of 5) – I would recommend this book to those interested in Shakespeare or theatre in general. Or for those who like historical fiction. Widge is a sympathetic character. The book doesn't live up to its name, but it's still good in its own way.

[Selena (Life of a Random) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 2.5 stars

I have really mixed feelings about this book. There were things I loved about it and things that made me kinda hate it.

Here are my feelings in the form of lists ;) :
1. I loved how the author incorporated life lessons in the story. Like how it's inevitable that we will stumble and lose our way in life. That's the way life goes, and..maybe we should be okay with that. (I also loved the life equals a play analogies)

2. I empathized so much with Widge (the MC) as he went through extreme pain to write his first play. I understood the agony it takes to write just one word on some days and pages on others. I'm not one of those writers who can write a book in a month, in fact I've never written one. But the ideas and characters keep plaguing me, and if I quit I have to start up again no matter what. And I really liked all those parts in the book.

3. I still liked Widge (he's actually really nice and one of my favorite guy MC's) but it seemed like in this book he was a little whiny and sullen. It was annoying at times, because it seemed like Widge was being that way because he wasn't taking time to think things through maturely. He's 16 (I think). Just think, dude.

4. I think the main romance was written very poorly. It felt forced, the "love" seemed to be more like "infatuation" to me, and I didn't like the girl. Urgh. Very frustrating!!

All in all I think it was a pretty good historical fiction read, although it's not really written for the YA age group.

[Monica · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a pretty boring book. Gosh! The whole middle and beginning was all about Widge fussing over Judith and the play and a bunch of other stuff. So boring! only in the end did it get really interesting. It was like a reality TV show finale, at the end, but the beginning and middle were like reading a dictionary. Basically, really boring! This Shakespeare series is overall really bad! Everyone has to either die or go away from Widge. Sal Pavy had so much more potential, but he died! Sander was such a good friend, but he died! For Sam, well he's just kind of boring, just your typical happy-go-lucky person.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly thought the book was uninteresting, but it had some sort of action and interesting plot turns. The book is about a boy named Widge and how he comes to be a playwright. But throughout the book, there are various plot turns which drew my attention away from the uninteresting parts of the book such as when somebody dies. Widge, as a growing playwright in the industry, decides to create a play of his own, which I think is one of the moreover positive areas of the story. Shakespeare's Spy is overall a book which is part boring and part exciting, but I hope as the book series continue, they will become more and more exciting

[MsAprilVincent · Rating 2 out of 5]

The final book (I guess?) of the Shakespeare Stealer series finds Widge falling in love with Judith Shakespeare, hiding a Catholic priest, writing his own play--which becomes Timon of Athens--and finding his own name.

A little anvil-ly with the fortune teller and Julia's return, but a fair end to the series. If it hadn't had my boyfriend Shakespeare in the periphery, it would have lost a star.

[booklady · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last in the trilogy by Blackwood. Now the series is available as a collection and even at reduced prices. Recommended as a fun way to introduce Shakespeare and late Victorian, early Jacobean England.

[Sambridhi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a pretty mediocre book, to be honest. A lot of it was pretty bland, and there wasn’t a whole lot of action, and the “mystery” was quite predictable. Still, it wasn’t completely horrible, but only very average. 3/5.

[Elisabeth Enssle · Rating 2 out of 5]

pretty boring compared to the first and second in the series...

[Lacy Dohner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Changes are on the horizon, both for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and for Widge personally. His world is turned upside down by the arrival of Mr. Shakespeare’s beautiful daughter Judith. Meanwhile, pricey items are disappearing from the Globe Theater, and the sharers suspect a thief is in their midst. Then, the players receive word from Julia, who is in trouble in France. As Queen Elizabeth lies on her deathbed and England teeters on the edge of upheaval, Widge tries to balance his love of the Lord Chamberlain's men with his nearing adulthood.

If that summary was hard to follow, it's because the book was as well. The Shakespeare Stealer earned its place as a beloved classic; Shakespeare's Scribe was not quite as riveting but still a worthy follow-up; but the final book in the trilogy reads like a lengthy epilogue, existing more to bring closure to loose ends than to tell a story of its own. The biggest flaw was that there was really no plot. A large portion was given to Widge's infatuation with (the thoroughly unlikable) Judith, but then she disappeared and that plot line ended abruptly. Widge being Shakespeare's spy was not even a part of the plot until three quarters into the book, and then lasted only a few chapters before being resolved. Periodically during these two plots he would remember Julia's plight, and worry about her a bit before getting distracted again. A major character's death was given a couple of sentences and no emotion. The most consistent theme was Widge's attempts to write a play, but there wasn't enough action or risk involved in this alone for it to carry the story. Also, unlike the strong original cast of characters, and worthy later additions like Jamie Redshaw, Sal Pavy, and Tetty, most of the new characters introduced in this book were flat and underdeveloped. Plot "twists" were easy to guess. All in all, an underwhelming finish to a formerly strong series.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good series. I'm not going to go out of my way to buy the second and third books, but if I see them, I'll be buying them.

