For those parents who may be having trouble getting their teenage children to read or understand Shakespeare, I've just come across an interesting companion to "Hamlet" which might be more effective than Cliff Notes in thinking about the story. "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein is a young adult novel which retells the events of "Hamlet" from Ophelia's point of view, starting in her childhood and ending after the close of events in "Hamlet". Although the story is kind of overdone in places and certainly takes SOME liberties with Shakespeare's plot, it's intriguing to think of the story from another character's point of view and may be something that at least teen girls can relate to better than they might be able to relate to the play itself. So for those interested in some Thanksgiving YA reading with your teenage girls, I recommend it for what it's worth.
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