I love Teaser Tuesdays (where you post a brief "tease" from your current read) because I can pick up nuggets of books that aren't on my radar. I'm hoping that a good number of you will like the nugget I'm about to bake for you here.
This week's tease comes from Something Rotten by Alan Gratz, which is a Young Adult mystery that's a contemporary/stylized version of Shakespeare's Hamlet. This quote from the narrator, Horatio Wilkes, comes just before a play where they'll find out who killed Prince's dad:"The play roughly followed the plot of Shakespeare's Hamlet, focusing on the minor characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Personally, I'm a little tired of every author without a bright idea of his own putting a modern spin on a 'classic,' but I was a big fan of Rosencrantz and Guilderstern Are Dead," (pp. 129-130).Gratz is wonderfully ironic, tongue-in-cheek, and quick-witted in Something Rotten (which is the first in a series of Shakespeare-inspired YA novels). I would heartily recommend this book to be used by teachers, home-schoolers, or just interested parents who want to open their kids' reluctant eyes to the beauty of Shakespeare. I think it could be a fantastic corollary to curriculum, introduce the plot of the play in an easy-to-understand format, before reading/acting/watching the play.
Read more Teaser Tuesdays.
Posts
18 comments:
So a book based on Shakespeare commenting on being sick of Shakespeare knock offs LOL. I always enjoyed Hamlet so might keep my eye out for this one.
Thanks for commenting on my blog.
Have a great week.
now that's different. Have a great reading week!
Here's my Teaser
First Shakespeare reference I've seen in a teaser. I love Shakespeare so this one has definitely hooked my attention. Here's a link to my teaser.
I read Hamlet earlier this year and will have to check this one out.
I'm with Caspette about the hilarity of that statement. Love Shakespeare, so anything to get kids to try him is a good thing.
My teenage daughter loves Shakespeare "as is". You should have heard her going on about how dissapointed she was with West Side Story — I'd love to hear what she thinks of this one!
Here's my teaser.
@Wanda - I'm so impressed (and admire your daughter for great reading)!
I'm guessing she wouldn't particularly like this (it doesn't "twist" the plot of the play too much), so most people who like it, like it because it's an intro. The negative reviews on GoodReads.com were people who expected something different, and I think it's just a warm-up for kids who don't like Shakeapeare (yet).
Now this is something I am gonna read!
Here is my tuesday post
Great teaser! And I love (and appreciate) that you added the extra bit about the book and what was going on in the teaser - it sure helps. :)
Here's my Teaser! ~ Wendi
Sounds interesting. I've just started reading YA again based on all the great reviews I find in book blogs.
My teaser is here
Certainly original idea. Good teaser.
Oh, that sounds awesome! I'm a big Shakespeare fan, and Hamlet is my all-time fave play! I'll certainly look for this book!
Perhaps I should read it? I've never read anything by Shakespeare, so this might be a gentle step towards the real deal.
@Ladybug - Definitely! It's a great warm-up.
Nothing wrong with 'old' Shakespeare - but is good that they are doing versions of it kids will like :)
Hi! I'm new here, nice place! :)
Yes, it certianly does sound intriguing. I like the author's "voice".
Here's mine - I hope I've done everything right! LOL
Sassy's Teaser
Ok...you got me. I am going to put this book on my TBR list.
Great choice!
Post a Comment