I Will Adventure

The year was 1596, and Andrew Talbot, age twelve and on his way to London to become a page, fulfilled his dearest wish—to see a play. A peacock feather and his own quick temper lead to an encounter with the players and Andrew continued his journey riding alongside Master Shakespeare.

The playwright found his company some consolation for the loss of his son Hamnet and Andrew gained a friend whose sympathetic understandings was to help him greatly in the long days in London.

For London life fell far short of his expectations. Andrew was lonely and bored, and his hilarious efforts to relieve his boredom made an enemy of Master Bingley, the steward. Andrew longed to go home to his family, to see his pet spaniel, even to squabble again with his irksome sister Cecily.

He tried to run away—and learned just how dangerous London could be for a boy on his own. It was Master Shakespeare who found Andrew the solution to his problem.

Elizabeth Janet Gray Vining tells Andrew’s story against the background of Shakespeare’s England made vividly alive by her meticulous research. She won America's Newberry medal for her Adam of the Road, another historical novel.