I knew nothing about this book going in, not about Othello and that it’s part of a series, though each works as a stand-alone. It’s the author that drew me in, I’ve read some of her previous books and liked them.

New Boy takes place in the 1970s during a normal day at school for a group of 10/11-year-olds. But there is nothing normal about it. Again I was treated to great writing, a very fast-moving plot and a look at racism, friendship, and bullying (plus other social issues). However, my problem with the issues here and the feel of the story were more in line with 16 years old, the strong sexual tensions didn’t match the ages nor the time period.

So for me I struggled with that aspect a lot. Also, the new boy is Osei shortened to O and that distracted me because at times he’d be Osei and other times O, just disrupted my flow.

All in all an interesting and quick read.

I adore all the books by Tracy Chevalier that I've read so far. This was a choice at my work book club and everyone loved it as well. Extremely well written.

This is a very clever retelling of Shakespeare’s classic play, Othello.

What I love most about this story is that it can stand alone. It is not just an adaptation of Othello. If I didn’t know that this was a retelling before I read it, I would have thought it was a unique story.

It is a realistic portrayal of schoolyard drama. The whole story takes place during one school day. A lot can change within a day for children, with relationships being made and broken, so I can see these things happening in real life.

I also liked that the story gave different perspectives of the events. We get to see what Dee, Osei, Mimi, and Ian do and what they think. I love the way that Shakespeare’s characters have been translated into children. The dramatic characters have great personalities for emotional kids.

I loved this story. I just wish I had read it sooner! It is one of my favourite Shakespeare retellings!

This was an interesting take on the OTHELLO story, but not really for me. I also found the heavy focus on sexuality a bit surprising given that the characters are only eleven years old -- there was a degree of sophistication and indeed calculation to their relationships that I found difficult to believe. The fact that the story takes place over the span of a single day also stretched my credulity and my investment in the emotional reality of what was going on. There's no question that Chevalier is a highly talented writer, though, and that this story is unlike any others I've recently read.

This is in a series of re-tellings of Shakespeare's plays, each done by a different author and I've been looking forward to reading these! It surprises me a little to say this, and I didn't really know this until I read this book, but Othello is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays. And does the author ever do justice to it!

Obviously, this is a very racially-charged play and so the author's book also focuses on racial tensions but she gives it more of a modern spin, setting her story in the 1970s at an elementary school. All of the action takes place within a day, divided into the different periods spent in the playground - before and after school, and both recesses. Here, rather than real-world politics, Chevalier focuses on playground politics and the children are our main players.

Though it's not in a play format, we're still able to get the different "scenes" because the author switches perspective between the main characters. It still feels like the original, and of course is mainly predictable, but it's also refreshed with this more modern take. I think the racial tensions are easier for present-day audiences to pick up on because they're a more accessible part of our history, whereas the events Shakespeare wrote of are not necessarily part of today's common knowledge.

My 5-star rating really comes down to the impact it had. Even though I knew the story and what would happen, it was so much more powerful, and especially heartbreaking, because it happened to a group of children. Children! This is a violent play, in acts and words, and seeing how racism can seep so far into our society leaves a heavy weight on your shoulders once you're finished reading.

It's not a light read, far from it, but it is important - especially in recognizing how little racial tensions have changed from the 1600s to the 1900s.

Once I finished reading this book, it immediately shot to the top of my list of favourite reads of 2017.

As the newest addition to the excellent Hogarth Shakespeare Series which finds well-known authors re-writing Shakespeare plays in more modern settings. As a retelling of Othello, readers can kind of guess at how the story will end, but Chevalier has done such a wonderful job recasting these famous characters as students in a Washington elementary school, that readers are just carried along for the ride and reach the end before they know it.

Set over the course of a single school day, "New Boy" is beautiful, heart-wrenching, and fast-paced. A definite "Must Read."

I love the setting of this story. What I loved most about this story is the sincerity in the author's prose. It wasn't so heavy on making it known that his story was racially motivated but rather about relationships and human nature, human kindness, and the human heart. The fact that the characters were black and white was more of an afterthought to me-- and when this can be done in a story i feel like the author makes a much more significant statement and has a bigger impact on shining light on racial inequalities and racial tensions
D 4/5

Tracey Chevalier is the New York Times bestselling author of "Girl with a Pearl Earring". She has so aptly written the fifth instalment in the Hogarth Shakespeare series.

