Reviews (Plus): ‘Puck’ & ‘Saving Hamlet’
In the newest Twisted Lit Novel, Kim Askew and Amy Helmes’ retelling of A Midsummer’s Night Dream, we meet Puck, a young woman lost in the foster care system who has arrived at DreamRoads, a wilderness camp in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but her own skills of wit, manipulation and control. Puck’s time there will either set her free or enslave her until she ages out of the system. Each child may return to the world–or not–depending on their ability to conquer the challenges set out for them. Much like the Puck in Shakespeare’s play, Puck finds she must lie to and betray in order for herself to stay the queen of her own life.
Puck is a great book for a counselor to put into the hands of readers whose story is similar to Puck’s. Anyone who has felt left out or abandoned will enjoy this story.
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As Saving Hamlet begins, our protagonist, Emma, has just chopped off her hair to start her sophomore year fresh–and in the hope of catching the eye of the senior who’s directing the fall production of Hamlet. Emma has little experience, and she is shocked when she discovers that her predecessor has moved and she is in charge!
The book’s humorous scenes–the try-outs, the nightly notes, the tech crew antics–are only enhanced when Molly Booth brings time travel into the story. When Emma falls through a trap door, she is transported from present day rehearsal to the original production of Hamlet. She quickly adapts and eventually takes her new-found knowledge back to the present to help her peers produce an amazing show.
In all my years of theater teaching I don’t think I have found a book I would like to get into every star-struck teen I taught as much as Saving Hamlet. It’s a theater student must read–perfect for stage managers, high school stars, the tech people in black, and the senior who wants to run the show. I love, love this unique and witty retelling of Shakespeare’s classic play!
Puck by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes (Doublet Press | 9780998161303 | November 15, 2016)
Saving Hamlet by Molly Booth (Disney-Hyperion | 9781484752746 | November 1, 2016)
