New Boy by Tracy Chevalier

As an English major, I love Shakespeare, so I have been reading through all of the Hogarth Shakespeare's adaptations (so far Margaret Atwood, Anne Tyler, Jeanette Winterson, and now Tracy Chevalier). And, I haven't loved any of them; the highest receiving a 3/5 stars. If you've loved the some of the others, then you might like this book more than me.

New Boy is an adaptation of Othello, and it's set on an elementary school playground during the 1970s. Othello is filled with adult themes and language that made this book an unrealistic adaptation with children. I also found the book boring, especially lacking was the clever use of language and the rich character portrayal. I honestly feel like I read a Sparknotes summary of Othello. So, if I have a student struggling to understand the plot of Othello, I might hand them this version. Otherwise, there are few I would recommend this book to. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.