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christiana's review against another edition
5.0
What a great voice! Hamlet reminds me a bit of Lucy from [b:My Life in Pink and Green|5742272|My Life in Pink & Green|Lisa Greenwald|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255911439s/5742272.jpg|5913969] at least in that respect. Hamlet's little sister is a genius and is coming to her middle school for supplemental classes half the day. What Desdemona ends up doing is turning Hamlet's school life upside down, along with the help of their Shakespeare crazed parents.
Any 5th to 8th grader could love this book. I plan on giving it out a lot. I think a lot of girls could really like and relate to this story of sibling rivalry, but also sibling love. And what a great Shakespeare tie-in without being over the heads of an age where Shakespeare is familar a s a person, but not necessarily as reading material just yet.
Loved it!
Any 5th to 8th grader could love this book. I plan on giving it out a lot. I think a lot of girls could really like and relate to this story of sibling rivalry, but also sibling love. And what a great Shakespeare tie-in without being over the heads of an age where Shakespeare is familar a s a person, but not necessarily as reading material just yet.
Loved it!
booklover909's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
channywax's review against another edition
5.0
I wish I could give this 4 1/2 stars, but I bumped it up to 5 just for how original, cute and fun it was. I'll definitely be checking out Erin Dionne's debut novel "Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies."
brandypainter's review against another edition
3.0
Review originally posted here.
I found this book highly enjoyable. Hamlet is a character very easy to relate to. Her quirky family, friendships, troubles with boys, jealousies and rivalries will strike a chord with anyone who is or ever was in middle school.
This is not what I liked best though. What did I like best? Hamlet has parents who love and support her. They are good parents. (Yes, good parents in a MG novel. Who would have thought it possible?) They are sometimes consumed with their own lives but they do talk to their kids and attempt to make changes where needed. Also, the drama in the book is typical to life. There was no overly dramatic climax to steal away the reality of the book.
Many mentions of A Midsummer Night's Dream abound so it gets extra points for that as well.
I found this book highly enjoyable. Hamlet is a character very easy to relate to. Her quirky family, friendships, troubles with boys, jealousies and rivalries will strike a chord with anyone who is or ever was in middle school.
This is not what I liked best though. What did I like best? Hamlet has parents who love and support her. They are good parents. (Yes, good parents in a MG novel. Who would have thought it possible?) They are sometimes consumed with their own lives but they do talk to their kids and attempt to make changes where needed. Also, the drama in the book is typical to life. There was no overly dramatic climax to steal away the reality of the book.
Many mentions of A Midsummer Night's Dream abound so it gets extra points for that as well.
kawarwick's review against another edition
5.0
Very cute, easy to read book. I would recommend it to any junior high student. Lots of allusions, puns, etc to Shakespeare! A great coming of age, dealing with friends and parents type of story.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
This is cute. As an adult who knows several Shakespearean scholars, I find it pretty far-fetched that two professors are that over-the-moon about Willy the Shake that they would wear period dress everyday. Middle-graders wouldn't know that, however, and would identify with Hamlet's embarrassment at being anywhere near her family like any other self-respecting eighth grader.
This is a very nice story about a girl who learns to accept her own talents and her own family for who the are. The writing is quite good.
This is a very nice story about a girl who learns to accept her own talents and her own family for who the are. The writing is quite good.
cfox88's review against another edition
3.0
At the ripe age of 21 I am slightly outside the range for the intended audience of this book. That being said, it was still super cute! I think Dionne really hit the mark on what the middle school experience is… or, at least, what it used to be.
I liked that Dionne chose to show KC’s interest in Hamlet by having KC tease her a bit, but still be sweet, instead of the trope where boys are outright abusive and mean to the girls they like. I also think Dionne captured genuine emotion when it came to Hamlet’s situation. The whole book I was just waiting for Hamlet to blow up at her parents and it was so satisfying when she finally did. I appreciate that her parents made an effort to grow and evolve too — especially her mom.