William Shakespeare's "Othello" is retold as "New Boy." A daunting task but done beautifully by the author. Osei Kokote known only as , "O", arrives at his fifth school in just a few short years and immediately becomes the new kid in the playground. His experience tells him he needs an immediate ally to help him maneuver and navigate his initial entry and as luck has it he encounters Dee. She is a the most popular girl in the school and there is an immediate chemistry between the two.

She is smitten instantly:

"O had beautiful straight teeth, Dee thinks, "a flash of light in his dark face that sparked something inside her."

She learns he's from Ghana and his father is a diplomat thus explaining all his moving here and there. The novel explores the different feelings that the other students and teachers feel toward this new kid that has entered into their well-established, tight, school bubble. Racial attitudes and tensions are plumbed with lots of dialogue, positive and negative, as how to welcome the only black student into their midst.

O's biggest challenge comes from a mean-spirited bully named Ian who targets him and wants to destroy his credibility and his new found relationship with Dee.

Tracy Chevalier successfully weaves jealously, racism, jealousy, fears, and betrayal into her work. The tragic ending will grip your emotions long after you finish the last page. I am positive this book would resonate very well with middle-graders and they could grasp and appreciate the modern version of the classic "Othello" very much.

Tracy Chevalier writes with heart and empathy, presenting characters who could easily walk off her pages and into real life. She does that again in New Boy, a contemporary retelling of Othello.

The author does a fine job of morphing Othello into a YA context, while also making readers feel for all the damaged souls involved.

3.5 star read.

I will admit these two facts: I've never read a Tracy Chevalier book, nor have I studied Shakespeare's Othello (although I knew the premise).

With that out of the way, I can attest that this was a wonderful read. I didn't end up giving it 4 stars because I felt that at times, rather than happen in a elementary school setting, it would have been more believable in a college setting, or maybe as young adults, starting off their working careers. That said ...

The writing is wonderful. Chevalier was able to create such distinct voices; Osei, Dee, Mimi, Blanca, Ian, Casper, the teachers - all of them felt authentic, especially to the background of 1974 Washington DC.

Rather like a play, Chevalier broke the story up into 5 parts: pre-bell & first period, first recess, lunch, second recess and finally after school. Each part was told in alternating perspectives - jumping from Dee's observations and experiences to Mimi to Ian to Osei; never repeating the same things, each narrator providing a clearer understanding of what is about to happen.

This wasn't simply a story about race - it also involved the very real dynamics of the power struggle in a school; who is popular vs. who has power. Who is liked vs. who is feared. The popular girl vs. the strange girl. Each dynamic influenced the story and moved it forward.

This book will entice you with it's strong writing, the characters and it's pace.

Recommended read - especially if teachers wanted it studied in schools as a contrast to the original Othello.

As an English teacher, it is a bit of a no-brainer that one has to learn to like or at least learn to accept Shakespeare. I have come to love the work of the bard, but some of my teenaged counterparts would disagree with me. It isn’t easy to make a group of teens translate this vernacular. I was so surprised that I had never heard of the Hogarth Shakespeare series before. Where am I living? Under a rock??

Making Shakespeare more relevant and accessible to today’s society, I was so excited to read New Boy, by Tracy Chevalier, which was a play on the Shakespearean classic, Othello.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going in as I hadn’t read any of the other titles I this series and have read some pretty awful Shakespeare retellings over the year, but, I must say, after finishing this book, I was impressed.
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Told on the backdrop of a school’s playground in the 1970s, Shakespeare’s tragedy unfolds with an eleven-year-old diplomat’s son, Osei (known as O) and his new friend, Dee. Ian, another student who cannot seem to handle this budding relationship, decides to put a stop to it.

Anyone who is familiar with Othello will know the general direction that this novel will take but the new cast and scene breathe whole new life into this story. I loved the setting of it being on a school playground. Having taught grade school aged children, I understand that some serious drama could unfold on the playground and Chevalier uses this to weave a story surrounding jealousy, bullying, young love and betrayal.

I felt like this was a brilliant retelling and would love to see this incorporated into classrooms; I think it would amazing to have youth actually connecting to themes in Shakespeare without being bogged down by the language.

This is Chevalier’s retelling of Shakespeare’s Othello set in the 1970s in suburban Washington, DC.

