Shakespeare's Secret

By Elise Broach
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Sixth grader Hero is depressed about starting at a new school again. Her bouncy elder sister, Beatrice, seems to take it in stride, but Hero (named after a Shakespearen character), only seems to have bad luck. Until she has to return the garden shears to the next door neighbor, Mrs. Roth, and discovers there is a missing diamond and a mystery in her new home! Mrs. Roth tells Hero all about the previous owners and how a diamond that may have gone back to Elizabethan times might still be hidden in her house. Hero is joined in her mystery-solving by Danny, the police chief's son and the hottest boy in 8th grade. Mrs. Roth, Danny and Hero become fast friends, and in their attempt to find the diamond, they also discover a lot about William Shakespeare and themselves. This is a great mystery--very fast-paced and interesting. Hero is a good main character, and you can't help rooting for her to solve the mystery. One of my favorite books from 2005. Read more about the author and book here!