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    Shakespeare's Secret
    Shakespeare's Secret
    Shakespeare's Secret
    Audiobook5 hours

    Shakespeare's Secret

    Written by Elise Broach

    Narrated by Jennifer Ikeda

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    This Junior Library Guild selection by Elise Broach is sure to become a favorite of all young sleuths. Sixth-grader Hero is captivated by the stories about her new home, especially the mystery of the missing million-dollar diamond and a 500-year-old necklace. As she searches for clues to their whereabouts she stumbles upon another perplexing question: Who was the real William Shakespeare?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMar 11, 2008
    ISBN9781440797330
    Author

    Elise Broach

    Elise Broach is the New York Times bestselling author of Masterpiece, Shakespeare’s Secret and Desert Crossing, Missing on Superstition Mountain, the first book in the Superstition Mountain Trilogy, as well as several picture books. Her books have been selected as ALA notable books, Junior Library Guild selections, a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book, a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenage, an IRA Teacher’s Choice, an E.B. White Read Aloud Award, and nominated for an Edgar Award, among other distinctions. Ms. Broach holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Yale University. She was born in Georgia and lives in the woods of rural Connecticut, walking distance from three farms, a library, a post office and two country stores.

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    Reviews for Shakespeare's Secret

    4/5

    291 ratings29 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I am so happy that I stumbled upon Shakespeare’s Secret by Elise Broach. I was drawn to the cover because it looked mysterious and interesting. Not only was there suspense and action, but I learned a lot about history and Shakespeare along the way. I am now fascinated by Shakespeare and am curious about whether or not he really did write the books he is credited with writing. I guess I will have to do some research! Who knew there was so much debate about him? I think Hero is a character that many kids can relate to because she is down to earth and feels like she doesn’t fit in all the time. I like that she is kind to people of all ages, because that is important. I think this book is great for anyone in 4th grade and up. With the references to Shakespeare and some of the vocabulary it could be hard for a 3rd grader to read on their own, but I think they would enjoy reading it with an adult.
    • 5/5
      This book could be used in a fifth-grade class to teach foreshadowing and making inferences. This book, as a mystery book, is full of opportunities for readers to foreshadow events in the book. Students could read independently and as a class could discuss what they think is going to happen when they reach certain predetermined points. Reading in this manner will teach them to be looking for things in books that can lead them to make inferences based on what is written.
    • 5/5
      What ages would I recommend it too? – Eight and up.

      Length? – Most of a day’s read.

      Characters? – Memorable, several characters.

      Setting? – Real world, small town.

      Written approximately? – 2005.

      Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Yes. What does Danny's father think of the change of events, and Mrs. Roth being his mother-in-law? What really happens to Anna? Does she visit? What really happened to make her a runaway? What about the diamond? Does Hero ever meet Mr. Murphy? Does he come back and talk to Mrs. Roth?.

      Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? No. The author does an excellent job of explaining the history in a fun and enlightening way, including the way inflation has made what many today would call pocket change, was once a lifetime's worth fortune.

      Short storyline: A girl named Hero moves to an unnamed small town and begins a life. She meets her neighbor, an elderly woman and with her only friend, Danny, they search for a missing diamond.

      Notes for the reader: This is a good adventure for all ages. There is a hint of romance, or perceived romance.
    • 4/5
      Hero Netherfield's family has just moved to Maryland and she must start 6th grade at a new school. She doesn't make friends as easily as her sister, 8th grader Beatrice. Hero is teased relentlessly by her classmates on the first day of school. She is befriended by her elderly neighbor, Mrs. Roth, who distracts her from her troubles by giving her a mystery to solve. The previous owner of the Netherfield's house is rumored to have hidden a diamond there. Mrs. Roth introduces Hero to 8th grader Danny, the police chief's son, and together the three unlikely friends search for the missing diamond. Their search uncovers some unexpected evidence that could change opinions about the authorship of Shakespeare's plays.I've loved treasure hunt mysteries since I was a child, and I enjoyed this one. I also enjoyed the literary references to Shakespeare and the Tudor and Elizabethan history that formed part of the plot, but I'm not sure I would have connected with these aspects of the book as a child. I always liked to read books about children who were older than I was, so I would have been reading about 6th graders in about 4th grade. By the time I was in 6th grade I wanted to read about junior high or high school kids. I didn't start reading Shakespeare until high school. There are also occasional references to adult themes that, if I understood them in 4th grade, would have made me uncomfortable. The book is recommended for 4th-10th grade. Some aspects of the story make it more appropriate for the older end of this age bracket, while the characters will have more appeal for the younger end of this age bracket.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable, entertaining mystery centering on Shakespeare's true identity and his relationship with Anne Boleyn, and mysterious diamond.
    • 4/5
      Hero's family has moved. Again. That means another new school where older sister Beatrice will fit right in while Hero will be, at best, ignored. It's bad enough that Hero has a funny name, thanks to her parents' interest in Shakespeare, but Hero doesn't have the personality to quickly make friends either. Things are different in this town though - Hero makes friends with her elderly next door neighbor (good), gets teased for having a dog's name (bad), catches the attention of the cutest boy in school (excellent, but scary too), and finds out that a diamond with mysterious connections to Shakespeare may be hidden in HER house (awesome!). Secret clues, close escapes, and the possibility of betrayal, mean that whether Hero can solve the mystery of the diamond or not, this won't be any ordinary school year.

