A review by melaninny
The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne

5.0

Full disclosure, I took a class with Erin Dionne a couple years ago and really enjoyed the class, and Erin, so I was inclined to like her book. But The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet definitely met my expectations! It's a great middle grade book, lots of charm and likable characters, with loads of fun Shakespeare references thrown in. Hamlet is just trying to fit in, but her over-the-top Shakespeare scholar parents and her uber-genius little sister, who just started at Hamlet's middle school, make it impossible. With lots of angst but also a lot of heart, Hamlet finds her own place in the world and attempts to find a way to make peace with the things that make her stand out.

The most successful elements in this book are the humor and characters. It was the light read that I was looking for. I think this would be especially good for kids just in late elementary school or entering middle school.