Osei Kokote is a Ghanaian diplomat’s son. He arrives at an all-white school to attend the last month of Grade 6. The smart, popular, all-American girl, Dee Benedetti, is assigned to help him through his first day. A mutual attraction is evident from the beginning, though Dee’s best friend Mimi advises caution. Mimi’s boyfriend Ian also looks askance at Dee’s relationship with a black boy who also threatens his position as king of the schoolyard: “Ian would always notice anyone new who stepped into his territory. For the playground was his. It had been all year, since he had started sixth grade and there were no older boys to rule it. He’s had months to relish this domination. Any new boy posed a challenge. And this new boy, well . . . ” Ian uses his sidekick Rod to make Osei suspect Dee is attracted to Casper, the popular boy in the school, even though Casper is involved with Blanca.

Chevalier’s version parallels Shakespeare’s play quite closely. The names of the characters clearly suggest their counterparts in the latter. Besides Osei (Othello), Dee (Desdemona), Ian (Iago), Mimi (Emilia), Rod (Roderigo), Casper (Cassio), Blanca (Bianca), the teacher who distrusts Osei is Mr. Brabant (Brabantio), and the principal is Mrs. Duke. The handkerchief with embroidered strawberries from Othello’s mother has become a pencil case embossed with strawberries belonging to Osei’s beloved sister. There are some nice touches: apparently “Osei” means noble, a trait emphasized in Othello. When Osei becomes less rational, Chevalier even includes some animal imagery to describe him, just like Shakespeare does: “he looked like a wolf growling.” Love changes Desdemona such that she disobeys her father Brabantio; Dee also becomes a bit of a rebel and stands up to Mr. Brabant even though he is “the teacher you impressed if you could – the way she felt about her own father.” Ian’s last words (“Nothing. I have nothing more to say”) copy Iago’s “Demand me nothing. What you know, you know./ From this time forth I never will speak word.”

Though clever in its parallels, this retelling does not always work. The main characters are in Grade 6 and between 11 and 12 years of age, but they seem very sexualized. They engage in French kissing and sexual touching, “make out” in corners of the playground, and speak about “going all the way”. I understand schoolyard drama with its ever-shifting allegiances and ever-changing crushes, but pre-teens 40 years ago were less sexually aware than modern tweens. (I couldn’t help but think that Chevalier was thinking of Shakespeare’s Juliet who is 11 years old.) The children in the novel are also inconsistent; at times they behave childishly and play childish games but at other times make mature, insightful observations and are very self-aware. I think high school students as main characters would have been more appropriate.

Another issue I had is the duration of the story. I understand that Chevalier was following Aristotle’s unities of action, place and time (a single action represented as occurring in a single place and within the course of a day), but she could have dispensed with this theatrical convention since she was writing a novel. Dividing the story into five parts of the school day spent in a school yard (before classes, morning recess, lunch, afternoon recess, after classes) is a nice nod to the five acts of the tragedy but is not really necessary. The events occur in about 8 hours at most.

A strength of the novel is its examination of racism. It is emphasized much more in the novel. The treatment Osei receives from classmates and teachers is very much caused by racism: “In some ways overt racism based on ignorance was easier to deal with. It was the more subtle digs that got to him.” There is no doubt that the racism “a bl – a new boy” encounters is realistic.

The character of the villain is problematic. In the play, Othello believes Iago because he has made himself seem very trustworthy. His behaviour seems exemplary so it’s plausible that Othello fall for Iago’s manipulations. Ian’s behaviour, on the other hand, is not exemplary; he is a bully whom everyone, even the teachers, fears and no one trusts. There has not been sufficient time for Ian to prove himself trustworthy. Osei even sees Ian bullying the younger students. Why then would Osei trust him and believe him so easily? He so easily distrusts Casper whom everyone seems to like, but he doesn’t question the motives of the boy who is disliked by virtually everyone? Osei seems exceptionally even-tempered but then rapidly changes into someone quick to anger, and that character change is not believable either.

The book is a quick, undemanding read. It adapts some elements of the tragedy in an interesting way. Unfortunately, the use of pre-teens as main characters and the adherence to the unity of time do not work convincingly. The novel lacks depth; I found myself reading only to see how the author would adapt the ending of Othello.

Note: I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley.

Originally drawn to the cover and description of the novel, New Boy, by Tracy Chevalier, best known for her novel-adapted-to-a-film, The Girl with a Pearl Earring, I delved into the book understanding the dichotomous theme of racism I was expected to experience.

