Susan Sales Harkins: Susan is a Software consultant and the author of several articles and books on database technologies. She and her husband, William, collaborate on children's non-fiction.
Author: Alan Gratz
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3666-5
Publisher: Dial Books
Alan Gratz has done it again. Something Wicked, a
modern version of Shakespeare's Macbeth is a treasure. This companion
piece to Something Rotten (Hamlet) makes Shakespeare fun. This book
has it all -- mystery, murder, romance, a cool hero, and a sense of
humor. Gratz does a great job of drawing you into the story quickly,
keeping you entertained, your curiosity peeked, and occasionally,
making you laugh right out loud. Most importantly, Gratz doesn't
expose the murderer until the right time.
Click Here To Purchase Something Wicked
Author: Alan Gratz
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3666-5
Publisher: Dial Books
Alan Gratz has done it again. Something Wicked, a modern version of Shakespeare's Macbeth is a treasure. This companion piece to Something Rotten (Hamlet) makes Shakespeare fun. This book has it all -- mystery, murder, romance, a cool hero, and a sense of humor. Gratz does a great job of drawing you into the story quickly, keeping you entertained, your curiosity piqued, and occasionally, making you laugh right out loud. Most importantly, Gratz doesn't expose the murderer until the right time.
Horatio Wilkes, the main character, is as cheeky and cool as ever as he starts a fun weekend in the Smokey Mountains. He thinks he's going to spend a few days at a Scottish Highland Fair with good friends. Is he in for a surprise! First the weather turns foul. Then the games' founder and leader, Duncan MacRae turns up dead -- the victim of foul play of course. A name written in the victim's blood points to Duncan's own son, Malcolm, but Horatio thinks things aren't as simple as they seem.
Like Something Rotten, most teen readers will enjoy Gratz’s modern version of Macbeth more than the original. Something Wicked is a bit fouler than Horatio's first murder mystery as Gratz plays havoc with the lives of characters we care about. Horatio is often disrespectful, but always loveable -- a complex character that most teens will identify with. He has morals, and a lack of them in others is what usually gets his dander up, so he's definitely one of the good guys. Teens and adults alike will champion Horatio.
Like Something Rotten, I hope teachers consider assigning Gratz’s version as extra credit. Comparing and contrasting Gratz's modern version to the real deal will ensure that students learn Shakespeare's Macbeth, and have some fun at the same time.