Gary Blackwood – författare

History?s amazing secrets and codes?and how to crack them yourself.

This fascinating look at history?s most mysterious messages is packed with puzzles to decode and ciphers that kids can use themselves. Here are the encrypted notes of Spartan warriors, the brilliant code-crackers of Elizabeth I, secret messages of the American Revolution, spy books of the Civil War, the famous Enigma Machine, and the Navajo code talkers. As computers change the way we communicate, codes today are more intriguing than ever.

From invisible ink to the CIA, this exciting trip through history is a hands-on, interactive experience? so get cracking!

A delightful adveture full of humor and heart set in Elizabethan England!Widge is an orphan with a rare talent for shorthand. His fearsome master has just one demand: steal Shakespeare''s play "Hamlet"--or else. Widge has no choice but to follow orders, so he works his way into the heart of the Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare''s players perform. As full of twists and turns as a London alleyway, this entertaining novel is rich in period details, colorful characters, villainy, and drama.* "A fast-moving historical novel that introduces an important era with casual familiarity." --School Library Journal, starred review"Readers will find much to like in Widge, and plenty to enjoy in this gleeful romp through olde England" --Kirkus Reviews "Excels in the lively depictions of Elizabethan stagecraft and street life." --Publishers WeeklyAn ALA Notable Book

Picking up where Jules Verne''s Around the World in Eighty Days left off, Phileas Fogg''s teenage son, Harry, is in trouble. He has made a bet that he can drive a steam-powered motor-car around the world in 100 days. So along with a brilliant but shy mechanic, a sly female journalist, and the son of his opponent in the wager, Harry sets off on a race against time. The trip isn''t easy, especially with dissension within the group. The question is, will they be able to finish . . .because the stakes are inconceivably high."A thrilling, thoroughly road-worthy joy ride." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review"Fun and suspenseful." - Booklist

Intrigue, betrayal, and romance surround Widge as we find him back in London and at the center of things, as usual. Queen Elizabeth, Shakespeare''s patron, has died, but the new king and his queen love drama-on stage and off. Shakespeare has begun a new play about political intrigue, but real intrigue is close at hand. Someone is stealing from the company, and Shakespeare''s scripts must be guarded at all costs-including the one he has given up on and turned over to Widge to finish. Widge finds the glory of being a playwright appealing, especially when there''s a pretty girl to impress. But spying is even more exciting! Readers swept up in the first two adventures about Widge and Shakespeare''s players will be enthralled yet again by this third tale with its dramatic twists and turns and an ending worthy of the Bard himself.

When an outbreak of the deadly Black Plague closes the Globe Theatre, William Shakespeare''s acting troupe sets off on a tour of England. Widge, the orphan-turned-actor, knows that he''ll be useful on the trip. Not only does he love the stage, but his knack for a unique shorthand has proven him one of the most valuable apprentices in the troupe. But then a mysterious man appears, claiming to know a secret from Widge''s past-a secret that may forever force him from the theatre he loves."An exciting, well-written tale that is sure to leave [readers] clamoring for more." (School Library Journal, starred review)

Intrigue, danger, chess, and a real-life hoax combine in this historical novel from the author of The Shakespeare StealerPhiladelphia, PA, 1835. Rufus, a twelve-year-old chess prodigy, is recruited by a shady showman named Maelzel to secretly operate a mechanical chess player called the Turk. The Turk wows ticket-paying audience members and players, who do not realize that Rufus, the true chess master, is hidden inside the contraption. But Rufus’s job working the automaton must be kept secret, and he fears he may never be able to escape his unscrupulous master. And what has happened to the previous operators of the Turk, who seem to disappear as soon as Maelzel no longer needs them? Creeping suspense, plenty of mystery, and cameos from Edgar Allan Poe and P. T. Barnum mark Gary Blackwood’s triumphant return to middle grade fiction.