Curiosity

The Shakespeare Stealer
2000-2001 Mark Twain Award
1999 ALA Best Book for Young Adults
1999 ALA Notable Children's Book
1999 NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
1999 Cricket's Choice
1999 Reading Circle of Missouri State Teachers' Association selection/Grades 5-8
1999 Heartland Award for Excellence in YA Literature
1998-1999 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award Master List
1998 Golden Kite Award Shortlist
1998 VOYA's Books in the Middle Oustanding Title of 1998
1998 CCBBC Choices
1998 Best Children's Books/Bank Street College Ages 12-up

Shakespeare's Scribe
2001 ALA Best Book for Young Adults
2001 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age List
2001 Parent's Guide to Children's Media Awards
2000 Smithsonian Magazine Notable Children's Book

Shakespeare's Spy
2004 CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young Readers

The Year of the Hangman
2002 ALA Notable Book
2002 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Around the World in 100 Days
2010 Best Books for Teens by Kirkus Book Reviews
2010 Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children

* "A thrilling look at the 19th-century age of automata--"a time of curiosity-seekers"--and the riveting story of a likable Philadelphia boy whose life of the mind helps him transcend his extraordinary, oft-cruel circumstances." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "The museum and curiosity show setting--as well as the cameo appearances by Edgar Allan Poe and P. T. Barnum--make this historical novel a delight." - VOYA, starred review

"The layered narrative should appeal to history buffs, gadget lovers, and fans of The Invention of Hugo Cabret." - Publishers Weekly

"Readers will no doubt find [Rufus] a compelling protagonist and likable hero....the Dickensian cast of characters and tightly constructed plot will resonate with fans of Laura Amy Schlitz's Splendors and Glooms." - School Library Journal

"Blackwood excels in writing historical fiction that is as informative as it is entertaining. The period details, including cameos by famous people, bring the era to life, but it's the vivid characters and the inventive plot, told through Rufus's sympathetic first-person narrative, that drive our interest in the story." - The Horn Book

"With a cast of fictional and historical figures including grand showman P. T. Barnum; Edgar Allan Poe and his teenage wife, Virginia; and the real-life owner of the Turk, Maelzel--this Dickensian coming-of-age story from the author of Around the World in 100 Days offers a glimpse into quaint corner of American history." - Booklist

"Blackwood constructs a plot with appeal to several readerships: the gearheads who enjoy the mechanical workings of these robotic oddities, à la Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret; those who shiver at the possibility of life force within the machine, à la Schlitz's Splendors and Glooms; those who gravitate toward plucky orphan stories; and of course, those who appreciate a solid historical fiction riff on a real-life invention, the Turk itself. Rufus' self-effacing narration is thoroughly engaging." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Gary Blackwood's The Shakespeare Stealer was the winner of the Mark Twain Award. It was also an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALA Notable Children's Book, a Golden Kite Award Shortlist Book, a CCBBC Choice, and one of the Best Children's Books for ages 12 and up as chosen by Bank Street College.

The Shakespeare Stealer
2000-2001 Mark Twain Award
1999 ALA Best Book for Young Adults
1999 ALA Notable Children's Book
1999 NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
1999 Cricket's Choice
1999 Reading Circle of Missouri State Teachers' Association selection/Grades 5-8
1999 Heartland Award for Excellence in YA Literature
1998-1999 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award Master List
1998 Golden Kite Award Shortlist
1998 VOYA's Books in the Middle Oustanding Title of 1998
1998 CCBBC Choices
1998 Best Children's Books/Bank Street College Ages 12-up

Shakespeare's Scribe
2001 ALA Best Book for Young Adults
2001 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age List
2001 Parent's Guide to Children's Media Awards
2000 Smithsonian Magazine Notable Children's Book

Shakespeare's Spy
2004 CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young Readers

The Year of the Hangman
2002 ALA Notable Book
2002 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Around the World in 100 Days
2010 Best Books for Teens by Kirkus Book Reviews
2010 Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children

* "A thrilling look at the 19th-century age of automata--"a time of curiosity-seekers"--and the riveting story of a likable Philadelphia boy whose life of the mind helps him transcend his extraordinary, oft-cruel circumstances." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "The museum and curiosity show setting--as well as the cameo appearances by Edgar Allan Poe and P. T. Barnum--make this historical novel a delight." - VOYA, starred review

"The layered narrative should appeal to history buffs, gadget lovers, and fans of The Invention of Hugo Cabret." - Publishers Weekly

"Readers will no doubt find [Rufus] a compelling protagonist and likable hero....the Dickensian cast of characters and tightly constructed plot will resonate with fans of Laura Amy Schlitz's Splendors and Glooms." - School Library Journal

"Blackwood excels in writing historical fiction that is as informative as it is entertaining. The period details, including cameos by famous people, bring the era to life, but it's the vivid characters and the inventive plot, told through Rufus's sympathetic first-person narrative, that drive our interest in the story." - The Horn Book

"With a cast of fictional and historical figures including grand showman P. T. Barnum; Edgar Allan Poe and his teenage wife, Virginia; and the real-life owner of the Turk, Maelzel--this Dickensian coming-of-age story from the author of Around the World in 100 Days offers a glimpse into quaint corner of American history." - Booklist

"Blackwood constructs a plot with appeal to several readerships: the gearheads who enjoy the mechanical workings of these robotic oddities, à la Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret; those who shiver at the possibility of life force within the machine, à la Schlitz's Splendors and Glooms; those who gravitate toward plucky orphan stories; and of course, those who appreciate a solid historical fiction riff on a real-life invention, the Turk itself. Rufus' self-effacing narration is thoroughly engaging." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Gary Blackwood's The Shakespeare Stealer was the winner of the Mark Twain Award. It was also an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALA Notable Children's Book, a Golden Kite Award Shortlist Book, a CCBBC Choice, and one of the Best Children's Books for ages 12 and up as chosen by Bank Street College.