Did you know Shakespeare invented the romantic comedy? And about 1,700 words? If you want to get the gist of Shakespeare's stories without decoding the "wherefore arts," here are some teen retellings of Shakespeare's plays that will have you rolling or shaking in your seats.
Exit, Pursued by A Bear by E.K. Johnston is a mix of The Winter's Tale, Veronica Mars and Bring It On! A powerful read, this book dares to imagine a world where justice wins out and girls are supported through traumatic experiences. This is one of my favorite titles released this year so far, full of girl power and best friends and basket tosses.
Exit Pursued by a Bear is available in other formats.
The Steep & Thorny Way by Cat Winters sets a gender-flipped and multiracial Hamlet in 1920s Oregon. Winters brings to life the era of Prohibition and the early days of the KKK, events often ignored by historical fiction. I especially love the historical photographs included in the book to create a real sense of the time and place.
The Steep & Thorny Way is available in other formats.
As I Descended by Robin Talley is a modern re-imagining of Macbeth set at a haunted boarding school, and if that doesn't sound awesome, then you're doing it wrong. A vast improvement on the original (in my opinion), this book is wonderfully creepy and had me desperate to know what happened.
Finally, if you're looking for a good laugh, pick up The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You by Lily Anderson. I didn't think it was possible to cram so much nerdy into a single book, but she does it brilliantly while retelling Much Ado About Nothing in a modern high school for genius kids.
The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You is available in other formats.
What's your favorite Shakespeare retelling?
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