Cue for Treason by Geoffrey Trease is a children’s historical novel published in 1940. Set in Elizabethan England at the end of the 16th century, it follows the adventures of Peter, forced to run away from his Cumberland home. Peter becomes a boy-actor, traveling to London with another runaway, Kit. They uncover a conspiracy against the Queen that takes them on a series of escapades up and down the country.

Trease wrote over 100 books and is best known for his children’s historical fiction. He wrote Cue for Treason in World War II and didn’t know if he would live to see it published, and all initial printing stock was destroyed in the Blitz. It went on to be one of Trease’s most successful works, remaining in print since publication.

Trease was born in Nottingham, England, in 1909. Although his grandfather was a historian and Trease had an interest in history, he gave up his Oxford degree after a year for reasons of principle, moving to London and becoming a social worker. He first published for children in 1937. His children’s books are known for their progressive themes of fairness and equality as well as for their historical detail. They often focus characters living in poverty and strong female characters, a rarity in children’s fiction at the time. Cue for Treason is one of Trease’s earlier works, establishing themes and narrative tropes that reoccurred throughout his later writing. Trease continued to write until his death in 1998. He became a member of The Royal Society of Literature, won the New York Herald Tribune Book Award in 1966, and has been translated into over 20 languages.

This guide is based on the Puffin Modern Classics 2009 edition reissued by Penguin Random House UK (2015).

Content Warning: The source text and this guide include a non-graphic mention and threat of torture and death. Both the source text and the guide address themes of social inequality and historical power structures.

Plot Summary

Fourteen-year-old Peter lives in the mountainous region of Cumberland in the reign of Elizabeth I. Sir Philip has inherited a nearby estate, and walled off land that should be communally owned. Peter’s community goes to break the wall one night, but Sir Philip arrives with armed horsemen. Peter throws a rock at him, and Peter’s cap is shot off but everybody escapes unharmed. Peter later learns that Sir Philip has identified him from his hat. He’s forced to flee his home.

Peter comes across a theater troupe and hopes to see the performance. When Sir Philip arrives, Peter hides in a prop coffin, and the troupe accidentally takes him along when they leave. When he emerges, they invite him to join them: They need boy actors for women’s roles. Another runaway, Kit, also joins the group. Kit is brilliant at these roles.

Peter enjoys touring life but the group has to disband for the winter. When Peter and Kit fight, Peter realizes that Kit is a girl in disguise. They promise to protect each other’s secrets and travel to London with the troupe’s leaders, Mr. and Mrs. Desmond, and seek work in an indoor theater. They meet William Shakespeare, who is impressed by Kit’s acting and Peter’s mimicry and relates to them as fellow non-Londoners. He helps Peter and Kit join the famous Burbage theater company, and they settle into London theater life.

Before opening night, Kit suddenly flees the theater, forcing Peter to go on as understudy. Sir Philip is in the front row but doesn’t recognize him in his woman’s costume. When Kit returns, she reveals to Peter and Shakespeare that she fled because she was being forced to marry Sir Philip. Sir Philip wants the inheritance she will receive when she comes of age.

The company rehearses a new play by Shakespeare, Henry V. When a rich gentleman steals the script from Peter, Peter and Kit break into the man’s house and steal it back. While there, they overhear a discussion about a conspiracy led by Sir Philip and find some notes and diagrams. They take these to a government official who helps them get it to the Secret Service. It is revealed as a code, referring to the peel towers dotting Cumberland, old fortifications built against Scottish raiders. It is decided that Peter and Kit should go to Cumberland as spies, accompanied by an adult agent, Tom.

Peter’s family is thrilled to see him. Peter, Kit, and Tom must remain undiscovered, so they camp near the empty tower. One day they witness local nobles arriving and staying for hours. That night, Tom breaks in to gather information. When he doesn’t return, Peter goes in too. He finds that two men had stayed behind and they have killed Tom. He hears the men discuss the conspiracy: They have bribed a discontented actor to shoot the Queen during the performance of Henry V. That day, they will begin an uprising in the North, and a Spanish fleet will invade England from the South.

Peter is captured by the two plotters. He wakes on an island in the middle of a lake, with one man guarding him. He manages to knock his captor out and swim across to the mainland but meets Sir Philip and others on horseback. Running into the mountains where the horses can’t follow, he manages to evade capture and get home. Sir Philip arrives and attacks the house, but Peter and Kit manage to sneak out, warning the neighbors. They go to a local magistrate and they explain the conspiracy, assuming he will send a message to London. The magistrate is one of the conspirators, however. They steal his horses to escape: They must go to London themselves with the information, as they don’t know who to trust.

The ride is perilous. They know Sir Philip is pursuing them, and they are attacked by horse thieves. Escaping on foot, they meet the Desmonds’ theater troupe. Unable to outrun Sir Philip, the troupe uses theatrics to create the illusion of an army on its way to arrest the plotters. They manage to capture Sir Philip and his men. Peter and Kit race to London and the assassination is stopped just in time. In thanks, the Queen offers Kit her guardianship so she won’t be pressed into marriage before she is ready. She also promises the protection of Peter’s community’s lands.

Many years later, Peter remembers his youthful adventures. A happy man, he is married to Kit, who is teaching their children to climb trees.