As for this book in particular, I think it was a really good conclusion to the series. Widge has grown so much while still having plenty of growth over the course of this book. He's a fun main character, and I love seeing this historical time period through the eyes of a young boy.

Also, reading the historical note at the end, it's so cool to see how well the historical events/figures felt like a natural part of this book. I really couldn't tell what was fact and what was fiction, with how seamlessly it all blends. With the historical note at the end, it then makes me want to learn even more about these characters who really did exist.

My one complaint is the names of Judith and Julia. Judith is a real person, and maybe when the first book was written, the author didn't plan on bringing her in, but... The two characters both have such similar-sounding names, and occasionally I had to stop and read through a line again because I hadn't noticed which one was being talked about.

Other than that, I highly recommend this series, and especially if you're wanting to know more about Shakespeare/his time period. This series really made me realize how little I know about the time period.

[Fiery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book thus ends the trilogy, though I would hope that the writer may be enticed to write some more concerning this character, though the chances may be slim.
Anyway, the story takes a final turn for the hero as he finally comes to a steady life. He has taken up multiple jobs for the Company since he joined them that all haven't exactly been to his liking, but he finally has only his ambitions and work to worry about from now on.
I was sorry to come to the end of this book as I adored the author's way of writing, but I suppose all good things must come to an end. Unfortunately, the Shakespeare Stealer must too.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final novel of the trilogy sees Widge the orphan coming under suspicion as valuable items go disappearing from the theatre company's dwindling supply.
Not that we face any shortage of other suspects -- someone from a rival theatre company? Widge's alleged father? The Bard's wastrel brother?
It's a rollicking mystery and Widge's loyalties are sorely tested as he must help the troupe uncover the truth.
A terrific and satisfactory end to a wonderful trilogy. I'm quite glad I persisted through volume 1 or I would have missed a great deal of fun.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

3rd in the series of historical fiction set around Shakespeare's company; this one ends with the death of Queen Elizabeth I and the ascension of King James I (which we happened to read on the day of the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of King Charles III). This was a good series; I'm glad I read it with my kids. The timing proved perfect in many ways, too - we began reading when our history unit was about Shakespeare (in "The Story of the World, Volume 2") and ended with our history lesson about King James I (In "The Story of the World, Volume 3) . . .

[Deborah]

This book is juvenile fiction, which is a genre that I usually don't read. However, a friend gave me the book since I enjoy Shakespeare. I found this book very interesting as it was well researched for the customs of the Elizabethan times. The plot was interesting, however, to title it "Shakespeare's
Spy" was a bit of a stretch as that was just one small part of the novel. Overall it was enjoyable.

[Judine Brey · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I reread this, it made more sense, since this time I had read the opening book in the series. Widge is such a likeable character that he draws in anyone. I enjoyed the rivalry between the Globe and Rose Theatre troupes, and Widge's selection of his own name was a touching finish. The author's note clarifying which characters were real people and which were invented was both appropriate and interesting.

[JimtheDean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book series for my son to encourage him in his reading. Since he wasn’t interested, I read it myself and found myself enjoying it. I’m drawn to historical fiction. This book is high in the fiction side and seems low on historicity, but it kept me reading.

[Elaine Platt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this entire series! I did hesitate giving the last one 5 stars because it was not an intriguing as the other two--but you must finish! I am so sad that its low popularity resulted in its discard -- but now I own it proudly.

[Isabella Roh · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the whole, delightful. A bit predictable, and very much reveling in its own historicism, but still enjoyable. I did rather like the comparison of life to a first rehearsal at the end of the book. It's apt.

[Felicia Granberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great storyline

Ties in to real world events and astonishes you that the things in the book once happened in real life

[Laurie D'ghent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed it. There was one swear word and some innuendo that was far too graphic for a children's book, in my opinion. I will definitely read more.

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely series for kids who perform in the Shakespeare festival.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one best of all three books in this series. I'm glad I finished it, even if it did take forever.

[Christopher Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun read of what could've happened during Shakespeare's time following the journey of a young intern in his company.

[Alyssa Skinner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wish I had read the other books first.
But this one was really good.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the three in this series.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun. Consistent with the first 2 in the trilogy. Good middle school series.

[Christy Gould · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, even. Very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, which I enjoyed more and more with each book.