Big Cat Read On - Shakespeare's Monkey

Paperback

A missing play. A runaway monkey. A boy’s first day on the job. What could possibly go wrong? The year is 1600, and Henry just wants to survive his first day as an apprentice at Griggs’s print shop. When a mischievous monkey steals pages from the only complete copy of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry is flung into a wild chase across London to get it back.

About the Author and Book Talk questions invite the reader to think more deeply about the themes in the book and reflect on their reading experience. Online lesson plans provide guidance in using this book in a range of settings, including independent, social and whole-class reading – all designed to support the reader to connect with the book and encourage a positive attitude to reading.

RRP: £7.99

Imprint

Collins

ISBN

978-0-00-878471-3

Publication Date

17-04-2026

Format

Paperback

Pages

96 pages

Dimensions

130x198mm

Product Description

A missing play. A runaway monkey. A boy’s first day on the job. What could possibly go wrong? The year is 1600, and Henry just wants to survive his first day as an apprentice at Griggs’s print shop. When a mischievous monkey steals pages from the only complete copy of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry is flung into a wild chase across London to get it back.

About the Author and Book Talk questions invite the reader to think more deeply about the themes in the book and reflect on their reading experience. Online lesson plans provide guidance in using this book in a range of settings, including independent, social and whole-class reading – all designed to support the reader to connect with the book and encourage a positive attitude to reading.

Author

Tom Mitchell, Illustrated by Jon Davis, Prepared for publication by Collins Big Cat

Tom Mitchell is mostly a dad, partly a teacher and sometimes a writer. He grew up in the West Country and settled in London after a brief interlude in the East Midlands. He lives in Kent with his wife, Nicky, and sons, Dylan and Jacob. He has written six middle-grade novels for HarperCollins Children's Books, with the latest being FIRST KID IN SPACE

Imprint

Collins

ISBN

978-0-00-878471-3

Publication Date

17-04-2026

Format

Paperback

Pages

96 pages

Dimensions

130x198mm

Product Description

A missing play. A runaway monkey. A boy’s first day on the job. What could possibly go wrong? The year is 1600, and Henry just wants to survive his first day as an apprentice at Griggs’s print shop. When a mischievous monkey steals pages from the only complete copy of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry is flung into a wild chase across London to get it back.

About the Author and Book Talk questions invite the reader to think more deeply about the themes in the book and reflect on their reading experience. Online lesson plans provide guidance in using this book in a range of settings, including independent, social and whole-class reading – all designed to support the reader to connect with the book and encourage a positive attitude to reading.

Author

Tom Mitchell, Illustrated by Jon Davis, Prepared for publication by Collins Big Cat

Tom Mitchell is mostly a dad, partly a teacher and sometimes a writer. He grew up in the West Country and settled in London after a brief interlude in the East Midlands. He lives in Kent with his wife, Nicky, and sons, Dylan and Jacob. He has written six middle-grade novels for HarperCollins Children's Books, with the latest being FIRST KID IN SPACE