King of Shadows (Aladdin Fantasy)

Rating:
Summary: And as I am an honest Puck...
Review: From Susan Cooper, award-winning author of The Dark is Rising sequence. This one has a young orphaned American boy, Nat Field, playing Puck in a troupe of boy actors chosen to perform A Midsummer Night's Dream at the replica of the Globe Theatre...and while rehearsing in London, falls back in time to Shakespeare's day, to perform the same part in the original Globe. At the same time, his 16th century double falls forward to present day London, and seems to be suffering from the bubonic plague. Pretty darned sophisticated for a middle school reading level. Engagingly-told in the first person by Nat, we get to hear about the troupe rivalries (both present and past), the excitement and tedium of rehearsals, the incredible high of a performance...and also the sorrows of remembering his father's death, the pleasure of working with Master Shakespeare, and a never-preachy admission of the joy of being a performing artist. Excellent for anyone, kid or grown-up, who's trodden the boards...

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book!!!!!
Review: In this book, Nat is a young actor who had been shattered by the death of his parents. He traveled to London to perform as Puck A Midsummer Night's Dream in the remake of the Globe theater, and is mysteriously transported back in time to when the play was first performed. He soon bonds with the Bard himself who helps him begin to heal his emotional scars.

I absolutely loved this book. Susan Cooper is one of my favorite authors. She really brought the world of Shakespeare alive with her descriptions of the life back then. When she writes about Nat's emotions while he is acting, you can almost feel yourself onstage with him, getting caught up in the moment. You should read this book!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Just a good historical book
Review: King of Shadows was oddly good. It tells of a boy named Nat who is playing Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream. One night he falls ill, goes to sleep, and wakes up in 1599 Elizabethan England, right in the middle of Shakespeare's own performance of the Dream. It was very accurate historically and ideal for anyone who likes Shakespeare. I would suggest reading the play, A Midsummer Night's Dream before reading this book. It was meant for grades 7-9.

Rating:
Summary: King of Shadows- Amazing!!!
Review: King of Shadows, by Susan Cooper, is a great story with Shakespeare and a great adventure. This book is about a young boy named Nathan Field has been chosen to play the role of Puck for the play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', which was created by Shakespeare. The acting group that Nat is in, The American Company of Boys, was created by the enigmatic Arby who was the leader of the actors. The actors are very excited for the play. Then Nat gets sick. Nat goes to sleep and has a dream of flying into outer space and is being drawn back by an invisible hand. When he wakes, a strange boy says Nat had the Bubonic Plague! Whats happening? Read this book to find out. One of the extraordinary characters in this story is Roper. He is an amazing gymnast and is merciless to all others. This is shown in many places in the book. He shows it by showing scorn on all of the other actors and cheering at the death of two animals. Another character in the story is Thomas. He is very clumsy and isn't afraid to show it. Thomas has a big show in front of the cast and ends up proving that he is a real klutz. I would recommend this book for many reasons. First, King of Shadows has a theme, going back in time, which many people in the world might like to experience. Also, the story is well written so the reader will know where Nat is, past or present, and what he is doing. This book would appeal to Shakespeare lovers too. I think anybody who wants a great fantasy book with Shakespeare as a character or just a good adventure would LOVE this book!

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Shakesperean time-travel fantasy
Review: Nat Field, an actor in the American Company of Boys, goes to London with the troupe to play the role of Puck in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the new Globe Theatre. Suddenly, he is transported back in time to 1599 London and finds himself portraying Puck at the original Globe. Not only that, he's performing with Will Shakespeare himself, who is playing Oberon! The author brings the sights, sounds and smells of Elizabethan London to life and takes us behind the scenes of the Bard's own production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." After reading this, you'll probably want to read the play and see a performance yourself. Susan Cooper, who was a student of J.R.R. Tolkien, is an outstanding writer and storyteller. Don't miss her magnum opus, the five-book "The Dark Is Rising" series.

Rating:
Summary: A GREAT book for children 10 and up!!
Review: The book is about young Nat Field. He is playing Puck in a Midsummer Night's Dream. When he goes to bed ill, he is transported back 400 years. (...) I was very pleased with this book. I highly recommend it for girls or boys.

Rating:
Summary: King of Shadows
Review: This was the best book I've read to date, and I'm serious (I don't mean that it's on a list of about five hundred other books that I think are good, I mean this is the number one book on my list).

The story documents the tale of Nat, a young actor travelling to London with a group of kids from all over the US in a play company who are going to perform Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Julius Caesar at the Globe. But when he gets sick with a terrible fever, he finds himself transported into the London in 1599 when the Globe was new and William Shakespeare is alive!

It is told in first person through the eyes of the protagonist, Nat, and it tells not only, in detail, about the feelings he gets when he finds out where (or when) he is. It's not just another fall down the rabbit hole type of book, and it's not really fantasy. It describes in rich detail the play company and the city of London in 1599 from the point of view of a young character who has been plagued by death in his life. If you love Shakespeare like I do, you'll absolutely love this book. Even if you don't, you'll still love this book. It was full of meaning, yet the story is layered in a way that can be understood by younger readers as well as on a deeper level by adults.

This is a great book and definately worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: A new world
Review: With this novel, I think that Cooper has created a fun and original work. It is a story of a boys acting company who travel to London to preform at the rebuilt Globe Theater. For one boy, the trip involves not just a voyage across the Atlantic, but a journey in time as well. Nat Field finds himself back in Elizabethian London acting in the role of Puck in Shakespeare's personal production of A Midsummer's Night Dream.

This odd transposition in time allows for some interesting interaction with the setting. For a twentieth century boy, the London of Shakespeare's day is a strange world. Having no modern convieniences (such as toilets) and having the drink at every meal be ale are things that don't fit the everyday life of a young American boy. But Nat gets along and proves himself as an actor in Shakespeare's own production.

Given the general elements of this book, not all young readers would enjoy it. To identify with or even to like the main character, one cannot by a typical American kid. The theatrical world and the ability to understand the historical setting of Shakespeare's time are, unfortunately, completely foreign to most kids these days. So this book is not for the typical nintendo-playing sports-loving kid, but rather for the imaginitive book-lover. (For the book is full of imagination and history.)

The book isn't perfect, but it is still a fun read. As an adult reader, I wished that I could have read more about the purpose behind the time travel, but I realize that what was written is sufficient for a younger audience. So, as a young adult novel, it is a great book, well worth the read.