Bailey's Books
Because I really love theater, my very first mystery for young readers is called WICKED WILL. It is about an adventure that a very well-known actor and playwright had when he was twelve years old. Oh, yes . . . his name was Will Shakespeare.
Wicked Will wins an award!
"fast-paced. . . lively and quick!"--Kirkus Reviews 4/17/2009
"Most young readers . . . will enjoy the murder mystery, the vivid
Elizabethan setting, and the clearly drawn characters. The story moves along
. . . with twists and turns enough to keep mystery fans presently
baffled."--Booklist 5/1/2009
"A novel worthy of the playmaster himself, this story has enough slapstick humor and unpredictable turns to enthrall its audience for all five acts....young Will is complex and endearing from his first monologue to his last. Slipping easily into the 1600s with authentic settings, dialogue, and cast, this mystery readily deserves the allusions to its title character. Recommended!" --Jennifer McKay, Library Media Connection, October 2009
When some wandering actors stroll into his home town of Stratford to perform their plays, Will Shakespeare thinks that he is going to have a lot of fun. He doesn't count on someone murdering Edmund Speight, an ill-tempered old farmer. Nor is he prepared when one of the actors, young Tom Pryne, needs Will's help because Tom's uncle has been falsely accused of the murder! WICKED WILL is filled with mystery, laughter, fun characters, and spookiness—just right to curl up with on a dark and stormy night.
Would you like to play a Shakespeare game? Click here (it might take a few seconds to load).
WICKED WILL was published in July 2009 . You can learn more about the book at Simon Says, the website of Simon and Schuster/Aladdin Books, the publisher. Or if you really want to order the book right away, you can do that at Amazon.com.
