The Young Reader's Shakespeare: Hamlet
Grade 5-8--In this solid retelling of the Bard's most famous tragedy and best-known play, McKeown fleshes out the story of the dark and brooding prince of Denmark who wages a war of conscience over how to properly avenge his father's murder. All of the basics are here: the interwoven complications of the fast-moving plot, the multilayered characters, and many of Shakespeare's most famous lines of dialogue. As the author states, however, this is not a version meant for the stage, but rather one intended to be read; thus, it has to explain many details of setting, action, and thought that are normally discovered by seeing the play. Nevertheless, McKeown is generally true to the original and adds details in keeping with the approach of most productions. The tale concludes with a series of questions and answers that give some background on the characters and the plot. Comport's fascinating illustrations range from sidebarlike insets of characters or story details to full spreads that delineate the major scenes. Their generally somber tones and use of shadow suit the mood of the piece, but the highly stylized faces and poses may at first seem rather distorted. Less sophisticated than Bruce Coville's version, William Shakespeare'sHamlet (Dial, 2004), this longer retelling will be a good choice for those wishing to have the Prince's story explained in fuller detail and with more modern overtones.--Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.