      Filled with fun historical details, Shakespeare's Secret could easily be tied into school units on Shakespeare or English History. The clues are all laid out for readers to find - not just to where the diamond is located, but also to the relationships revealed at the end of the novel. Broach includes a timeline and historical note explaining which details in the novel are accurate since some came from her imagination. My 3rd-5th graders loved this, although some struggled to read it in the month's time.

      January 2009 Cover 2 Cover selection.
    • 4/5
      This book was about a girl who moves to a new house, meets a boy, and finds out from the neighbor that there is a diamond hidden inside her house. This was an exciting book.
    • 5/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed Elise Broach 's novel Shakespeare's Secret.! From the historical figures, true event that took, and fictional story line; it was a great read. Hero is a young girl who is not your typical sixth grader, just like her unusual name. But, but behind that name is characteristics she lives up to just like in Shakespeare's noted work. Hero finds herself in the mist of mysterious scandal,that has her puzzled and interested. She begins to find herself wanting to know more about Shakespeare and his past, because it is the link to solving the mystery. Elise Broach has done an excellent job with staying true to realistic events and educating young minds on Shakespeare. She has found a way to reach them beyond a classroom setting. Maybe she has given young minds more than the average textbook could.
    • 3/5
      Moving to a new school can be tough for any kid, and sixth-grader Hero finds the only thing that gets her through a miserable first day (her classmates tease her mercilessly about her unusual name) is the promise of learning more about the mystery surrounding her new house. Soon a treasure hunt meets historical mystery as Hero teams up with elderly neighbor Mrs. Roth and popular eight-grader Danny to locate a diamond hidden somewhere in her house, a diamond that may be key to answering the question: “Who is the real Shakespeare?” Broach paints the theories surrounding Shakespearean authorship with a light touch. History and literature mix easily into the contemporary storyline without overwhelming it, and the thread of the mystery remains strong throughout. While certain subplots and the final connection between the diamond and the real Shakespeare may feel contrived, this novel certainly affords readers the opportunity to discuss the question of Shakespearean authorship. Recommended for middle-school readers, especially those who enjoy history-based mysteries like Broach’s more recent Masterpiece or Blue Bailliett’s Chasing Vermeer series.
    • 5/5
      Hero Nertherfield moves with her parents and older sister from New York to Maryland due to her father’s new job. She is scared of thinking that after a weekend is gone she will start grade six in new school. Her sister Beatrice is the total opposite of her, always being a popular girl and making new friends easily. After returning from the first day at school where she was teased for her unusual name, Hero meets her neighbor, an older lady called Miriam Roth. Hero enjoys her conversation with Mrs. Roth who has a calm voice. She is intrigued with the story of a hidden diamond. While solving crosswords at Miriam’s porch, Hero hears about the large diamond being somewhere in her house or yard. The diamond was a pendant of an antique necklace that belonged to the previous house owners, the Murphys, who left the necklace to Mrs. Roth after Mrs. Murphy died. Having some clues, Hero decides to search for the large yellow diamond that costs a fortune. Mrs. Roth, Danny Cordova, Danny: a boy who goes to the same school as Hero, and her sister Beatrice, help her in this quest. Danny’s dad is a chief of police who investigated the case and never doubted that the Murphys faked a break-in for stealing the diamond. The circumstances involving Hero’s father’s studies and his life’s written work on Shakespeare, helps her to solve the puzzles of the necklace’s history. The journey of getting the diamond to the right place brings Hero’s family together creating valuable friendship, which were more worth then the price of the necklace.
    • 4/5
      Grades 5-7 Middle School. Moving to a new town Hero and her older sister must again start a new school and make new friends. Hero and Beatrice who are named for the Characters in Shakespeare’s play Much Ado about Nothing. Hero must face a new school and deal with the jokes about her name. Hero does not make friends easily and her name does not help. Hero does befriend a neighbor Mrs. Roth who tells her about the Murphy diamond which may be hidden in her house! Hero is befriended by Danny who is also curious if the diamond is in Hero’s house. Hero and Mrs. Roth discover a connection between Anne Boleyn and Shakespeare and the diamond. The diamond may prove Edward de Vere was the son of Queen Elizabeth and the true Shakespeare. Is the diamond hidden in Hero’s house? Will she find it? Will Hero find a way to make friends?? What will she do with the diamond?
