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*Shakespeare's Secret* by Elise Broach- young readers book review
Shakespeare's Secret
by Elise Broach
Grades 4-7 272 pages Square Fish August 2007 Paperback    

Hero Netherfield, named for a character from one of William Shakespeare’s plays, isn’t looking forward to beginning sixth grade at another new school. Her father’s job as a Shakespearean expert and Elizabethan archivist has caused the family to move far too many times as it is. Not only is Hero not interested in her father’s line of work, she also despises her Shakespearean name and the teasing that goes along with it. “Hero? That’s my dog’s name.”

But when her kindly old neighbor, Mrs. Roth, tells Hero the story of the missing Murphy Diamond, which is believed to be hidden somewhere in Hero’s new house, a little bit of investigative research sparks an interest in Shakespeare after all. With the help of popular eighth-grader Danny Cordova, the amateur detectives find themselves entwined in a historical mystery dating back to Anne Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth herself.

But the royals aren’t the only ones who have kept secrets. The discovery of the Murphy diamond discloses yet another mystery which strikes closer to home and will change the lives of Hero’s new friends.

Shakespeare's Secret is a first novel for award-winning picture book author Elise Broach. It has since been followed by other novels such as Desert Crossing and Masterpiece. In the meantime, there is talk of a film version and a sequel.
 
Young readers book reviews for ages 8 to 12 years old

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  Niki Schoenfeldt/2009 for curled up with a good kid's book  






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