The Plot to Kill a Queen
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Publishers Weekly calls this utterly charming, deftly crafted mystery about an intrepid young girl's quest to foil a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I "worthy of a standing ovation".
Emilia Bassano is a girl who relishes the music of words. Although she plays the lute and writes poetry, Emilia nurtures a dream: to hear her words come alive on stage. Emilia wants to write soliloquies for heroes and kings and queens of old, fashion fierce villains to make audiences howl, and try her hand at comedy and romance. Most of all, she wants to create unforgettable women characters.
On one of her trips to the theater, an unfortunate series of events leaves her penniless, with no way of watching the show. That is until a boy by the name of Will Shakespeare helps her sneak in to see the play. They realize they're both aspiring playwrights and Emilia convinces Will to join her in her efforts to win a playwriting competition at the palace of Queen Elizabeth I.
However, when Emilia accidentally uncovers a plot to kill the queen, she is given the job of traveling to the castle where Mary Queen of Scots is being held captive, to discover who is responsible for the plan to murder Queen Elizabeth--and to thwart it! Can Emilia and her friends stop the plans of a disguised murderer on the loose?
This delightful mystery is a marvel of incisive wit and extraordinary craft from the beloved, award-winning author Deborah Hopkinson.
* "Breaking down elements of drama and spycraft, this carefully researched, jam-packed read offers insight into layers of historical power and influence while humorously rendering asides on feminism and social issues of the period. It's a bustling theatrical romp worthy of a standing ovation." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A 13-year-old stumbles upon a royal murder plot in this standout historical novel from Hopkinson (Race Against Death), written in three acts and set in 1623. The literary curtain opens as lute player and aspiring playwright Emilia Bassano—one of many characters based on 16th-century historical figures—sneaks away from court disguised as a servant boy to see a public performance, and encounters theater hopeful William Shakespeare. This act of daring persuades Emilia's guardian, Queen Elizabeth's spymaster, to send her on a mission to gather intelligence at Sheffield Castle, the court of the imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots. Under the alias Emily Hughes, free-roaming Emilia spies on Queen Mary's court and encounters a plot against Queen Elizabeth. Breaking down elements of drama and spycraft, this carefully researched, jam-packed read offers insight into layers of historical power and influence while humorously rendering asides on feminism and social issues of the period. It's a bustling theatrical romp worthy of a standing ovation. Extensive back matter includes historical notes, a timeline, and one-act play "The Princess Saves the Cakes." Characters read as white. Ages 8–12.
