Thursday 13 July 2023

Hamlet is Not OK

Hamlet is Not OK by RA Spratt (Penguin) PB RRP $16.99 ISBN 9780143779278

Here is a take on Shakespearean moral dilemmas. It starts with Selby who hates homework and would rather watch TV or do anything to escape the tedium of school, her parents’ bookshop, and small-town busybodies. She doesn’t plan to read Hamlet, much less meet him.

This novel transports Selby – and the reader – into the cold and crime-ridden play itself. Here she meets Hamlet: heavy with grief the young prince is overthinking and over everything. Selby can relate. But unlike Hamlet, she isn’t afraid of making decisions. In her world, Selby is used to feeling overlooked. But in the bloody, backstabbing world of Shakespeare, Selby’s good conscience, and quiet courage might just save lives – hopefully before Hamlet stabs one of her classmates.

Spratt is the best-selling author of the Friday Barnes and Nanny Piggins’ series. Once she was a TV writer. She now has a highly successful podcast, Bedtime Stories with RA Spratt which has a lifetime total of over 2.5 million downloads.

This novel is pitched at readers aged 10+ years.

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