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Contains spoilers, click to show
The Shakespeare Stories: Henry V, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet by Andrew Matthews presents four of William Shakespeare’s famous plays in an easy-to-digest format for kids. Accompanied by Tony Ross’ illustrations, Matthews re-imagines these Shakespearean plays as short stories more akin to classic fairy tales.

Matthews manages to take some of the most plot-heavy and confusing Shakespeare plays and break them down to their most basic elements. The language is easy to follow without lacking intellect or wit, and he stays true to Shakespeare’s concepts and characters. Illustrated short stories for kids are a no-brainer for getting children interested in William Shakespeare, and Matthews was smart to dive into the genre. He isn’t reinventing the wheel, but he is making the wheel accessible to a wide range of audiences.

I like how it has pictures, gives the cast and a quote from the original play. Then it tells the story and finishes up with an explanation of what just happened and some history of Shakespeare and the play.
  
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Louise (64 KP) rated Fever Dream in Books

Jul 2, 2018  
Fever Dream
Fever Dream
Megan McDowell, Samanta Schwebelin | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
*I received a copy of this from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

The title of this book is very apt – this book is like a feverish dream one that is bizaare and just doesn’t make sense where anything can happen. I was instantly pulled in by the synopsis and the fact that this book has been short listed for the Man Booker Prize 2017. I wanted to see what level of writing and concepts it took to be nominated for the Man Booker.

This book was a little confusing for me, eerie and peculiar is what I felt but after finishing I sat back questioning what I had read and was not sure how to rate it. This is definitely a weird and crazy book and would be best to read in one sitting which could be done as it is only 192 pages. I think if you read this in one go uninterrupted you would feel the unease and crazyness of this short story.
  
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ClareR (5869 KP) rated Honeycomb in Books

Nov 30, 2021  
Honeycomb
Honeycomb
Joanne M. Harris | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Honeycomb by Joanne Harris is a collection of short fairy tales that are all connected by way of the Lacewing King so that a bigger picture of this world is built. The Lacewing King is a cruel and selfish ruler, as are many of the Kings and Queens of the Silken Folk. However the Lacewing King begins to learn that there are consequences to his actions.

I loved these stories. I’m a huge fan of fairytales, myths and legends - they’re most definitely not just stories for children, as these dark and often disturbing stories prove. In fact, these short tales are just like the original fairy tales, in that people are tricked, driven to madness and die (but not ALL the time!).

The seemingly separate stories gives the reader more insight to the world of the Silken Folk, and the overarching story of the Lacewing King was just perfection. The beautiful artwork by Charles Vess really does make this a very special book, and I’m going to be sad to see it go back to the library!

I’d highly recommend this wonderful book.
  
The Girl from the Other Side: Siuil, a Run: Vol. 1
The Girl from the Other Side: Siuil, a Run: Vol. 1
Nagabe | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Beautiful art (0 more)
Sometimes you just need a simple but intriguing story.
I'm not usually a fan of manga's, I have no idea why but I always have a really hard time getting into them compared to comic books and when I bought The Girl from the Other Side I didn't know it was a manga until it arrived but damn am I glad I still decided to read it.

The story isn't very complicated and for a book so short they covered some of the world building and backstory quickly but at the same time, it didn't feel like it was rush at all. The characters are so interesting that I can't wait to read the next Volume.

My favorite part though and honestly the main reason I even bought this book was the art, the cover just drew me in and I knew I had to have it, the style really goes with the story so well the lights and darks just represent Shiva and "Teacher" so well and the art style is gorgeous and that alone is enough to have me already ordering the next book.