The eighth grade's plan to get two reluctant "lovers" together by means of a classroom production of Shakespeare's play has some very unexpected results.

Story Behind the Story

When my older boys were in elementary school—it was a small school—they both had a fourth grade teacher who was enamored of Shakespeare and wanted to bring the Bard’s brilliance to her students. That was why every year her class did one of Shakespeare’s plays. To be sure, these were not full-length productions but culled from any number of abridged versions of which there are many designed for young people to perform.

Now I can see youngsters performing an abridged version of Midsummer’s Night Dream; Bottom with his donkey’s head, and Queen Titania falling in love with him. However, a fourth grade version of Hamlet or Macbeth is another matter.

The productions were, frankly, absurd and often, while not meant to be funny, were funny. Very funny. read more

Awards and Honors

ALA/YASD Recommended Book for Reluctant Readers, 1988
IRA Children’s Choice, 1988
Bank Street College best books of the year, 1988
Wisconsin Children’s Book Center, best books of the year, 1988
Starred Review, Booklist, 1987
A Child Study Association Book of the Year

Review

“An imaginative, cleverly-written, laugh-out-loud story.” (Booklist)