Though the narrative was written with a juvenile tone to depict the voices relative to the characters’ ages in the book—11-year-old boys and girls—I found the writing far too simplistic to carry the weight of its serious theme.

From the stark and polar opposites in culture found in the Dee, the girl with golden hair, and Osei, the new boy from Ghana, to the overt simplicity of a school and playground setting, the story seemed too far-fetched in is microcosmic style to its grand attempt to adapt its story based on Shakespeare’s own Othello.

The key players in the novel from Dee and Osei as already mentioned to the attention-seeking Blanca, the popular and privileged Casper, the shy, yet insightful, Mimi, the following brute, Rod, and the manipulative and conniving character, Ian—together form a cast of characters that puppeteer the racial tensions in the novel.

While its narrative was written primarily with what seemed to be towards a young adult audience, the overt racism in the book was difficult to read even with the understanding that the setting takes place in the early 1970’s when racism was still prevalent and more obvious in western society.

Even with the main character’s privilege in society as a son of a diplomat whose status affords his family the opportunity to live in an expensive high rise building with the security and service of a doorman, as well as the opportunity to attend a prestigious school with children of privilege; the unfortunate and unfair catalyst of affliction for Osei is rooted in others’ perception, racism, and discrimination against him because of his skin colour and culture.

It’s emphasized in the novel that Osei is not only the new boy in school with only a month left until the end of the year, but that he is also the first and only black boy in attendance amidst a population of white teachers and students.

The presence of this new dynamic ruptures the routine and politic of the teacher and student body, which is evident both in the classroom as it is in the playground, which is both disturbing as it is a reality for many people of colour at a time when racism was overtly present and tolerated in society.

While the topic of racism is a worthy theme to showcase if not to discuss and educate readers against it; the over-simplistic story of a group of pre-teen children whose response to a new boy from Ghana seems far too superficial to carry the weight of its importance and complexity.

For readers looking for a quick, but uncomfortable read about the black-white politic in the United States during the 1970’s found in a story about a small group of young children who have yet to learn and understand the inclusion of people of colour into society, and the harsh ramifications of discrimination, then this book is fine to add to the bookshelf.

Otherwise, readers looking for more substance in a character-driven novel that attempts to shed light on the varying levels of racism in the spectrum of a diverse and ever-evolving community of peoples, will need to unfortunately look elsewhere.

***
Characters: 2.5 stars
Plot: 2.5 stars
Language/Narrative: 2.5 stars
Dialogue: 2.5 stars
Pacing: 3 stars
Cover Design: 3 stars
***
Zara’s Overall Rating: 2.5 stars
***
Note: I have also included the author bio and links to connect with the author in my review.

New Boy is the third book I've read in the Hogarth Shakespeare series -- modern retellings of Shakespeare plays -- and it is by far my favourite. Tracy Chevalier hit on just the right context to retell Othello. Set in 1973, New Boy is about Osei's first day in grade six at a school in a Washington DC suburb. Osei is not only the "new boy", but he's the only black boy at the school. New Boy takes place over the course of one school day, playing on the complex dynamics of these children and their teachers. Osei and Dee quickly fall for each other, but Ian who is always struggling for social acceptance plots to have Osei fall out of favour. All the while, racial prejudice and assumptions infect how Osei is perceived and treated. It's a tightly constructed narrative. It's clever and works well and ultimately heartbreaking. It's also convinced me not to give up on the Hogarth project. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

A solid 3 stars. I think that Chevalier really nailed this Othello retelling. She stayed true to the characters and the plot, but I have several problems with the narrative. Although I think the chosen time period worked for the troubles Osei (Othello) faced from those around him, that is racism in the 1960s-70s, it sort of fell a bit flat at certain times. I also found the subject matter to be a bit too mature and calculating for 12 year olds and would have worked better if it were in a high school setting.

I went into this book with only the faintest gist of the themes and characters in Othello - a play I never studied in high school. New Boy is a modern take on Othello and part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series where various popular authors (from Anne Tyler and Margaret Atwood to Gillian Flynn who will be taking on Hamlet soon) give some of Shakespeare's famous plays a modern take.

Several issues are addressed within this shorter story (under 300 pages) - from racism, power struggles, betrayal, revenge, love and weakness. The story is set within one school day at a 1970's local elementary school in suburban Washington, D.C with the main cast of characters being a group of 11-year-olds.

