The Secret of the Rose

July 31, 2006
Thomson (The Dragon's Son) sets her suspenseful novel in 1592 during the height of religious persecution under Queen Elizabeth. After Rosalind and Robin Archer's wealthy merchant father is arrested for being Catholic, the two must find a way to survive. The novel opens as the two roam the streets of London; having exhausted the short list of friends their father told them to seek, they set out for Newgate Prison, where their father is being held (they later learn that he has died there). Nearly destitute after their money is stolen, the two serendipitously meet Christopher Marlowe, resulting in an apprenticeship for 10-year-old Robin at the Rose Theatre, and a role for 14-year-old Rosalind, disguised as a boy, as assistant to the playwright himself. Thomson renders Rosalind's character fully, even as she assumes her disguise (as both Protestant and male), and brings to life the inner workings of the Rose Theatre. The bond among the players underscores Rosalind's loneliness, while the dangers surrounding Marlowe serve as a microcosm of those lurking on the larger British landscape. Ages 10-up.

September 1, 2006
Gr 6-8 -Rosalind Archer, 14, has led a simple life in the Elizabethan countryside. However, when her merchant father is imprisoned for practicing the forbidden Catholic faith, she and her younger brother Robin make their way to London to find him, hoping to gain his release. They lose their money to clever thieves, and, discovering that the friends they -ve been told to turn to have also been arrested, they are desperate for food and shelter. Enter Christopher Marlowe, playwright extraordinaire, brusque of manner but generous of heart. He offers them apprenticeships at the Rose Theatre. Robin jumps at the chance, while Rosalind, who has disguised herself as a boy, agrees instead to become Marlowe -s servant. The plot is complicated by the death of their father, Marlowe -s discovery of Rosalind -s Catholicism, and the playwright -s own secret goings-on, which ultimately result in his murder. But through it all, Rosalind finds her place in the world and the promise of a life once-unimagined, yet fulfilling. Thomson stresses the -down-and-dirty - side of Elizabethan London, zeroing in on the constant political intrigue that marked the Virgin Queen -s reign. While she creates a clear, realistic picture of the times, the suspense of the story is not as well crafted and those looking for an action-packed thriller may be disappointed. Nevertheless, Rosalind is a well-developed heroine, and her story does introduce a part of Elizabethan history not found in other tales of the period. Definitely worth consideration, but as an additional purchase." -Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 23, 2006
Thomson (The Dragon's Son) sets her suspenseful novel in 1592 during the height of religious persecution under Queen Elizabeth. After Rosalind and Robin Archer's wealthy merchant father is arrested for being Catholic, the two must find a way to survive. The novel opens as the two roam the streets of London; having exhausted the short list of friends their father told them to seek, they set out for Newgate Prison, where their father is being held (they later learn that he has died there). Nearly destitute after their money is stolen, the two serendipitously meet Christopher Marlowe, resulting in an apprenticeship for 10-year-old Robin at the Rose Theatre, and a role for 14-year-old Rosalind, disguised as a boy, as assistant to the playwright himself. Thomson renders Rosalind's character fully, even as she assumes her disguise (as both Protestant and male), and brings to life the inner workings of the Rose Theatre. The bond among the players underscores Rosalind's loneliness, while the dangers surrounding Marlowe serve as a microcosm of those lurking on the larger British landscape. Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2006
Gr. 6-9. After the imprisonment and death of her father, Rosalind becomes fully aware of the dangers of practicing Catholicism in Papist-hating England; she and her younger brother must hide their beliefs, just as Rosalind must dress as a boy to keep safe from strangers' lascivious attentions. They both stumble upon positions at London's Rose Theatre, where Rosalind fatefully agrees to serve playwright, wastrel, and suspected spy Christopher Marlowe, whose own hidden identity puts her in even greater danger. Some readers may be put off by Thomson's efforts to preserve the era's linguistic styles ("Thou'rt not--what I thought thee"), but the momentum of the plot will help most to glide through the dialogue's unfamiliar cadences. As much about an introspective teen's effort to cling to her threadbare identity as about the political and social turbulence of the time, this will appeal to fans of historical mysteries as well as those seeking tales of women who have dared step outside circumscribed gender roles. Notes on the history and the period language conclude.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)