The Shakespeare Stealer

The Shakespeare Stealer

• Genre: Fiction; Historical adventure
• Originally Published: 1998
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 840L; Grades 5-8
• Structure/Length: 25 chapters; approximately 216 pages; approximately 5 hours, 16 minutes on audiobook
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The novel is set in Elizabethan England and follows Widge, an orphan trained as a “cutter”—someone skilled at writing shorthand. Widge is sent by his “master” to infiltrate a rival theater company and steal the script of William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. However, Widge finds himself becoming attached to the troupe and torn between loyalty to his “master” and his newfound friends. The central conflict revolves around Widge’s moral dilemmas, the value of friendship, and the pursuit of individual identity.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Child abuse; murder; ethnic, gender, and religious prejudice; loss of parents; bullying; deceit and theft. The source material uses the term “master” to describe the rankings of some characters, which will always appear in quotes throughout this Teaching Guide.

Gary L. Blackwood, Author

• Bio: Born 1945; American author of children’s and young adult books; known for historical fiction and adventure novels; explores themes of identity, friendship, and morality; has written numerous books for young readers, including The Year of the Hangman and The Book of the Lion; received praise for his engaging storytelling and ability to transport readers to different historical periods
• Other Works: The Midwife’s Apprentice (1995); The Good Times Are Killing Me (1989); The Year of the Hangman (2002); The Book of the Lion (2000); Curse of a Winter Moon (2010); The King’s Ransom (2015)
• Awards: School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (1998); ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1999)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Identity
• The Importance of Honor
• Friendship and Family

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Explore background information on Shakespeare and Tudor England to increase their engagement with and understanding of The Shakespeare Stealer.
• Read/study short paired texts and other resources to deepen their understanding of themes related to Identity, The Importance of Honor, and Friendship and Family.
• Evaluate the motives for and impacts of the various forms of deceit, theft, and violence in the novel by creating and defending a moral ranking of these actions.
• Analyze the significance of various elements of the novel, such as setting, plot detail, characterization, motif, and symbolism, and construct essay responses tying these to the novel’s meaning.