The Devil and His Boy - Softcover

Anthony Horowitz is perhaps the busiest writer in England. He has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty. He writes in a comfortable shed in his garden for up to ten hours per day. In addition to the highly successful Alex Rider ongoing series of books, he has also written episodes of several popular TV crime series, including Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders, and Murder Most Horrid. He has written the television series Foyle's War, which aired in the United States, as well as the libretto of a Broadway musical adapted from Dr. Seuss's book, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. He penned the script for the film The Gathering, which was released in 2003, starring Christina Ricci. Horowitz has also written the Diamond Brothers series.

Grade 5-7-Finding himself in London when he fully expected to spend all of his days in Framlingham where he worked, or more precisely slaved, for Sebastian and Henrietta Slope, young Tom Falconer hardly knows what to make of the startling turn of events in his life. Taken from the Slopes' inn by a gentleman who is then murdered by the highwayman, Ratsey, Tom is now on his own. Befriended by a pickpocket, Moll Cutpurse, he decides he wants to be an actor. As luck would have it, no appropriate parts are available for him in Will Shakespeare's new play at the Rose Theatre, so he accepts work with the mysterious Dr. Mobius, whose play The Devil and His Boy is to be presented before Queen Elizabeth. The fast-paced plot quickly thickens. Tom finds himself pursued by Ratsey, warned of danger by a fellow actor, and caught up in political intrigue. Needless to say, when he lands in the lap of the queen while trying to save her life, Tom finds himself in more trouble than he ever thought possible. Horowitz paints his characters, or in some cases, caricatures, with broad strokes and keeps the melodramatic story moving at a rapid clip. There's no subtlety here, but it's a rollicking good tale that is mostly based on historical fact, or at least historical rumor.
Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.