    • 4/5
      Hero has changed school again and, once again she is having trouble fitting in and making friends. When she meets her neighbour, Mrs Roth, she discovers that there may be a valuable diamond hidden in their new house. She soon gets caught up in unravelling the mystery of the diamond and finds that she has a new friend - popular Danny Cordova - keen to help her.
    • 4/5
      Shakespeare's Secret is a well told mystery that intertwines historical details related to Shakespeare with interesting characters. Broach brings these elements together successfully. A window into Elizabethan England is given which helps move the plot forward in a natural way. A historical timeline of relevant events is a fun inclusion.
    • 3/5
      Hero and her older, pretty sister, Beatrice are named for characters in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Teased about her name, she has a hard time fitting in all the new schools her Dad's job, a Shakespeare expert, takes her to. In her newest home, she makes friend with a single, older lady next door, Mrs. Roth, who sparks her interest about Shakespeare when she shares with her the story of the people who lived in her house before she did. The woman was a descendant of Edward de Vere, who some scholars think is the real Shakespeare. Along the way, another mystery unfolds involving a popular boy at school who turns out to be a friend of Mrs. Roth's and who gets involved with Hero in a search for a diamond rumored to be hidden in her house.
    • 4/5
      A good book about the mystery behind Shakespeare's true identity. It reminded me of Chasing Vermeer.
    • 4/5
      Shakespeare's Secret is a fun read. In my opinion, that's the most important thing for a kids book.The characters are interesting. I identified with Hero, the 6th grade girl who never quite fits in anywhere. I suspect most preteen girls will understand that feeling as well. I never had as cool of an adventure, as she does, though!Hero and her older sister Beatrice move into a house with a mystery. Hero finds out about the diamond rumored to be hidden somewhere in it from the elderly next door neighbor, and sets out to find it. She runs into Danny, a very cool 8th grader, at her neighbor's house and he joins in the hunt.Along the way, Hero learns about the necklace the rumored diamond comes from, which leads to some historical research and discovery. I think that the nuggets of information about Anne Boleyn, Edward de Vere, and about Shakespeare in general will whet the appetite of readers, so when they run into more in depth discussions elsewhere they will be more likely to pay attention.The other thread of the storyline has to do with Hero starting at a new school, and (once again) being teased due to her name. Beatrice (as usual) has a much easier time. There is some interesting insight into what is needed to fit in, and further, to be popular, and the tradeoffs involved.I think this book will appeal to girls and some boys from ages 10-12 or so.
    • 3/5
      Hero, a sixth is named after a character in a Shakespearean play. She is uninterested in the dusty old author and her name connection until she is told that a million-dollar diamond is hidden in her new house. There seems to be a connection between Shakespeare and the diamond. Not to mention Danny Cordova, the most popular boy at school is interested in helping Hero solve the mystery and uncover the diamond.
    • 4/5
      Comparisons have been made between this book and the adventures of Petra and Calder in the books by Blue Balliett. Having enjoyed those books, I was looking forward to reading Shakespear's Secret.Hero, the protagonist of the story, is beginning sixth grade. Elise Broach has written a believable character that reflects many of the atitudes that I see in my own sixth grade daughter and her friends. The story written around her, however, seems more appropriate for a character a couple years older. The story seems to come together without any significant sense of peril, and all the pieces fit almost too well. The hopeful but trite ending seems to simple, requiring little from the reader. I will encourage my 12 and 9 year old daughters to read this. It was an enjoyable book. I just felt it failed to live up to the potential in the story.
    • 5/5
      Named after a character in William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”, Hero has been teased about her name her whole life and expects more of the same when she starts sixth grade at a new school in a new city. She does indeed get teased, but things aren’t quite as bad as she expected as she starts to make friends both young and old. Not only that but she finds herself in the middle of a mystery – there may be a diamond hidden somewhere in her house – a diamond that may hold the key to Shakespeare’s true identity.