Hamlet is Not OK

By RA Spratt

12+

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

240 Pages, 5 x 7.75

Formats: Trade Paper

Trade Paper, $15.99 (US $15.99) (CA $20.99)

Publication Date: March 2024

ISBN 9780143779278

Rights: US & CA

Penguin Random House Australia (Mar 2024)
Penguin (AU YR)

Price:	$15.99

Overview

Funny, shocking and brilliant: from bestselling author R. A. Spratt, a whip-smart take on Shakespearean moral dilemmas

Selby hates homework.

She would rather watch daytime television – anything to escape the tedium of school, her parents’ bookshop and small-town busybodies.

So Selby didn’t plan to read Hamlet. She certainly never planned to meet him.

This novel transports Selby, and the reader, into the cold and crime-ridden play itself. Here she meets Hamlet: heavy with grief, the young prince is overthinking and over everything. Selby can relate. But unlike Hamlet, Selby isn’t afraid of making decisions. In her world, Selby is used to feeling overlooked. But in the bloody, backstabbing world of Shakespeare, Selby’s good conscience and quiet courage might just save some lives . . . hopefully before Hamlet stabs one of her classmates

Reviews

“The book offers a refreshingly different, wildly imaginative take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet...Teens who have read, watched, or studied Hamlet may be in the best position to enjoy the novel, but others will be captivated by Selby and Dan’s adventures as well as Spratt’s irrepressible humor.” —Booklist Reviews, Starred Review

"The book presents a convincing argument for Shakespeare’s value in modern-day classrooms, even for struggling readers. A time-travel story designed to bring Shakespeare to life that educators may find useful."—Kirkus Reviews

“A cleverly pleasant modern take on Shakespearean themes and humor.”— Publishers Weekly

"Overall, this is a fun time travel story that will also help readers better understand Shakespeare!"—Youth Services Book Review

“Spratt’s writing allows the reader to gloss over direct quotes from the play without losing the plot. Readers are given a glimpse into Shakespeare’s life when he wrote Hamlet, and on mental illness in the Middle Ages.”—Quebec Library Association

Author Biography

R.A. Spratt is the author of the series The Peski Kids, Friday Barnes and The Adventures of Nanny Piggins. In her previous life she was a television writer. Unlike the Peski kids, R.A. Spratt never fights with her brother, but only because he moved to Tokyo to get away from her. R.A. lives in Bowral, NSW, where she has three chickens, five goldfish and a dog. She also has a husband and two daughters. For more information, visit raspratt.com

Academic and Media Requests

Request a Review Copy

Request an Examination Copy for Course Consideration