By Deborah Hopkinson
New York: Scholastic Press, 2023. Fiction. 210 pgs.
Emilia dreams of becoming a successful playwright in 1582, something unheard of for girls in her day, but she hopes that entering a writing competition under a pseudonym will give her a chance. When she overhears a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth, though, Emilia agrees to help discover who is behind the plan. Sent undercover by Elizabeth's spymaster, Emilia infiltrates the circle of the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots to find out the truth. As Emilia spends more time around the exiled queen, she works to complete her play for the upcoming competition and discover the true culprits before it is too late.
This book is written in three acts, with scene divisions like a play. Narrator asides from an older version of Emilia are interspersed to explain historical context for readers, and extensive historical notes are included at the back of the book. The book also includes a script and stage directions for a complete one-act play with up to 26 parts that can be combined or divided as needed, so readers can practice being in a play themselves! Readers who like learning about the past and love strong female leads will enjoy this book. Multifaceted historical fiction fun.
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