Cover Image: William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Mean Girls

William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Mean Girls

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This book should be required reading for all high school students prior to reading Shakespeare proper. Ian Doescher has come up with an ingenious method for familiarizing one's self with the syntax and vocab of the Elizabethan age. I've always been one to roll my eyes when I hear people pressure young readers to "always read the book first!" While I understand the sentiment this way of thinking, in my opinion, minimizes visual learners such as myself. "Much Ado About Mean Girls" does the opposite. The joke only works if you've watched the source material so many times you know it by heart, as do many of my generation. Having this type of visual context helps readers immerse themselves into the text in a more natural way. I sincerely hope this is just the beginning of a new series: "Taming of the Clueless", "The Merry Wives of Heathers", MacCraft"? The list is endless!

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I've really enjoyed all the author's previous works adapting Star Wars and Back to the Future as Shakespeare plays, so I was curious to give this one a try. Sadly, I did not find it as good as the other ones, but I am completely sure the reason is that I'm a guy who's only watched "Mean Girls" but once many years ago, in contrast to the dozens of times I've watched Star Wars and Back to the Future all my life, so I was not as able to appreciate the adaptation on the same level or catch all the Easter eggs or references. It was still pretty fun, and you can tell by the text that it's as good as Get Thee Back To The Future, at least, though I still think these two are not as good as the Star Wars adaptations. If you're a fan of the movie, I think you'll appreciate it a bit more, though Doescher's command of the English language and Shakespearean tropes and techniques is good enough that even if you know nothing (or little, like me) about the source material, it's still a very enjoyable read.

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This is exactly what you would expect and I really enjoyed it. It tells the story of Cody, a previously home schooled 16 year old girl as she attends high school for the first time and encounters the 'plastics' - but with Shakespearean language and the five act structure. It was fun and accessible and just a really quick and good read. For anyone who struggles getting to grips with the bard, something like this would be perfect because the story is so familiar and the structure works really well. I will definitely be checking out the other titles in the series and am expecting to enjoy them all too! Such a fun time.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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This book is a combination of two things that I truly love: Shakespeare and Mean Girls. I expect that many others will feel the same extreme draw towards it. It is brilliantly written, with great respect for both Shakespeare and Mean Girls. In fact, it basically transcribes the movie line for line into Shakespearean language. It is a fun read. You can almost hear the actors' voices while reading. The author did a great job of maintaining the characters' voices within the Shakespearean language.

High school drama classes and millennial book clubs need this book in their lives.

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Nothing against this book, but I should have known better. I can never make myself love a book written in play format, no matter the content. However amazingly executed.

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If I were teaching high schoolers Shakespeare, I would have them watch the movie, read this and then get into the actual work. This was a really fun way in. I know Quirk books is there to have a laugh, but honestly, this is just what high schoolers need. It has been a long time since I've seen Mean Girls, so I forgot some of the plot, but this seems to hold pretty firmly to the original story. Thanks to NetGalley and Quirk Books for the ARC.

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Publication date: April 23, 2019



Description:


Power struggles. Bitter rivalries. Jealousy. Betrayals. Star-crossed lovers. When you consider all these plot points, it’s pretty surprising William Shakespeare didn’t write Mean Girls. But now fans can treat themselves to the epic drama—and heroic hilarity—of the classic teen comedy rendered with the wit, flair, and iambic pentameter of the Bard. Our heroine Cady disguises herself to infiltrate the conniving Plastics, falls for off-limits Aaron, struggles with her allegiance to newfound friends Damian and Janis, and stirs up age-old vendettas among the factions of her high school. Best-selling author Ian Doescher brings his signature Shakespearean wordsmithing to this cult classic beloved by generations of teen girls and other fans. Now, on the 15th anniversary of its release, Mean Girls is a recognized cultural phenomenon, and it’s more than ready for an Elizabethan makeover.