I didn’t find Hamlet or Dezzie to be particularly likable characters. I get that Hamlet was stressed and embarrassed, but her internal monologue was so whiny. It felt like everyone but her got over the fact that Dezzie was there and she was the only one drawing attention to it. And if I were in Dezzie’s shoes, I would be clinging to my sister and doing everything she told me to do and actually listen to what she said, but that’s just me I guess
I liked that Dionne chose to show KC’s interest in Hamlet by having KC tease her a bit, but still be sweet, instead of the trope where boys are outright abusive and mean to the girls they like. I also think Dionne captured genuine emotion when it came to Hamlet’s situation. The whole book I was just waiting for Hamlet to blow up at her parents and it was so satisfying when she finally did. I appreciate that her parents made an effort to grow and evolve too — especially her mom.
I didn’t find Hamlet or Dezzie to be particularly likable characters. I get that Hamlet was stressed and embarrassed, but her internal monologue was so whiny. It felt like everyone but her got over the fact that Dezzie was there and she was the only one drawing attention to it. And if I were in Dezzie’s shoes, I would be clinging to my sister and doing everything she told me to do and actually listen to what she said, but that’s just me I guess
thechristined's review against another edition
4.0
Hamlet Kennedy is your typical eighth grader who just wants to fit in. Unfortunately, her family makes that incredibly difficult. Her parents are obsessed with Shakespeare and his works and act as though it’s still the Elizabethan era, and her seven-year-old sister Desdemona is a genius being taught college-level courses by tutors. Things just go from bad to worse, however, when Dezzie needs to take some classes at Hamlet’s school, and then Hamlet’s History and English teachers announce they’re going to be learning about Shakespeare that year, giving her parents a reason to take too much of an interest in her schoolwork.
The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet is a lighthearted read filled with realistic and quirky characters. While the majority of readers will not be able to identify with Hamlet for having a genius younger sister and parents who are so enthusiastic about Shakespeare that they collect everything Shakespeare (action figures, key chains, etc.) and build models of the Globe Theatre, they will be able to identify with Hamlet’s feelings of being overshadowed by her sister, and want to fit in at school to the point of trying to be invisible and hiding their true self. She is incredibly easy to relate to in this manner, as well as her being embarrassed by her parents, that it was easy to remember my own feelings when I was that age.
With Hamlet’s parents being so interested in Shakespeare, and Desdemona being a child genius, there are plenty of references to the Bard (especially his play A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and different people the targeted age range might not be familiar with, such as Stephen Hawking, and Madame Curie. As an additional nod to Shakespeare, the book is divided into ‘acts’ and even includes small ‘scenes’ within the story that still allow you to get inside Hamlet’s head. Even the acknowledgements are made to look like a cast listing.
You can read the rest of my review at my blog: http://readerlymusings.com/2013/11/20/book-review-the-total-tragedy-of-a-girl-named-hamlet-by-erin-dionne/
The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet is a lighthearted read filled with realistic and quirky characters. While the majority of readers will not be able to identify with Hamlet for having a genius younger sister and parents who are so enthusiastic about Shakespeare that they collect everything Shakespeare (action figures, key chains, etc.) and build models of the Globe Theatre, they will be able to identify with Hamlet’s feelings of being overshadowed by her sister, and want to fit in at school to the point of trying to be invisible and hiding their true self. She is incredibly easy to relate to in this manner, as well as her being embarrassed by her parents, that it was easy to remember my own feelings when I was that age.
With Hamlet’s parents being so interested in Shakespeare, and Desdemona being a child genius, there are plenty of references to the Bard (especially his play A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and different people the targeted age range might not be familiar with, such as Stephen Hawking, and Madame Curie. As an additional nod to Shakespeare, the book is divided into ‘acts’ and even includes small ‘scenes’ within the story that still allow you to get inside Hamlet’s head. Even the acknowledgements are made to look like a cast listing.
You can read the rest of my review at my blog: http://readerlymusings.com/2013/11/20/book-review-the-total-tragedy-of-a-girl-named-hamlet-by-erin-dionne/