I can't say this book work totally worked for me. It's an easy read but I couldn't buy into the idea that 11-year-olds from the 1970's would speak and behave the way they did or be so overtly sexual. It would have been more believable if the characters were in the last years of high school. The shortened time frame didn't give readers time to believe that the strong feelings between the characters or the amount of tragedy and angst were possible.

What I did like was the small, insular setting and the various issues that were addressed. A lot happens within a short period of time but I was impressed with Chevalier's writing and how the issues were handled - particularly the blatant racism of not only the students but the teachers.

This modern interpretation of Othello is a brief look at hierarchy, racism and power struggles within a modern setting. It is a well-written, dark, emotional read that comes to a disturbing and abrupt ending. While I think people who have read Othello would benefit from it more, it could still be considered a good read for people who want to get the general themes of Othello.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

New Boy by Tracy Chevalier is part of Hogarth’s Shakespeare series, in which popular contemporary authors take their turns adapting Shakespeare’s famous plays. Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed and Anne Tyler’s Vinegar Girl are also part of this series. In New Boy, Chevalier tries her hand at crafting a new version of Othello. Set in suburban Washington, DC during the 1970s, this Othello takes place over the course of a single day in a Grade 6 classroom/playground. We meet Osei “O” Kokote, the son of a diplomat from Ghana. He is quickly the talk of the playground, not only because he is the new kid, but also because he is black in an entirely white school and moreover, he’s African – not like anyone else his classmates have encountered. He very quickly earns the interest and affection of Dee, a sweet girl who goes out of her way to befriend him. However, a nasty and conniving boy (Ian) decides to put a plan in motion to destroy their relationship – with tragic consequences. While it didn’t seem entirely plausible that 6th-grade children would act as they were portrayed in this story, it’s clear that Chevalier intended it this way. After all, from a 6th grader’s perspective, a single day could have all of the drama and spectacle of a Shakespearean tragedy.

This is a creative retelling of the Othello story, in a sixth grade setting in a Washington suburban school in the 1970s. Osei, the black son of a Ghanian diplomat, is the New Boy at school, expected to integrate among white kids and teachers in the last month of the school year. He is befriended by the beautiful and popular Dee who is asked to show him around as the school day unfolds. He encounters Ian, the schoolyard bully, who, annoyed that Dee is ignoring him, sets out to humiliate O as the New Boy is known. Racism is manifested by both some of the teachers and some of the kids.

Through a series of misfortunes and misunderstandings the day culminates in a very tragic ending for several of the kids, including O.

If I had one criticism it would be that the author's decision to unfold all the action with O's first day at this school squeezes too much into a very short time and renders this retelling of Shakespeare's Othello in a sixth grade setting a tad unrealistic.

Unfortunately, although I typically rave about Tracy Chevalier's historical fiction works, this one didn't do it for me. Having grown up near the setting in elementary school during the late 50's and 60's, the story line did not really ring true for me, as our school was already integrated. The writing was skilled, the story developed a sense of impending drama and the ending fulfilled the dramatic purposes, however it just didn't ring true.. Sorry! I really wanted to like the book as I really have loved Ms Chevalier's previous works! I will NOT be posting this review elsewhere.

This is the author’s contribution to the Hogarth Shakespeare series

Ms. Chevalier has given a contemporary spin to William Shakespeare’s “Othello” and has transported the tragedy to a 1970s suburban Washington schoolyard where a disastrous chain of events follows a black student’s arrival at a white elementary school.

Osei Kokote is the new kid in town, son of a Diplomat, he has moved a lot and became quite adept at dealing with being the only black kid in a white environment. To survive his first day he knows he needs an ally and he found one in Dee, the most popular girl in the school. But that alliance doesn’t please everyone. Ian vouches to put an end and crush their friendship…… By the end of the day pupils and teachers will be deeply affected……

The themes of racism, love, jealousy, revenge and repentance are revived in “New Boy” mix in racing hormones and place the drama in a schoolyard and you have a dynamic setting that is bound to be shocking and not end well. The author schoolyard depiction is right on: the clashes between kids, the hierarchies among them, their game, their emotions, etc. and how the adults react to bullying and racism. The book is easy to read, entertaining and a well-presented glimpse of schoolyard manipulation. It is a short novel that unfolds quickly and ends abruptly. Actually I had to reread the ending a few times to see if I hadn’t lost some pages….

“New Boy”, is unique way to live one day in the life of a group of sixth graders.


I received this ARC from Penguin Random House Canada via NetGalley