My thoughts:


The 2004 movie Mean Girls is a classic hyperbole about the subgroups in a suburban high school. The story is about the innocent, sheltered Cady, fresh from her home schooling experience in Africa coming across the politics of this very vicious social experience that is called American high school where the haves and have nots exist best when everyone understands the role they play and no one tries to move amongst social groups.



I think Shakespeare would love this modern take on his comedy and use of bawdy jokes built into this Shakespeare style rendering of Mean Girls. Although I think the original Much Ado About Nothing still hold up after centuries as a classic comedy, perhaps this will bring more students to Shakespeare on their own. After all, who doesn't want to see the bullies taken down?



An advanced digital copy provided by Net Galley and the publisher for an honest review

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So do you love Shakespeare? How about the movie Mean Girls? What happens when you have a mash-up of the two. Well, here you go - Iambic Pentameter rules. This book is a retelling of the movie Mean Girls using Shakespearean language. It is a total hoot. It truly follows the movie quite closely, except it is written as if Shakespeare had wrote the screenplay.

Fun and quirky. An enjoyable read.

Received as an arc from Netgalley.

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This was a very interesting book. It’s basically just mean girls but written in the structure of a Shakespeare play. I don’t know if the writing style of it really hooked with me. I think I was so used to the movie that this really threw me off. I still like the story and the writing provides an interesting way to read the story, but I’m not sure if this is a book I would reread. I would definitely suggest it at my store to people interested in Shakespeare and things like it, cause it would fit that style very well.
Overall 3/5

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Shakespeare made easier. Awesome. Perfect for my students. Modern retellings make Shakespeare accessible to today’s youth.

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This book was HILARIOUS! I was initially VERY nervous about the idea of something so brilliant being translated into Shakespearean language but It was genius. I am not a dedicated Shakespeare fan, if I'm honest I haven't picked up a single sonnet or play since I was in college, but something about this just screamed READ ME!
This is most definitely a book I never knew I needed! Doescher takes a modern tale and spins it into a marvelous drama with language that is dramatic, lyrical and foreign while also being satirical, hilarious and savage. After reading this novel, I instantly know how to get my kids immersed in Shakespeare's world - this is a modern tool for a classical era! A novel that no classroom (or bookshelf!) should be without! 5/5 stars!

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This is a fun adaptation of the Mean Girls movie - although it fell somewhat short of my expectations. Which I should possibly have expected as Elizabethan is all but a different language to modern English. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an eARC.

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An interesting concept but the language felt forced and was difficult to read. It didn’t have the rhyme and rhythm if Shakespeare.

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If you are a fan of Mean Girls and Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing... then this is definitely your book!
I've read the Star Wars versions of these classics, and I've enjoyed them, so it was no surprise when I enjoyed seeing my favourite mean girls in this setting.

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I really love that Ian Doescher is taking well-known stories and rewriting them into Shakespearean language. I think this helps middle school/high school students connect more and are able to decipher the older English and so are able to comprehend the text more. For high school, I could see teachers using this book to introduce Shakespearean language before moving on to a true Shakespeare work.

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As soon as I saw this on netgalley, I knew I had to request it! I’ve seen Ian Doescher’s Star Wars books, but have never read them. Now I have to! I loved the way he turned Mean Girls into a Shakespeare play. It was so much fun and definitely a quick read. I really enjoyed it and I am excited to read more from him!

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This novel is a great twist on the infamous movie Mean Girls. It is a great way to introduce readers to the world of Shakespeare with a well known and loved plot that is very relatable for everyone.

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I really didn't expect much out of this, aside from a good laugh.
It wasn't bad, but it was a little weird to read.
I love Mean Girls. I love Shakespeare. But I didn't really love this.

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Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

I love Mean Girls. This book combines the Elizabethan language with the Mean Girls script. A quick read that is sure to get teens into reading and understanding Elizabethan terms in an easier and fun manner.

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This book was very fun! I love the concept and I think that anyone who loves Mean Girls AND Shakespeare will love it! Those who think Shakespeare is boring have another thing coming!

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