Theater in general and Shakespeare in particular are notably protean, and the potential of this and its companions to...
Carbone continues her lively updating—or heretical butchery, depending on your point of view—of Shakespeare's plays.
Having previously brought into the 21st century/slaughtered Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet (srsly Hamlet and YOLO Juliet, both 2015), Carbone now turns to the Scottish play. "When do u witches wanna meet up next?" asks "witch #1" in a group text with her sisters. This sets the tone for the rest of the adaptation, which plays out in emoji-bedazzled text bubbles, supplemented by notifications, Facebook updates, notes, chat-room screenshots, and reminders ("12:00am / Time to kill Duncan"). The dialogue is a mix of kinda-Shakespearean rebuses and textspeak: after the murder, Macbeth frets, "All the [water emoji] in the [Hokusai-wave emoji] could not wash the blood off my [two-hands emoji]. I [ear emoji] knocking on the [door emoji]. some1 is comin to get me!" It's all ridiculous of course, but there's a method to its foolishness. Many conventions of the medium adapt surprisingly well: asides are rendered as undelivered texts, and stage directions are Foursquare updates. Rather than (just) pandering to its presumed teen audience, it provides a lens through which students can see dramatic possibilities. A Midsummer Night #nofilter publishes simultaneously.
Theater in general and Shakespeare in particular are notably protean, and the potential of this and its companions to inspire students to think outside the Globe is significant. (Graphic classic. 12 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-553-53880-9
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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