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migimon2002's review against another edition
4.0
I read this aloud to my Jr. High class as an introduction to Shakespeare, prior to our study of Romeo & Juliet. We were able to read it over the course of 2 days (approx 40min each class), but that allowed for minimal discussion. It was simplistic, but gave a nice overview of Shakespeare's life & works. It also was able to describe what Elizabethian England was like (politically, socially, economically, etc) and even described hardships encountered during the era (such as famine, disease, The Globe burning, etc). Finally, it incorporates brief descriptions/summaries into the narration that introduce reader to specific Shakespeare plays and what they were about. I would definitely use this book as a resource in my teaching, again. And, it would also be suitable for any young readers with an interest in historical figures.
amandalee0429's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting topic. Informative book. I learned a lot more about Shakespeare. Good beginning biography.
theresidentbookworm's review against another edition
1.0
Now, I'm going to start this review by saying that I don't hate the Who Was series. I think they are one of the better children's biography series out there. It's hard to get young kids interested in history, and they do a pretty good job at it.
That being said, I wouldn't have even published this if I had been them. First off, writing any kind of anything about William Shakespeare is risky. There aren't many details about his life, and the ones we do know are questionable at best. Add that to the fact that this is a children's biography and therefore devoid of any of the juicy gossip that would make it interesting, which equals a boring and pointless books. Kids of this age level aren't going to care about Shakespeare, and those kids who do are going to walk right pass this and find something better. Definitely a miss for this series. Word of advice for the Who Is series: Stay away from anyone who lived before the 1700s unless you have really good information!
That being said, I wouldn't have even published this if I had been them. First off, writing any kind of anything about William Shakespeare is risky. There aren't many details about his life, and the ones we do know are questionable at best. Add that to the fact that this is a children's biography and therefore devoid of any of the juicy gossip that would make it interesting, which equals a boring and pointless books. Kids of this age level aren't going to care about Shakespeare, and those kids who do are going to walk right pass this and find something better. Definitely a miss for this series. Word of advice for the Who Is series: Stay away from anyone who lived before the 1700s unless you have really good information!
abbie21's review
4.0
Very informative without being boring. I had to read it for English class in eighth grade, and we used it sort of as a textbook for facts about Shakespeare. Not a bad read if you're interested in the great playwright.
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