“Shakespeare’s Secret” is a novel for children ages 9 – 12 that works well on several levels. Author Elise Broach has created a great lead character in Hero Netherfield – a sixth grader who is very unsure of herself and feels that she lives in the shadow of her older sister Beatrice. Hero is a very real, if flawed, character, as she is sometimes her own worst enemy. Broach doesn’t sugar coat anything – the bullying Hero faces is very real and her friend Danny does some questionable acts. While the main mystery does involve the missing diamond (and it is fun to read as Hero and Danny search for the diamond), there is a secondary mystery involving Danny which is interesting, if a little bit too conveniently wrapped up. Mixed in with all of this are little lessons about Shakespeare and history that are so nicely woven into the story that young readers may not even realize they are learning something along the way.“Shakespeare’s Secret” is not only a good mystery, but a good novel about a young girl who not only learns about Shakespeare, but how to deal with bullying, and what friendship is all about. Well done.
    • 5/5
      Hero moves into a new house in a new town. She soon finds out that her house has an unsolved mystery connected to it. She solves it with the help of a neighbor that she stumbles upon the day before school starts.
    • 5/5
      While Hero juggles the pressure of being the new kid.She finds her and the most popular kid in school, Danny, in the middle of a big mystery involving Hero's house.
    • 5/5
      A wonderful children's fictional mystery story based on historical facts - along the same lines as Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer.
    • 4/5
      This is a great mystery involving a girl named Hero and her attempt to find a diamond hidden somewhere in her house. Along the way, Hero discovers that she is more than a nothing- she is worthy of her name.
    • 5/5
      On the first day of Sixth grade, in a new to town, Hero is teased about her name being the same as a classmate's dog, so instead of trying to make friends with kids at school, she strikes up a friendship with her elderly neighbor and is quickly embroiled in a mystery to find a million dollar diamond. The characters are well developed and the mystery is just complex enough to draw the reader in. My favorite part is how Broach connects the local mystery to a real life historical mystery. This might entice young readers to do some additional reading into the Shakespeare/de Vere debate.
    • 4/5
      I always enjoy mysteries based in historical fact or speculation. This book was particularly appealing because it provides a great incentive to young people to dive into the works of Shakespeare. Like the books by Blue Balliet (Chasing Vermeer and The Wright 2), the book engages young people in a local mystery. Unfortunately, the books don't have the depth of Balliet's characters or plot. On the other hand, Shakespeare's Secret could be suggestion for Balliet fans.
    • 5/5
      Hero and her sister, Beatrice, are named after characters in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. When Hero meets Mrs. Roth, her next door neighbor, she learns about a missing diamond that may be hidden somewhere in her new house. So many of the people and the events in the story are intertwined. Hero, Danny, and Mrs. Roth work together to uncover the history of the missing jewel and some possible clues to the identity of the "real" Shakespeare.I really enjoyed this page turner and liked that the themes of the Shakespeare plays were carried out in the modern-day narrative as well.
    • 5/5
      Hero dreads starting at a new school again. She's never been popular like her sister Beatrice and she knows that the first day will be the worst. This first day is the worst she's ever had. When introduced to her new class, a girl in the class blurts out that her dog's name is Hero. Henceforth, Hero is known as the girl named after a dog. With no friends at school, Hero begins spending time with her neighbor Mrs. Roth who is telling her about the mystery of the large diamond that is suspected to be hidden in the house that Hero's family moved into. Hero just knows that the diamond is still in the house and she begins to look for it. Mrs. Roth has some clues that point to the diamond once belonging to Anne Boelyn and the two begin to piece together the history behind the diamond and its possible connection to Shakespeare. I don't normally like mysteries, but I found this one very intriguing. There are clues that Hero and Mrs. Roth find out that lead to the solution to the mystery. There are also interesting facts about Anne Boelyn and the theory that another man might actually be the author of Shakespeare's plays. The author includes a length note about these facts that explains what was fictional and what was true.
    • 4/5
      I'd have liked this book a lot more if it weren't promoting the theory that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, is the true author of William Shakespeare's plays. As a staunch Stratfordian, I just found it hard not to cringe whenever the Oxfordian theory was brought up! Still, it's a great mystery story and I do appreciate the fact that it incorporates Shakespeare's works and Elizabethan history into the plot.
    • 5/5
      excellent book -- on of the best kid mysteries around