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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-CycleA fantastic retelling of Mean Girls in the style of William Shakespeare. This book is clever, hilarious, and a delight to read.This book is such a fun way to combine classic literature and popular culture. The unique blend makes Shakespeare's style of writing more understandable and approachable for modern readers as the well-known quotes from the film echo in the back of their heads while reading, serving as a sort of translation. A splendid idea that just might get young readers and teens interested in the works of Shakespeare.I really enjoyed this book and thought the writing was amazing. Doescher modeled each of the main female characters off of Shakespearean characters such as Miranda, Kate, Juliet, and Lady Macbeth, which added another great layer to the work.This could easily work as an introduction to Shakespearean literature as well as a fun treat for fans of Shakespeare, complete with hidden references to find along the way.A very fun reading experience for fans of Mean Girls, Shakespeare, or both.
Do you like Shakespeare? Do you like Mean Girls? Then this is the book for you! Somehow this story got even funnier in iambic pantameter and Shakespearean English. I loved hearing how the iconic lines would be writ if it were in ye olden times. There was nothing really to hate. I loved the little easter eggs of other Shakespearean shows within the show itself too!
funny
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Today is Mean Girls Day, October 3, and I made a downloadable set of Reading Roles pages for a high school classroom reading of Ian Doescher's Much Ado About Mean Girls, which is basically the flick in iambic pentameter.
If you haven't gotten your principal's permission to teach this, seen the film, or sent home a parental permission slip offering to send students whose parents object to a colleague's classroom, you should before you start.
But oh, I can just imagine the fun a 9th grade classroom would have with this!
Introducing Iambic Pentameter with Much Ado About Mean Girls
Lesson Procedures:
* Buy class copies of the book. This sounds like a no-brainer, but each students needs to have a book in their hands to follow along. You also need to have the movie to watch, either through iTunes or however you buy movies for your classroom.
* Start by printing the Two Line Start Cards and laminating them, one set for each pair.
* Cut them up and put them in baskets on pairs of desks.
* Allow students to pair up or assign partners.
* If your class has already done the Two Line Start cards for my lesson using Ian Doescher's Verily a New Hope, they'll know what to do.
* If not, have them watch Akala's TedX talk about the links between HipHop and the Bard. Have a copy of the Sonnet #18 ready for them to read and follow, as well as the lyrics to Akala's two other songs at the end. Then crank up the volume! The kids love them.
* Then students practice reading the Two Line Start Cards to each other.
* Students use a dry erase marker to write in the breaks between syllables and show the accent in the pairs. TW circulate in the room, checking to make sure students are placing the syllable breaks and accents in the correct places and that students "get" the poetry form.
* When they're familiar with the form, students begin reading the book and watching the movie.
* Keep track of which students read which parts using my Reading Roles sheets.
Your students will marvel at how closely Doescher follows the movie script!
Visit my blog for the links and resources mentioned in this lesson, more great middle grade book recommendations, and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
If you haven't gotten your principal's permission to teach this, seen the film, or sent home a parental permission slip offering to send students whose parents object to a colleague's classroom, you should before you start.
But oh, I can just imagine the fun a 9th grade classroom would have with this!
Introducing Iambic Pentameter with Much Ado About Mean Girls
Lesson Procedures:
* Buy class copies of the book. This sounds like a no-brainer, but each students needs to have a book in their hands to follow along. You also need to have the movie to watch, either through iTunes or however you buy movies for your classroom.
* Start by printing the Two Line Start Cards and laminating them, one set for each pair.
* Cut them up and put them in baskets on pairs of desks.
* Allow students to pair up or assign partners.
* If your class has already done the Two Line Start cards for my lesson using Ian Doescher's Verily a New Hope, they'll know what to do.
* If not, have them watch Akala's TedX talk about the links between HipHop and the Bard. Have a copy of the Sonnet #18 ready for them to read and follow, as well as the lyrics to Akala's two other songs at the end. Then crank up the volume! The kids love them.
* Then students practice reading the Two Line Start Cards to each other.
* Students use a dry erase marker to write in the breaks between syllables and show the accent in the pairs. TW circulate in the room, checking to make sure students are placing the syllable breaks and accents in the correct places and that students "get" the poetry form.
* When they're familiar with the form, students begin reading the book and watching the movie.
* Keep track of which students read which parts using my Reading Roles sheets.
Your students will marvel at how closely Doescher follows the movie script!
Visit my blog for the links and resources mentioned in this lesson, more great middle grade book recommendations, and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just a fun read. As someone who majored in theater directing, I couldn’t help but start staging this in my head as I read. It was hilarious to see how the memorable lines from the film translated to Shakespearean language.
Ever since I first heard of Ian Doescher's Shakespearean adaptations of cult classic films, they've been on my to-read list and wow, this did not disappoint. I don't know Mean Girls amazingly well so probably missed some clever adaptations of key scenes, but I had a lot of fun playing "Spot the Shakespeare quote" and the ones I recognised were hilarious in the form of iambic pentameter. I was particularly amused reading Gretchen's rant on Julius Caesar (well, Regina, really) in the same style of the play she was commenting on. Doescher has assigned a different Shakespeare character to each Mean Girls one too, which is a lot of fun, thinking about how well the parallel works e.g Janis speaking lines from Beatrice from "Much Ado about Nothing" is sheer perfection. Definitely one to check out if you are a fan of Shakespeare and/or Mean Girls.
Thank you Netgalley for giving me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley for giving me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Well this was really fun and quirky. The writer has translated the entirety of the 'Mean Girls' script into Shakespearean language and very successfully, may I add! It was brilliantly done and a pleasure to read.