Shakespeare’s Scribe is a 2000 young adult novel, written by Gary Blackwood

Gary Blackwood

Gary Blackwood, born on October 23, 1945 in Meadville, Pennsylvania, is an American author of popular books for young readers including The Shakespeare Stealer, Shakespeare's Scribe, and Shakespeare's Spy.-Works:...

. The novel is a historical fiction novel and takes place in Elizabethan England.

Plot summary

Widge, a fifteen-year-old orphan, is now an apprentice actor of the Lord Chamberlain's Men

Lord Chamberlain's Men

The Lord Chamberlain's Men was a playing company for whom Shakespeare worked for most of his career. Formed at the end of a period of flux in the theatrical world of London, it had become, by 1603, one of the two leading companies of the city and was subsequently patronised by James I.It was...

. Widge’s love for the stage and his talent in shorthand make him a valuable member of the troupe.

The 1602 outbreak of the Bubonic Plague

Black Death

The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...

 closes down the Globe Theatre and forces William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

's troupe to hit the road. While on the road a mysterious man appears, claiming to know about Widge’s past. Widge realizes that to seek the truth about his parents, he will have to abandon the acting troupe and the life he loves.

Characters

• Widge: A fifteen-year old orphan boy talented in shorthand who was recruited to steal Shakespeare's Hamlet by his previous master. He is now an apprentice working in the Globe Theatre
  Globe Theatre
  The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...
  
  .

• William 'Will' Shakespeare: A famous playwright and one of the "sharers" of the Lord Chamberlain's Men
  Lord Chamberlain's Men
  The Lord Chamberlain's Men was a playing company for whom Shakespeare worked for most of his career. Formed at the end of a period of flux in the theatrical world of London, it had become, by 1603, one of the two leading companies of the city and was subsequently patronised by James I.It was...
  
  .

• Jamie Redshaw: The mysterious man who holds the clues to Widge's past.

• Salathiel 'Sal' Pavy: A temporary player who goes on tour with the crew.

• Mr. Pope: One of the "sharers" of the Lord Chamberlain's Men
  Lord Chamberlain's Men
  The Lord Chamberlain's Men was a playing company for whom Shakespeare worked for most of his career. Formed at the end of a period of flux in the theatrical world of London, it had become, by 1603, one of the two leading companies of the city and was subsequently patronised by James I.It was...
  
  and Widge's mentor and caregiver. He also houses many other younger orphans.

• Alexander 'Sander' Cooke: Widge's best friend, who stays behind to care for the other orphans who live with Mr. Pope. He and Widge keep in touch through a series of letters. At the end, Sander contracts the plague while working at a morgue and dies.