Saving Hamlet

Starred review from September 19, 2016
Fans of the Bard will relish this evocative and witty time-travel tale that has student stage manager Emma falling through a trapdoor into Shakespeare’s 17th-century Globe Theater, where the high school sophomore is mistaken for a male backstage assistant. Before Emma has a chance to adjust to the language, conventions, and stench of Elizabethan thespians, she is swept into the frenzied preparations for the premiere production of Hamlet, the same play being rehearsed at her school under the questionable leadership of a new student director. Using the trapdoor as a portal between two centuries, Emma begins leading a double life, finding crises, triumphs, and romance in both worlds. First-time author Booth captures the thrills of the theater in two eras while providing an striking portrait of Shakespeare and the Chamberlain’s Men through Emma’s eyes. Her energetic narrative encapsulates general issues of Elizabethan England (disease, pollution, hygiene) and personal ones confronting Emma in modern times (earning respect from her cast, rebuilding broken friendships, and saving a show from potential disaster). As enlightening as it is enjoyable, this whimsical novel deserves applause of its own. Ages 12–up. Agent: Alexander Slater, Trident Media Group.

This debut novel combines a love of Shakespeare with the very real issue of gender expectations and the difficulty of fitting into roles defined by others.Emma heads to school with a stylish new, short 'do, hoping for a fresh start after a disastrous freshman year. She's given up soccer for drama, turning former friends into current enemies. Despite her inexperience, she's unexpectedly promoted to stage manager. Everyone in the school production of Hamlet just adds to her stress. Brandon--hot white senior, director, and Emma's crush--is not pulling his weight. Emma's talented, white, bisexual BFF, Lulu, has to settle for being Ophelia instead of Hamlet. Then Emma falls through a forbidden trapdoor in the stage--into Shakespeare's actual Globe Theatre in Elizabethan England. With her new pixie cut and slender frame, she's mistaken for a boy and draws the attention of the Globe's Ophelia--a boy who thinks she's a boy, too. As she travels between centuries and cultures, she tries to cope with her own problems as well as those of her friends--both past and present. Emma's narration includes enough minutiae to please theater-loving readers. Her transitions between times are handled fairly smoothly, Emma employing her knowledge of Elizabethan English to communicate successfully in the 17th century. This entertaining and original novel deals not just with growing up, but with a fresh and different interpretation of "to be or not to be." (Fantasy. 12-16) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-With her short new haircut and black clothes, Emma is ready to put her soccer days behind her and join the ranks of theater geeks as stage manager for her high school's student-directed production of Hamlet. However, when her best friend Lulu loses the lead to inexperienced soccer star Josh, problems begin. Already feeling vulnerable after her parents ground her for kissing a girl, Lulu snaps when Emma starts coaching Josh and then breaks off their friendship. Even worse, Emma discovers that Brandon, her crush, is gay, so her romantic prospects seem doomed. Perspective comes when Emma falls through an onstage trapdoor, traveling back in time to Elizabethan England, where she becomes assistant bookkeeper to Master Wick during a Globe Theatre performance of Hamlet. Seeing Shakespeare himself in action, she learns much about stagecraft and the true meaning of the play, knowledge that helps her salvage her school's and the Globe's productions and clarifies her romantic feelings. The well-paced narrative should have wide appeal for teen thespians. Although the initial premise seems a bit far-fetched, the major characters are well drawn and believable. The added time travel layer allows Booth to provide historical and interpretive information about the play, thereby making Shakespeare's poetry comprehensible. Less savory parts of Elizabethan life are included to help Emma realize that, despite her travails, she belongs in modern times. VERDICT This nicely plotted story with a strong female protagonist deserves a place in most YA collections.-Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, formerly at LaSalle Academy, Providence

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2016
Grades 8-11 Sophomore Emma, recently introduced to theater, is excited to learn more as the drama club's assistant stage manager for a production of Hamlet. Her theater-maven best friend Lulu is gunning for the role of Hamletso what if she's a girl?and Emma has a serious crush on student director Brandon. But then Emma suddenly finds herself running the whole show, she and Lulu have a massive fight, and Brandon actually starts to seem like a piece of work. Worse, the show is a disaster: brevity may be the soul of wit, but Brandon's version is five hours long. Then Emma falls through a trapdoor into seventeenth-century London, behind the scenes of the original Hamlet. As she travels back and forth in time between the two productions, she learns more than she ever thought possible about theater and being herself. Emma is an easy-to-root-for heroine whose struggles will resonate with teens, drama geeks or otherwise, and her forays into Shakespeare's London add insight into gender identity in the theater. A fun, imaginative debut.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)