Gary Blackwood (born October 23, 1945) is an American author who is known for ''

The Shakespeare Stealer ''The Shakespeare Stealer'' is a 1998 historical fiction novel by Gary Blackwood. Taking place in the Elizabethan-era England, it recounts the story of Widge, an orphan whose master sends him to steal ''Hamlet'' from The Lord Chamberlain's Men. ...

'' trilogy.

Biography

Born in

Meadville, Pennsylvania Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. The city is within of Erie and within of Pittsburgh. It was the first permanent settlement in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The population was 13,388 at the 2010 censu ...

on October 23, 1945, Blackwood sold his first story when he was nineteen. In 1998, he published ''The Shakespeare Stealer'', a historical fiction novel about an orphan, Widge, who is sent to steal ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' from

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

and The Lord Chamberlain's Men. After it won the 1999 ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Blackwood published two sequels, ''Shakespeare's Scribe'' (2000) and ''Shakespeare's Spy'' (2003). Since then, he has continued writing historical fiction, such as '' Around the World in 100 Days'' (2010), which the '' Smithsonian'' named a 2010 Notable Book for Children and ''

Kirkus Book Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' one of 2010's Best Books for Teens. In 2017, he branched out into adult fiction with a Victorian mystery featuring

Charles Frederick Field Charles Frederick Field (1805–27 September 1874) was a British police officer with Scotland Yard and, following his retirement, a private detective.Douglas G. Browne, ''The Rise of Scotland Yard: A History of the Metropolitan Police'' (Gr ...

, ''Bucket’s List,'' and followed it with a sequel, ''Bucket’s Brigade'' (2019). Blackwood is also a widely produced playwright. In 2001, the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

commissioned him to write a one-act play of ''The Shakespeare Stealer;'' two years later, Seattle Children's Theatre commissioned a full-length version that has since been staged by a number of other professional theatres, including Nashville Children's Theatre and Children's Theatre of Charlotte.

Awards

* 1990 Friends of American Writers Best Young Adult Novel for ''The Dying Sun'' * Ozark Creative Writers Conference 1st prize for ''Attack of the Mushroom People'' * Missouri Scriptworks 1st prize for ''Dark Horse'' * 1999 ALA Best Book for Young Adults for ''The Shakespeare Stealer'' * 2010 Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children for ''Around the World in 100 Days'' * 2010 Best Books for Teens by Kirkus Book Reviews for ''Around the World in 100 Days''

Works

* ''The Lion and the Unicorn'' (1983) * ''Wild Timothy'' (1987) * ''

The Dying Sun ''The Dying Sun'' is a science fiction novel by Gary Blackwood, published in 1989.Blackwood, GaryThe Dying SunMarch 1989, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Set in the mid-21st century, the book depicts a world where the sun's light is actual ...

'' (1989) * ''Beyond the Door'' (1991) * ''Time Masters'' (1995) * ''

'' (1998) * ''Moonshine'' (1999) * ''Shakespeare's Scribe'' (2000) * ''

The Year of the Hangman ''The Year of the Hangman'' is a young adult alternate history novel written by Gary Blackwood and published in 2002. It was a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year in 2002. Plot Creighton Brown is an adolescent living in Britain in 1777. ...

'' (2002) * ''Shakespeare's Spy'' (2003) * ''Second Sight'' (2005) * ''The Great Race: The Amazing Round-the-World Auto Race of 1908'' (2008) * ''Mysterious Messages: A History of Codes and Ciphers'' (2009) * ''Around the World in 100 Days'' (2010) *''The Imposter'' (2012) *''Curiosity'' (2014) *''Bucket's List'' (2017) *''Bucket's Brigade'' (2019)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blackwood, Gary 1945 births Living people People from Meadville, Pennsylvania Grove City College alumni American children's writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Pennsylvania 21st-century American novelists American male novelists 21st-century American male writers