My favorite Shakespeare tragedy is Macbeth. I read it as a senior in high school. I can still remember my senior year AP English teacher telling us about the themes that we would see in Macbeth: violence begets violence, appearances are deceiving, ambition can be very, very, very bad. I am obviously simplifying here.
I was super excited to hear that there was a new YA book out there that is a modern retelling of Macbeth. Often movie makers and writers like to update Shakespeare. Did you know that the movie Mean Girls is very similar to the play Julius Caesar!? As I Descended by Robin Talley takes the story of Macbeth and transplants it to a modern boarding school in the South. In Macbeth, the main character wanted to be king after his wife Lady Macbeth persuades him to act to grab it; in As I Descended, the main character Maria wants to go after the Kingsley Price, a prestigious scholarship after her girlfriend Lily persuades her. Macbeth had witches; this novel has a Ouija board and ghosts. Both stories feature blood and the consequences of shedding that blood.
Even though I knew the story of Macbeth, I was still on the edge of my seat as I tore through this novel. I wanted to see how the story transpires in a new setting. Overall, I found this book to be super spooky. The role of spirits and ghosts and their effects on the characters was eery and spooky. This will be a great read for many teens. If you like ghost stories, you have a good one here. If you are looking for a book with diverse characters, this book is for you. If you like books about boarding school (like I do!), this one doesn't disappoint.
Come to library to check it out or put it on hold!
--Mrs. Woodall, Teacher Librarian
I was super excited to hear that there was a new YA book out there that is a modern retelling of Macbeth. Often movie makers and writers like to update Shakespeare. Did you know that the movie Mean Girls is very similar to the play Julius Caesar!? As I Descended by Robin Talley takes the story of Macbeth and transplants it to a modern boarding school in the South. In Macbeth, the main character wanted to be king after his wife Lady Macbeth persuades him to act to grab it; in As I Descended, the main character Maria wants to go after the Kingsley Price, a prestigious scholarship after her girlfriend Lily persuades her. Macbeth had witches; this novel has a Ouija board and ghosts. Both stories feature blood and the consequences of shedding that blood.
Even though I knew the story of Macbeth, I was still on the edge of my seat as I tore through this novel. I wanted to see how the story transpires in a new setting. Overall, I found this book to be super spooky. The role of spirits and ghosts and their effects on the characters was eery and spooky. This will be a great read for many teens. If you like ghost stories, you have a good one here. If you are looking for a book with diverse characters, this book is for you. If you like books about boarding school (like I do!), this one doesn't disappoint.
Come to library to check it out or put it on hold!
--Mrs. Woodall, Teacher Librarian