Review: YOLO Juilet William Shakespeare, Brett Wright & srsly Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Courtney Carbone

YOLO Juliet by William Shakespeare, Brett Wright
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 26th, 2015
Purchase: Amazon

Romeo and Juliet, one of the greatest love stories ever told . . . in texts?!
 
Imagine: What if those star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet had smartphones? A classic is reborn in this fun and funny adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays!
 
Two families at war.
A boy and a girl in love.
A secret marriage gone oh-so-wrong.

and h8. The classics just got a whole lot more interesting. ;)
 
 
tl;dr A Shakespeare play told through its characters texting with emojis, checking in at certain locations, and updating their relationship statuses. The perfect gift for hip theater lovers and teens.

A glossary and cast of characters are included for those who need it. For example: tl;dr means too long; didn’t read. 

My thoughts:
YOLO Juliet was such a cute book!  I wasn't sure going in how I would feel reading it since I am not of the emoji generation and the fact I adore Shakespeare above all else, but I was completely surprised.

The author Brett Wright takes the story of Rome and Juliet and condenses it, but still highlights the main points.  I was afraid the story would lose something in this unique translation, but I found myself totally reeled in.  I loved the use of emoji's and I even laughed out loud in certain parts.  I think this even showed how young Romeo and Juliet really were.  With the whole texting thing they each got to act more like young kids and it definitely fit.

If you are looking for a fun new way to read Romeo and Juliet then this is for you.  It is a very short read, but one that is both hilarious and true to the original.

4 snowflakes

srsly Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Courtney Carbone
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 26th, 2015
Purchase: Amazon

Hamlet, one of the greatest stories ever told . . . in texts?!
 
Imagine: What if Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, and the tragic Ophelia had smartphones? A classic is reborn in this fun and funny adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays!
 
A kingdom on the brink of war.
A stolen throne.
A boy seeking revenge.

and h8. The classics just got a whole lot more interesting. ;)
 
 
tl;dr A Shakespeare play told through its characters texting with emojis, checking in at certain locations, and updating their relationship statuses. The perfect gift for hip theater lovers and teens.

A glossary and cast of characters are included for those who need it. For example: tl;dr means too long; didn’t read.

My Thoughts:
srsly Hamlet was almost as cute as YOLO Juliet. I'm thinking that I didn't quite connect with this one as much because I haven't read Hamlet ( I know I someone should hit me).  I got a bit confused with all the characters and even though there is a handy guide that tells you who is who I still got confused. 

That though didn't take away from the fun texting and I really do believe that kids these days should start Shakespeare with these books.  They are fun and to the point and well you can understand them which is huge.

srsly Hamlet was fun and actually made me want to pick up the original so that I could really see what Hamlet was thinking.  And yeah this might be the case for others too and reading more is always a great thing!

Oh and I loved the glossary because I had no clue what some of the acronyms were!  And come on those covers are super hilarious!!  You have to love them for that alone!

3 snowflakes