Could possibly be *The Devil and His Boy* by Anthony Horowitz, an author famed for writing a long-running series of spy novels for Tween/YA readers, the first handful of which were published in the early 2000s. Queen Elizabeth apparently plays a key role. However, the protagonist's name is Tom. [image: image.png] *Toni Lea Isom (they/them/theirs)* Youth Services Librarian Assistant Adrian District Library 143 East Maumee Street Adrian MI 49221 tisom@adrian.lib.mi.us On Fri, Aug 16, 2024 at 11:24 AM Colleen Kingsbury via Michlib-l < michlib-l@mcls.org> wrote:
Hello all,
I could use a little help from the librarian hive mind! A patron approached me with a book stumper yesterday, and I've had no luck searching on my own. She is looking for a book she checked out from her high school library (so we're looking at a 2011 or earlier publication date) about a boy who works as a spy and joins Shakespeare's play company. It was historical & spy fiction without any magical elements, and she remembers a section at the back of the book with spy codes. She insists this book was *not *from Gary Blackwood's *Shakespeare Stealer *series.
Some other details she believes she remembers:
- The book had a red cover, and prominently featured the protagonist (potentially holding a sword) -- she described the cover as having a very quintessentially 2000s design. - She believes the main character was an orphan, and his name *may *have started with an N. - The story takes place in London and Queen Elizabeth plays into the plot somehow.
I appreciate any potential leads, and thank you for your time! --
*Colleen Kingsbury*
Teen Services Librarian, Plymouth District Library
223 S Main Street | Plymouth, MI 48170
734-453-0750 ext. 271 | plymouthlibrary.org <http://%20www.plymouthlibrary.org/> _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@mcls.org https://mail3.mcls.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
