The Playmaker

Rating:
Summary: Bravo! Give us more!
Review: If I had been reading this book for myself it would have been a non-put-downer! However I was reading it to my two sons, ages 13 and 15 so we had to make time between everything else. We experienced a wide expanse of emotions while journeying with young Richard. Great read! And, for those interested, it's a great read-aloud! The characters are fleshed out and the action is limitless! Nothing better than a good believable mystery! Don't let the age recommendations put you off. My teens loved it, as did I. Richard and his friends are people we didn't want to let go of at the end of the book. Hope there is more to come!

Rating:
Summary: Bravo! Give us more!
Review: If I had been reading this book for myself it would have been a non-put-downer! However I was reading it to my two sons, ages 13 and 15 so we had to make time between everything else. We experienced a wide expanse of emotions while journeying with young Richard. Great read! And, for those interested, it's a great read-aloud! The characters are fleshed out and the action is limitless! Nothing better than a good believable mystery! Don't let the age recommendations put you off. My teens loved it, as did I. Richard and his friends are people we didn't want to let go of at the end of the book. Hope there is more to come!

Rating:
Summary: Not just for kids!
Review: The Playmaker is a work which literally transports the reader to Elizabethan England in a very convincing manner. Cheaney has a beautiful use of language which does not talk "down" to her young readers at all, but instead presents them a fast-paced, exciting story which is as enriching as it is entertaining. I really fell for all the major characters, and I am hoping for a sequel...or several of them! Richard, Starling, and Kit are so well developed they seem like real historical characters rather than fiction. The Playmaker is a great example of how fiction can present a historical period to young readers so that the reader develops a feel for the period-encouraging an interest in history, too. That's a very enriching asset for a novel to have. This book is on my Christmas list for my young friends AND friends my age and older! My 27 year old daughter is going to love it!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: The Playmaker is a work which literally transports the reader to Elizabethan England in a very convincing manner. Cheaney has a beautiful use of language which does not talk "down" to her young readers at all, but instead presents them a fast-paced, exciting story which is as enriching as it is entertaining. I really fell for all the major characters, and I am hoping for a sequel...or several of them! Richard, Starling, and Kit are so well developed they seem like real historical characters rather than fiction. The Playmaker is a great example of how fiction can present a historical period to young readers so that the reader develops a feel for the period-encouraging an interest in history, too. That's a very enriching asset for a novel to have. This book is on my Christmas list for my young friends AND friends my age and older! My 27 year old daughter is going to love it!

Rating:
Summary: Great Book For All Ages!
Review: This book is great for all ages, as the other reviews have said. I, being a 13 year old, loved the mystery plotline, and I enjoy reading books like Shakespeare! I recommend the author's second book, The True Prince, and The Shakespeare Stealer and Shakespeare's Scribe, both by Gary Blackman! All of these books have a young boy who acts in Shakespeare's troupe, so if you enjoy that aspect of The Playmaker, then you'll love the others!!!